Happy Easter! We got up at 7:30 am and I set up Easter breakfast with the eggs I had dyed at school on Wednesday with my English club. E and K put their bags directly in my car so we didn’t have to worry about stopping at home to pick them up. Our first destination was Jigokudani Monkey Park about 1 hour and 50 minutes away, but we had to stop at Nagano Station first for the JR passes. It was my first time in Nagano City and it had a stunning overview of the snow capped Nagano alps near where Hakuba is. The station was really nicely designed as well. Sadly I didn’t bring my temple book so I decided not to stop by Zenkoji temple there. We also stopped for gas and supplies, but getting lunch at a typical Japanese chain place, Sukiya. First time for me and it was all right.

We got to the monkey park at about 12:30 pm. It was much less busy than last time and really muddy! So much warmer out! There were almost no monkeys bathing but many grooming on the pathways and running around, playing. The little baby monkeys playing and being groomed were the cutest! I then drove us another 2 hours through the mountains to Kusatsu. Sadly the shortcut road is still closed for winter stuff, but at least I knew where to drive this time! There was still a little snow on the ground and people skiing on the last bits. I parked at the bank in Kusatsu as it’s Sunday and closed - free parking yay - and we walked through the shrine down to the city center. So I got a Shinto shrine visit in for Easter instead of church? The sulfur smelled much less strongly this time and there were many people walking around in their yukatas.

We also tried sesame ice cream, and onsen manju along the way to Sainokawara Park. While we were there, it started snowing! We sat with our feet in the foot bath with snowflakes falling all around us. I thought it especially crazy for E and K because they had just come from Okinawa and the beach life. We started the last leg of the journey, another 2 hours back to Takasaki. We got there shortly before 8 pm and stopped at Kappa Sushi for some conveyor belt sushi for dinner. They seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. I dropped them off at the station at 9:15 pm so they could catch their shinkansen to Sendai. It was so much fun showing them around even if our time was cut short and we had to do a lot of driving in one day. Plus I got to speak German for a day!

My friend and her husband were supposed to come visit me for three days yesterday, but they got trapped in Okinawa due to high waves. They couldn’t use the ferry to get back to the main island and had to postpone their flight. I had already taken PTO yesterday so I got to have an extra day off. As their flight was coming in late today, after the last bus and with a small chance to catch the last train, I offered to pick them up at the airport. So I spontaneously ended up in Tokyo for today. This weekend was AnimeJapan, the world’s largest anime convention, at Tokyo Big Sight. Last year about 120,000 people attended. What a jump from my previous cons - Anime Midwest, 3000; MTAC, 9000; Ohayocon, 13,000.

I left at 7 am. Normally it takes a little under two hours to get to Tokyo, but there was a 50 minute delay on the way. All the traffic. I decided to get off the expressway and circumvent it. I parked a bit further away from Big Sight along the same train line so I didn’t have to wait in long lines to park. The station was right next to the parking garage, but it was a bit weird because the building accompanying it was closed so I couldn’t get back outside except by walking up the ramp although there was a no walking sign. Whoops. The trains was super crowded! I just followed the flood of people pouring out of the station and towards the convention center. I walked and walked and walked. They had some staff members manning signs that directed us to basically wind around the whole convention center to the back and then into the East hall. I got off the train at 9:40 am and made it in the convention center at 11:15 am. It wasn’t that bad because we kept moving the whole time, but had I gotten there earlier… Eeek. Definitely the longest line I’ve seen. Even beat Disney at NYE. There was a separate smaller line to buy tickets before the big line up started. I was glad I managed to figure out how to get mine at FamilyMart!

When inside, it felt like less people because everyone spread out. There were only spots where it was difficult to move. It was completely different from the American cons I’ve been too. Huge stands for all the anime companies that often had displays or shows. There was one open stage with events, and three private stages that you had to win lottery tickets to enter as they could only fit about 500-1500 people. The stages were all talk panels with famous creators or voice actors.

Each booth was selling things, but it was mostly shows I wasn’t interested in. Lots of free flyers, goodies, and bags were being handed out. There were two huge food areas as well. I think I missed out a bit on the signs and atmosphere because I can’t understand Japanese. Some things would have been more impressive. Like I think I could have gotten this really cool Kuroshitsuji movie ticket thing, but google translate failed me. I really enjoyed seeing the huge Nyanko-sensei though! It was also cool to see the creator booths where you could watch them draw manga with photoshop and put together animations.

The cosplay stuff was way different too. There was a small indoor cosplayers area that featured a dressing room. The cosplayers came in normal clothes with suitcases and changed there, dropping their suitcases at a “coatroom.” Then most of them were outside staking out a spot with signs with their pro names and twitter handles. Photographers/people would line up to take a picture of the cosplayer posing. The cameras were super intense! People even brought the light reflector boards. The cosplayers didn’t roam free throughout the con. There were some impressive cosplays, but it wasn’t that much better than those in the US. It was exclusively anime characters (and some video games?). I didn’t see the mix of comic, tv, and movie characters that we have. I felt bad though because it was cold! They were standing out where we originally came in, by the windy ocean.

