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June 18, 2006 Nagoya - Not Your Normal Tourist Destination
Working 13 hours a day (add a 2 hour daily train/taxi commute) is taking its toll, but that is, after all, what I am here to do. Thankfully some technical delays gave me the full weekend off, with not much energy to do much more than explore the city within walking distance. Given this is a coastal city, clouds and a perpetual haze made it tough to get any really good photos. Much of Nagoya was destroyed during World War II, so it is not considered a tourist destination like, for example, Kyoto. Yet there is a wealth of visual excitement and I've yet to sort through the dozens of images that I've captured. Again, my intent was not for the Blog to become a travelogue, but as I am always traveling and nearly always dead tired, this is what you get for a time.
Japanese Essentials - Trains & Cell Phones
June 11, 2006 Bad Bento Box
I worked all weekend at the Partner's Site, so I had little to explore. A staple in the Japanese work-driven culture is the Bento Box. We either have the Marriott prepare them when we take a van into the site or pick one up at Nagoya Station for the train/taxi ride if we are traveling in a small group or off-hours. Well, let me tell you this - they look pretty, but are way over-rated. I'm so sick of the ones that the hotel provides that I'm buying them at the train station below the hotel. Results to date: two bad bento boxes so far and tomorrow I'll try one again, one more time. We do have the option to eat at the partner's cafeteria (or if we are lucky, tag along with the site manager for a good lunch at a restaurant), but although the price is only 500 yen (half that of a bento box), it's all just a bit too Japanese. The best meal so far has been Indian! I love Japanese food, but admit to two trips to the Outback and one to the Hard Rock Cafe! ~~~
I snapped a shot of the Nagoya Train Station at 9 PM on a Sunday, as I want to contrast it with a photo tomorrow morning during rush hour. Pictured is the "Gold Clock," not to be confused wit the "Silver Clock" on the other end of the station. Thanks to Joe for pointing that out! You want to see wall-to-wall humanity? I'll post a photo of this location at 7:30 AM tomorrow night. June 4, 2006
This, as I understand, is the only remaining structure from the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, and serves as a haunting centerpiece for a much larger memorial to the historic event. The surrounding area was a bit too serene and beautiful to evoke any solemn emotions from the visit. Perhaps, as I review the other photos that I have taken, it will sink in. It was an exciting two hour ride on the Bullet Train from Nagoya to Hiroshima. My thanks to a co-worker who suggested the trip, and to the group that I am working with to allow me to tag along. The visit to both Hiroshima and Miyajima Island was far too brief; I left wanting to explore and understand more.
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~~~ I jotted down the following from a DK Japan Travel Book that our host brought with her on the trip: "There are no maternity wards or cemeteries, because no one is allowed to die or give birth on Miyajima Island." I read this on the train trip to Hiroshima, and after our visit I realized that this is a place that one could explore for a week. After a trolley car ride from the Hiroshima Memorial, we ferried out to the island and discovered a place truly unique to the planet. Because we arrived late, we rushed to see what we could in the small town, but quickly migrated up the paths above it. When we got further into the lush hills, it felt reminiscent of so many other grand parks back in the US. But this was in Japan - a place I had never known to exist!
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My fellow Explorers |
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