Home Sweet Nagoya
Friday ただいま！ (I’m back!)
After a 2-hour shinkansen ride, I arrived at Nagoya Station at about 10:15. I hoped to return to where I used to live, but I didn't have enough time. Instead, I decided to do what I do in Tokyo, but in Nagoya!
Last winter, Seventeen came to Nagoya Done for their Be the Sun tour, and some members posted photos from around Nagoya. I don’t know if idols find places themselves or if staff location scout, but I swear idols find the best photo spots.
I’ve been told doing this is called 聖地巡礼 (seichi jyunrei) and it translates to “pilgrimage” in English, but it’s also used when someone goes to a real-life spot that is in an anime/manga (which I have also done). The word “pilgrimage” is a bit extreme(?) for me, but if I know a member of a group I like was somewhere near me, it makes a mundane place special. I also have a bad habit of only going to familiar places so this is one way I challenge myself to go to new places/restaurants. I don’t know if doing this is a weird/foreign concept to others, but it’s something I could never do in Florida and something that I really enjoy.
I went to one of my favorite places, the Nagoya Art Museum, and took photos of where the members went. It was during this walk, in 33°C (91°F) heat, that I once again questioned my hobby of taking walks even in summer, but it was worth it. The area around the Nagoya Art Museum area has always been a favorite place of mine.
In the evening, I went to a Chunichi Dragons game. In Japanese baseball, left field is the visitor team's designated cheering section. The right field is the home cheering section. I have never been in the Dragons cheering section at a home game, so it was a blast! The game wasn’t quite as enjoyable, though, as the Dragons lost to the Yokohama Baystars 18-2, and 10 of those runs came in the 9th inning. Despite the torture in the 9th inning, Dragons fans kept doing the player chants/songs positively.
Saturday 久しぶり！ (Long time no see!)
Saturday was all about seeing friends I haven’t seen in a long time 😊
I first met my friend who is going back to America and another good friend who I got to work with for a while before I moved to Tokyo. The three of us went to a pasta restaurant and it was amazing! You could tell when eating it that the pasta was fresh!
In the evening, I met one of my closest Japanese friends who I always try to meet whenever I come to Nagoya. As a treat to myself, and because I wanted a Nagoya specialty, we went to an うなぎ (eel) restaurant. Although foreign to Americans, eel is one of the most delicious kinds of seafood you can have. It’s meatier than regular fish and has so much umami in the sauce.
Despite the rain that night, there was a dance festival, and the dancers were going all out even though it was wet.
Finally, since it’s hard to justify on a regular day, I decided to end the day with karaoke and did some prep for the Seventeen concert next week.
Sunday 行ってきます！ (I’m off!)
The lack of sleep finally caught up with me, and I didn’t leave my hotel until noon (thankfully when the checkout time was). I went to Starbucks and bought some souvenirs (うなぎパイ, eel pie) and danishes for myself. I also had a Nagoya specialty きしめん (kishimen), which is a flat udon noodle for lunch before I left.
I think it’s safe to say that this trip was heavily food-based. It is possible to find Nagoya staples like Yama-chan (famous for Nagoya chicken wings) & Yabaton (miso tonkatsu, fired pork with a miso sauce) in Tokyo, but it’s so much easier to find in Nagoya.
I had an enjoyable time in Nagoya meeting friends and going to Nagoya Dome. That said, I think this is the first time since moving to Tokyo two years ago that I felt 100% like a (well-educated) tourist instead of a former resident. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, though. All of my friends who I’ve spoken with recently have had changes in their lives, and that made me feel better about the changes that are happening to me right now. Just like how I felt after seeing BTS at Nagoya Dome in 2019, I’m sad some things are over, but I’m happy they happened.