It was a different type of crowd. It’s like one big nerdy party for us and it just seemed like a commercial event here with standard group of people going, although people did end up sitting everywhere on the floors too. I got lunch at a cafe that was okay and not too severely overpriced. At about 4 pm before it closed, I staked out a spot at Starbucks and relaxed. I later got dinner at McD’s but I couldn’t hang out there too long. You were only allowed to stay for 30 minutes and were given a piece of paper with your exit time.

I had some extra time before I could leave for the airport, so I walked over the bridges to the other part of Odaiba to see the giant Gundam statue. Along the way I ran into people doing nighttime cosplay shots, by the big Ferris wheel. I even spotted a Project K shoot between Mikoto and Munakata that suited the atmosphere perfectly! By the statue, tulips were already blooming and two sakura trees! I was pretty cold at this point so I took shelter in the shopping mall. I only wore a fleece jacket because I didn’t want to carry my coat around all day inside the center - although it was actually only semi-warm inside. I got to go shopping at H&M and Forever 21, cries. Big city life with clothes with real sizes. There were a bunch of sales going on for spring. I got three things at F21 for about $15!

I made it back to my car and headed off for the extra hour driving to the airport. It all worked out and I managed to park at the right garage. Following some very confusing signage, I made it to Terminal 3 which is much further from Terminal 2 than I had thought. I managed to get there right before my friends came out at 10:15 pm. Needless to say, we took the bus back to the Terminal 2 ha. After a long drive home with mostly empty roads, I managed to get in my bed at 1:30 am. It was really great talking with E and her husband K though. We made plans to get up early the next day for a drive to Nagano so they could get their JR Rail passes exchanged because there’s no station in Gunma that will do it. The original plan was to do it in Tokyo, but the office closed before their arrival.

 

This morning S, R, and I picked M up at Nagoya station. We were off to Inuyama, about an hour to the north. We ended up parking in a museum parking lot as we didn’t see the signs for the official parking lot for the castle. Inuyama Castle is one of 12 remaining original castles in Japan that survived the ages. It’s the oldest standing castle in Japan and was built in 1440. We arrived right before sakura season so there weren’t too many tourists or lines. There was a beautiful fox shrine at the base of the castle grounds. The Inuyama mascot was taking pictures with people. We walked up old stone paths, passing a horse shrine, to the entrance of the castle gates. Inside, was an omiyage shop/cafe, the castle, and a small courtyard. Near the castle was a huge, old, trimmed tree that was an ancient sakura apparently!

We got in line to enter the castle, and removed our shoes as per usual. The castle definitely felt old! The stone walls were much less even and the wood smoothed and stained. At the top was an outlook where you could see much of the surrounding area. A good vantage point to spot any incoming enemies! I ended up buying Ichigo-sensei some Inuyama omiyage as a thank you for the ETC card and a goodbye present. We won’t be teaching together anymore :( Every school year in Japan, teachers can be reassigned to new schools or duties and have to move to ensure no school gets a stockpile of good teachers. She’s leaving to be a supervisor and will no longer be teaching. I’m quite sad.

After dropping by the car to shed layers - it was getting quite warm - and omiyage, we continued walking through the old castle town. Lots of cute shops and cafes. We ended up getting lunch at a misokatsu place. We ate outside in the sun. Afterward, we drove to the Sweets Castle about 20 minutes away. It’s like a themed “house.” It looks like a European palace, but with a Santa statue in the fountain! You had to pay for entrance and then could pay extra for different activities. The most popular one was where you could rent a dress, stroll around the grounds, and take pictures. A lot of couples were doing this. You could also bake cookies in a class - that was popular with the kids. This place was huge! We wandered through the halls back to a museum of confectionaries. They had famous places built out of sugar. We paid extra for the sweets buffet, but it wasn’t that impressive. Most make your own parfaits. It was really interesting to see this place, but definitely much too expensive.

We dropped M at a station and started the drive home. R took a turn driving the car and drove it halfway. My body was so tired of driving especially from all the driving to Ise. The drive was really pretty! We could see all the mountains this time. We passed through some pretty remote areas and got to see the snowy peaks of the alps in Nagano.

 
Did all the driving today - a total of over 6 hours. S and I left at 8:30 am to pick up my other OU friend, M, from her apartment. We were driving to Ise to visit the most famous shrines in Japan. There are 125 shrines that cover the same acreage as Paris. The Ise Grand Shrine, both Geku and Naiku, outer and inner, is where they pray for world prosperity and for the Imperial family. Every twenty years the bridge, and the two head shrines are torn down and rebuilt. The grounds have been around since the 5th century! They rebuilt for the 62nd time in 2013 so many years of rebuilding up till now! As it was a holiday weekend, the traffic was insane and took us over an hour longer than usual to drive there. We drove by a huge amusement park and the ocean at the beginning and even saw M’s workplace! She gets to use English on occasion but all about lumber, ha.

