A day in Nagoya

We’re up early for our first full day in Japan.  Not far from our Tokyo hotel is a Family Mart and I’m excited to see what snacks and drinks I can find.  I choose a packet of mixed sandwiches, a box of strawberry Pocky, a banana and a bottle of Fanta Grape to keep me going during our bullet train ride.  We take the JR Yamanote line to Tokyo Station and figure out which gate we need to access the shinkansen platforms.  We have a little time before our train departs so I explore the mini branch of Kinokuniya within the station.  I’ve visited a Kinokuniya book store before on a trip to New York, and I’m surprised to find that the Tokyo Station branch specialises in food.  I spot an adorable bun in the shape of a panda and figure out from the wrapper that it’s full of chocolate cream.  Perfect!

 

We make our way to the platform and wait for the shinkansen to arrive and whisk us off to Nagoya.  From my research I found that the bullet train is due to pass by Fuji-san, and if the weather is good he will be visible out of the window on the right hand side of the train when heading from Tokyo.  Unfortunately all of the window seats were booked up when making our seat reservations, but I have at least managed to secure a seat on the correct side of the train.  I really hope I can catch a glimpse of Fuji-san! 

The bullet train pulls smoothly out of the station and it feels like we’re gliding along.  We pass through the densely packed heart of Tokyo, and then through Yokohama before the landscape merges into fields and countryside.  There seems to be a high proportion of factories and heavy industry scattered throughout the area.  My heart skips a beat as I spot a glimpse of a white peak off in the distance – could it be Fuji-san?!?  As we zip along the businessman sat next to me keeps peeping out of the window while tapping away on his laptop.  The mountain peak starts to grow and he closes down his laptop and joins me in gazing out of the window.  The weather is glorious and we get such a clear view of Fuji-san.  The businessman gets up and indicates for me to swap seats with him as we pass directly past Fuji-san.  It’s such a lovely gesture and I thank him profusely by repeating “Arigatou gozaimasu!”  I manage to snap some amazing pictures and I feel so lucky to have been able to see the icon of Japan so clearly!

Lunchtime is now approaching so I take the opportunity to enjoy my conbini lunch as we zip along.  The sandwiches are so soft and tasty, and the panda bun is truly delicious!  Just two hours after departing Tokyo we arrive in Nagoya and we’re all a little sad to leave the bullet train.

Our plans in Nagoya include a visit to the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology and Nagoya Castle.  I’m also desperate to find an adorable Pyorin pudding which I’ve read about and are a Nagoya speciality!  Our first mission is to find a locker to store our little case, but as we walk around the main concourse of the station we find that all of the lockers are taken…oh dear!  We do however walk past the home of the Pyorin, Café Gentiane Leger, and I’m so excited to see rows of little chick puddings lined up in the window!  For anyone looking for the café it’s on the right as you exit the shinkansen ticket gates.  I don’t want to buy a pudding yet, for fear of it getting ruined as we explore Nagoya, but I promise myself that we’ll return before we reboard the shinkansen later.

To explore Nagoya we need to buy a Donichi Eco Kippu which will give us one days unlimited travel and discounts at many attractions and shops.  These special tickets are only available on weekends from the subway ticket office.  After getting lost and wandering around for over half an hour we spot the ticket office and I manage to secure us three tickets.  We also find hundreds of empty lockers and manage to stow our mini suitcase.  Finally with our tickets in hand we take the subway to the Toyota Museum.  It’s a straight forward journey, and we emerge into a suburb of Nagoya.  After a short walk we arrive at the museum which provides a fascinating insight into the history of Toyota.  Half of the museum is dedicated to weaving and looms and the other half is devoted to cars.  It’s interesting to see how the weaving industry has progressed from a labour intensive operation to state of the art machines which can convert digital images into elaborate woven panels in minutes.  All of the displays have extensive Japanese and English explanations, and we’re even given some live demonstrations of different machines by the guides within the museum.  

 

The car pavilion is equally fascinating and many of the attractions are interactive with demonstrations of how key components operate.  There’s some huge industrial machinery which we viewed above, and below factory floor level, and some state of the art car manufacturing robots.  My dad particularly enjoys looking at the range of Toyota cars from the past century, but my personal highlight is the trumpet playing robot!

In the gift shop I manage to buy a mini plush of Hachy ハッチー who is the mascot for Nagoya’s transportation department.  Hachy is based on the kinshachi which adorn the top of Nagoya castles. 

On our way back to the subway station we pass an adorable house which is clearly a tribute to Moominhouse!

We hop on the subway and head to Nagoya-jo, which is an exquisite castle in the heart of the city.  We have to make a quick tour of the grounds as we lost so much time when we were wandering around the station earlier.  A friendly man who works at the castle greets us in English and points us in the direction of the main castle buildings.  We’re disappointed that we don’t have sufficient time to allow us to enter the castle, but we snap some photos before heading back on the subway to Nagoya Station.  On the subway a local lady asks in Japanese where we are visiting from, and if we are enjoying Nagoya.  I respond as best I can, and say that we’d love to return to Nagoya again – there’s so much to see.

Ume Blossom in the grounds of Nagoya-jo

It’s not long now until our shinkansen to Osaka is due to arrive, and there’s just time to grab our case out of the locker and head to Café Gentiane Leger to secure ourselves some Pyorins.  The lady at the counter carefully selects us three of the little chick cakes and wraps them in cardboard nests, before placing them in an elaborate box with ice packs and some mini spoons.  We just have time to grab a drink from the café in the shinkansen waiting room, and my dad spots a bottle of water in the shape of a bullet train which he must have!  We board the train with all of our purchases and sit back and enjoy the view whilst we eat our puddings.  The Pyorin is delicious, and turns out to be most similar to a crème caramel which is dusted with sponge to give the chicks a fluffy outer layer.  Each Pyorin has chocolate drop eyes and a beak and wings made from a delicate white chocolate.  It just seems such a shame to eat them when they’re so beautiful.

Next stop Osaka!