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For all of the past three days' pictures, go here. I will organize/comment on them later! It sorts newest photos first, so starting from page 1, it will be tonight's eatery, tokugawaen, the museum, the shinkansen, Osaka, etc. Head backwards if you want chronological order. ; )
So, today we went to Nagoya -- officially, to see the Tokugawa Art Museum. We ended up having a fantastic time!
Inside jokes added today:
- Stair-shaped rocks
- record of inheritance of tea utensils... and then the copy of the record of inheritance of tea utensils.
- The Tale of Genji, the Notes on the Tale of Genji, the Illustrated Tale of Genji, the Light Novel Tale of Genji, and THE RETURN OF GENJI: THE REMAKE.
The JR Pass was the greatest purchase we made for this trip. (The Tokyo metro tickets, too, but yeah.) We've already run our passes into the ground, and are still going for more! Counting all the times we've gotten turned around and totally lost, it was quite the investment!
We got moving about as early as we did for Osaka, and enjoyed a nice walk around Nagoya before finding a Shinto shrine. A real Shinto shrine! They were so gracious and very nice; we conversed in broken Japanese and English and it was awesome. I got some authentic charms for some people back home. And many pictures.
After some more of the scenic route, we found the museum. We qualified for the student discount -- yay! -- and sprung for access to the tokugawaen for a measly Y150 more. I love museums, and this one centered primarily on artifacts from the Tokugawa shogunate, including swords, armor, and tea utensils. Also there were some dolls.
The gardens cinched the entire trip. They were gorgeous. Adiva and I twice broke the rules by using the stones in the water as bridges, and heading off the beaten path. If they didn't want us to do it, they shouldn't have put those stair-shaped rocks where anyone could jump on them.
We came back from Nagoya thoroughly satisfied, and basically had animated discussions the entire shinkansen ride back -- as opposed to yesterday, when we ignored each other and went to sleep. Once back in Tokyo, we secured tickets for Studio Ghibli, and then went to eat at this little hole-in-the-wall eatery that had large portions at cheap prices. It was yummy, but waaaay filling.
Now we are back at the Sakura, and quite tired. We've had quite a few days!
Tomorrow: Kyoto for two days. We'll be staying at a guesthouse, and hopefully headed on a geisha tour! We're also meeting one of Adiva's friends there. We'll be back Saturday night, and Sunday we'll be seeing a Takarazuka performance with Jen, and then heading back to Ota with her to see the sights and go to an onsen (hot spring)!
Hm, better pack for Kyoto....
So, today we went to Nagoya -- officially, to see the Tokugawa Art Museum. We ended up having a fantastic time!
Inside jokes added today:
- Stair-shaped rocks
- record of inheritance of tea utensils... and then the copy of the record of inheritance of tea utensils.
- The Tale of Genji, the Notes on the Tale of Genji, the Illustrated Tale of Genji, the Light Novel Tale of Genji, and THE RETURN OF GENJI: THE REMAKE.
The JR Pass was the greatest purchase we made for this trip. (The Tokyo metro tickets, too, but yeah.) We've already run our passes into the ground, and are still going for more! Counting all the times we've gotten turned around and totally lost, it was quite the investment!
We got moving about as early as we did for Osaka, and enjoyed a nice walk around Nagoya before finding a Shinto shrine. A real Shinto shrine! They were so gracious and very nice; we conversed in broken Japanese and English and it was awesome. I got some authentic charms for some people back home. And many pictures.
After some more of the scenic route, we found the museum. We qualified for the student discount -- yay! -- and sprung for access to the tokugawaen for a measly Y150 more. I love museums, and this one centered primarily on artifacts from the Tokugawa shogunate, including swords, armor, and tea utensils. Also there were some dolls.
The gardens cinched the entire trip. They were gorgeous. Adiva and I twice broke the rules by using the stones in the water as bridges, and heading off the beaten path. If they didn't want us to do it, they shouldn't have put those stair-shaped rocks where anyone could jump on them.
We came back from Nagoya thoroughly satisfied, and basically had animated discussions the entire shinkansen ride back -- as opposed to yesterday, when we ignored each other and went to sleep. Once back in Tokyo, we secured tickets for Studio Ghibli, and then went to eat at this little hole-in-the-wall eatery that had large portions at cheap prices. It was yummy, but waaaay filling.
Now we are back at the Sakura, and quite tired. We've had quite a few days!
Tomorrow: Kyoto for two days. We'll be staying at a guesthouse, and hopefully headed on a geisha tour! We're also meeting one of Adiva's friends there. We'll be back Saturday night, and Sunday we'll be seeing a Takarazuka performance with Jen, and then heading back to Ota with her to see the sights and go to an onsen (hot spring)!
Hm, better pack for Kyoto....