After long lines, we finally made it into a parking lot (not as bad lines as the ones in Gotemba or as the ones here for the free parking lot). Parking was super expensive (300 yen per 30 min), but we just didn’t want to wait forever. We walked through Oharaimachi, the old approach to the inner shrine, filled with many traditional buildings. We got some food from the stands for lunch. I tried cold french fries covered with a harden layer of honey and lemon juice, and a Japanese corn dog which was a hot dog covered in sticky rice. Almost everyone was Japanese tourists,and the floods of people never ended. The grounds of the inner shrine were huge! We did a lot of walking amongst the huge, old trees. You could even go down to the river to cleanse yourself. You couldn’t take pictures directly by the shrines as it’s a place of worship, but I got to see the Shinto priests with the really tall hats. The shrines were built very traditionally with thatched roofs. The back buildings even had gold tips. Maybe the buildings weren’t very impressive, but the peacefulness and historical significance impacted me. I did have to wait in a long line to get my stamp for my seal book done. Over 30 minutes, I’d say, the longest I’ve waited for my stamp yet!

On the way out, we stopped by the rest house and got some free tea! We passed back through the bustling shopping street and stopped at a tiny seafood restaurant at the end of the street. The guy called out to us in Japanese telling us to try his delicious oysters. I decided to stop inside and try one! We were in a famous oyster fishing town. I thought I had never had oysters before and it was only 380 yen ($3) for a pair. The guy cooking even spoke English to ask whether I wanted cooked or fresh. I choose fresh. He put some lemon soy sauce on them. They were huge! And I recognized them! I had oysters cooked in nabe twice before and had no idea what it was. I didn’t really like them cooked as they were too chewy, but fresh was yummy!

We drove about 15 minutes to the outer shrine, Geku, and parking in a free lot this time. Much less busy here. There were more of the same buildings but on a smaller scale. We drove further, about 20 minutes, to get to Meoto Iwa, the married couple rocks. They are joined by a heavy rope that weighs over a ton. It gets replaced several times a year in a special ceremony. It was my first frog shrine. The wind was fierce and as I was standing by the entrance torii gate, a wave came up and splashed me! Caused some laughter as it was a dry spot on the ground, but the sea blessed me anyway. We were there at high tide so the rocks were separated by water.

We tried to find something to eat, but all the places were closed and it was so windy. We got back in the car and drove a little further to a teppanyaki place that was hopping. We all had some delish okonomiyaki. The ride back was a little better but still long. My legs and body were sick of driving! I had to stop to get gas at a rest stop on the expressway, but the line was crazy! It was all backed up onto the interstate, because there weren’t enough parking spots for all the traffic. I just wanted to pass through to the far side to get gas. We went returned to Nagoya, we were lucky and could get the cheaper and closer parking lot to our airbnb, whoop.

I had arranged to meet my Japanese friend who studied abroad at OU at Nakamurakoen station at 10 am. It was wonderful to see her again! Her English got a lot better as she finished school and studied abroad in England. Sadly, she doesn’t get to use English at work and has a very intensive job. We headed off to Nagoya Castle. The original was bombed down by us during WWII so they are currently in the middle of a reconstruction process. I learned about the two golden tiger headed carps, kinshachi. They are featured everywhere: on the sewer covers, in all the tourist shops - you can get stuffed animals or socks with them. I also got to see a huge line of people waiting to take photos with Nobunaga, one of the most famous feudal lords of the castle. I’ve even heard of him from video games - Civilizations and Age of Empires. The inside featured lots of English, some historical artifacts and displays, models, a re-created town, a stunning view of Nagoya, and some interactive displays. You could join in and help pull the sled carrying the stones to build the walls.

We also visited one of the side buildings that had just been completed. Such fresh wood. They even gave us slippers to wear inside. We got to see lots of beautifully painted, golden screens. Afterward, we took the subway to Osu Kannon, a lovely Buddhist temple, and walked through Osu. We visited this cute little Alice themed shop with a tiny doorway that I could barely fit in. H took me to a super famous restaurant called Misokatsu Yabaton Honten where they serve a Nagoya speciality, misokatsu. It was very yummy, but so much food! There’s always a line because it’s renown. We went back to the Osu shopping street area to watch the St. Patrick’s Day parade. It was much bigger than I had expected with bagpipes and many violins. There were even huge Irish wolfhounds and an Irish setter!

We continued the festivities in Yaba Park where they did games, crafts, and face painting. We listened to some music and watched Irish dancing! I didn’t even know they had Irish dancing classes in Japan. It got a bit chilly with the wind picking up so we stopped by the nearby Pokemon Center, my fourth one in Japan. I just wanted a picture of the store sign (which they didn’t have), but ended up buying a cute Easter pin and nanolego kit to make Squirtle aka Zenigame. We hung out in Starbucks for a while, chatting. I bought the new flavour of the month, apricot honey soy. It was delish! I really like soy stuff here. We got dinner at a nearby izakaya since we were still really full from lunch time and just wanted some small things. Thank goodness for traveling with someone who knows Japanese! Nagoya was lacking a lot of English with most places only having Japanese menus unlike Kyoto or Tokyo.