Nagoya, Japan: Floating Trains & Water Castles
Trip Start
Unknown
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Trip End
Ongoing
Where I stayed
Nagoya, Chubu, Japan
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Reading the faxed instructions from Masa, it said to disembark the shinkansen and wait for him at the Gold Clock; apparently it's a regular site for meeting friends and family. Every so often a cheer burst through the crowd and people of all ages started to hug, smile, and bow to each other in joyful greeting. 3 friends or colleagues in dark blue suits in their mid-life years descended the escalators, said something to each other, and bowed several times as they departed. I took the escalator upstairs to get a panoramic view of the Nagoya Station. 40 minutes later around 12:30pm, Masa left his office to meet me at the clock. We walked back towards the ticket office and planted ourselves down to eat kishimen, a bowl of deliciously addictive noodle that is native only to this city. We planned our activity as we slurped the indescribably flavorful soup before leaving the station.
After we ate, we noticed that the weather was a tad wet from the misty rain. Masa took me through a series of spacious underground tunnels filled with pedestrians and shops before resurfacing elsewhere that was closer to his parked Mercedes wagon. The tunnel was like a basement level of what was on the surface: clean, fresh, and blindingly bright. Our first stop was Nagoya Castle and its soon-to-be-completed palace. Atop the castle rests two golden dolphins. According to legend, they were placed there to protect the wooden fortress from fire. Masa told me of the standard configuration: castle, palace, shrine, garden, and moat. In almost all cases the castle sits on the highest ground to keep watch of the city and the palace in case of a planned rebellion or an approaching invasion. The stairway to the castle entrance is gradually steep and separated by uneven staircases. It's purposefully designed this way to deceive invaders who would have a hard time making the final approach with their heavy armor.
My interest in ancient Japan led to an invitation by Masa's mother to visit her traditional Japanese home. It is nearly two centuries old and has to be heated by portable heaters due to the paper-thin wall on the sliding doors. It has a memorial plaque commemorating the honor his Grandfather had received from the Emperor of Japan with a medal proclaiming his significant contribution to the Nagoyan politics. We finished the day's meal with bean rice cake, a highly concentrated cup of fresh green tea while saving space for delicious "unagi kabayaki", grilled/barbecued eel on fried rice. I always enjoy walking after a delicious meal so Masa took me to Oasis 21 - "Water Spaceship", a modern art structure built for shoppers and those who enjoy a panoramic view from the heart of Nagoya. I wish we have something like this in Center City Philadelphia.
Knight,
On the high floor of the Nagoya Tokyu Hotel
