To some of my friends, making a three-month trip to Japan on the edge of winter seemed a bit unusual. I was only able to
get the time off work because we had extra temporary help in my department but I suppose there are warmer climates to go to
at this time of year (in Canada, those flying to warmer climates during winter are called 'Snowbirds').
Thing was, aside from wanting to better learn about the Japanese language and culture, within the three months I am here, there will be New Year's, the most important holiday in Japan, Chinese New Year, and the Sapporo Snow Festival. It'll be nice to see all these events here in one trip. Travelling is more difficult, both to and within Japan, during the Christmas and New Year holidays and my annual leave isn't long enough otherwise. Besides, I want to see how Japan is at each time of the year and I've seen parts of spring, summer and fall on my previous trips.
Of course, there's Christmas too, and in a country where 'kawaii' is huge, even though it's not a holiday, in the streets there's certainly the spirit of the season on the streets. There's a problem I've been having with that, though. As part of my studying here, I've been wanting to hear more spoken Japanese, so hearing so much western Christmas music in the stores and public places was not always welcome, at least while I was still in class, which coincidentally, finishes on Christmas Day.
I've also been too busy to spend a lot of time seeking out new things Japanese, beyond what I know already, anyways. Spending the afternoon and early evening in Nagoya proved to be interesting on both fronts.
Even though I needed to do some reviewing for a test Wednesday, I had to make a trip to Nagoya to exchange my Japan Rail Pass voucher. The JR Nagoya Station was the only place in the region I could do this and I wasn't going to have the chance before I was going to start using it two weeks later. The exchange counter proved easy to find, directly outside the JR central exit.
While there are some attractions I eventually want to see in Nagoya during my stay, I was going to do none of that today. I wandered around the station for a little while looking for a thing or two. There's a Tokyu Creative Hands store on the third floor of the Matsutaya Department Store which always have some interestingly different housewares. I once bought a stand from them shaped like a nose on which to hang my glasses when I'm not using them. The store in the station was already busy but the Hands store seemed even more so because of its Christmas display selection.
I was originally planning to take a bus to Nagoya Port to take a few more photos for the website and check to see if there was any activity there but the streets were too busy and the street buses were frustrating to find (just using a map, anyways) so I took the subway.
I heard the Garden Pier was normally busy on weekends, but it was actually relatively quiet this day. The aquarium looked busy and there was a small lighted Christmas garden display that was getting attention but that was about it. This was also a place thick with western Christmas music. I imagine it's great if you're homesick during the holiday season, but it made me feel too much like I was back in a mall back home. It was also funny listening to one group managing to sound like the Floaters (a 70's one-hit soul group) when they were giving personal Christmas greetings in the middle of their song. I almost expected to hear their zodiac signs next.
Speaking of the 70's, though, there was one funky store there that was rich in slightly-outside-the-mainstream pop goods including books, comics (including the latest Inuyasha comic), novelty items, posters (anyone remember "Cleopatra Jones"?) and vinyl LP records. They even had a taste from home: a Mr. Big chocolate bar complete with bilingual English/French wrapping.
I remember it from my trip to the Port Wednesday because it was playing the Beatles, but this time, it was playing a Japanese reggae and skaa compilation (a CD, not LP). I have never heard Japanese reggae and skaa before, and I'm far from an expert in Japanese music, but this was the freshest I've heard for a long time so naturally, I bought it. Besides, I could only listen to my Studio Ghibli Anime CD so many times if I wanted to hear Japanese lyrics.
I wasn't planning to return to JR Nagoya Station on my way back
to Okazaki, Kanayama station was closer, but now that it was dark, there was supposed to be a light display there to see.
It is generally said the Japanese can take ideas and technology and improve on it. It apparently applies to Christmas
lights as well, at least the ones at the Towers. It certainly was drawning crowds taking pictures (me included).
I was better prepared for the train ride back to Okazaki this time (as opposed to back on my second day here). The thing about taking trains here is that they vary on which stops they make along the route. Fortunately, all the trains on the Tokaido line stop in Okazaki so all I had to do was make sure I didn't take the wrong train this time. About two thirds of the trains will take between 27-29 minutes to reach Okazaki but the others will take 49 minutes.
For all the running around I did in five hours, the trip was more refreshing than expected. Gonna need the energy to spend the rest of the evening studying.