konnichiwa, nagoya

my first ever trip to Japan!!


yet another destination that i was so excited to see appear on my flying schedule, even though i knew so little about it (and still i'm pretty clueless about it, i was too busy eating to learn too much!

i've promised myself i'll go back there sometime in the near future and pay less attention to the callings of my stomach (and less attention to the crazy fashions) and learn a bit more about japan's fascinating history and culture

i was stoked to learn though, that women DO actually wear kimonos, just while cruising around the streets!
OK, so maybe they were heading somewhere important and formal, but i'll tell myself that they wrapped themselves up in elaborate silks and scraped their hair back into tight buns secured with chopsticks just for a trip to the local grocery store -- it makes me feel nice.


my adventures in nagoya:
take a walk late at night, and watch the local teens gather at the mall to practise their break-dancing (and consider joining in just before realising that you never learnt to break-dance) . visit nagoya castle -- yes, i have no idea what this castle was built for, i admit i was too busy looking at the food outlets and souvenir shops to read all the signposted history . purchase the obligatory fridge magnet for the collection (bet you didn't see that one coming) . visit a japanese temple, have your name scripted in katakana on a piece of wood, burn a candle then pray (or pretend to pray, cos you got shy and had a mental blank and couldn't think of something suitable to pray for -- [praying for a new piece of Vuitton luggage seemed somewhat inappropriate in an ancient japanese temple]) . navigate through the underground metro system using a map with only japanese characters on it (and benefit from an impromptu language lesson from a seemingly-prehistoric japanese ticket man) . eat japanese food, in japan! sushi, nigiri, sashimi, ramen noodles and oh dear god i'm going to end up the size of a house if i continue at this rate . stand in the bathroom, and be curious as to why a toilet needs to be connected to an electrical plug, then get your answer when you flush the loo and a stream of water jets up and hits you in the forehead (how environmentally-friendly: no need for toilet paper!) . eat dinner in a japanese restaurant, where the only English that the waitress knows is "Coca-Cora", and enjoy the suspense of having no idea what each dish is as it arrives at the table . play pachinko and pretend like you've got some idea what's happening as the little balls move around in the game machine in front of you and the flashing lights and erratic music threaten to induce an epileptic fit . purchase a keyring in the shape of a tempura prawn . drink a iced coconut bubble milk tea, then decide it was good enough to warrant a second (ok, yes, and a third and a fourth too, happy?) . successfully avoid the swarm of pigeons at the known tourist haunts (i'm getting better at this!) . ask for directions in japanese, and still be just as lost after they finished given you directions in japanese that you just don't understand (and should stop pretending to understand) . arrive back in Dubai with a suitcase chock-a-block full of japanese sweets and candies . sample some green tea ice-cream, and discover that it tastes like you're sucking on a cold tea-bag, but still quite enjoy it, cos it's like sucking on a cold tea-bag IN JAPAN!!!!


here are the photos:


stay tuned, next week: PARIS!!!


let the good times roll!!