I am writing on the bullet train, Shinkansen, from Tokyo to Nagoya. The train we are on travels about 270 kmph or 165 mph. The ride is actually very smooth. The only way to get a sense of speed is by looking at the buildings as you fly past them.
Today is kind of grey, but at least it's not raining! The scenery varies between super tightly packed houses - literally with only a few feet between them and usually no yard or garden - to areas where the land is divided into small plots for farming. Occasionally there is a terraced hillside that looks like it might be used for rice farming. Almost every smaller building has a sweeping roof line and tiled roof that would typically be associated with Asian architecture. Other buildings and factories tend to be kind of square and drab and concrete.
Last night, like I said, we went out for tempura. Tempura is a variety of very lightly breaded and fried food. The restaurant we were at is very popular in Tokyo. The dining area is separated into individual rooms (a tatami room?) with a seating area surrounding a chef. You need to take off your shoes prior to entering the room, step up about a foot and a half onto the bench/floor, then take your seat on a pillow at bar that surrounds the cooking area. Your feet hang over the edge like sitting on a riser and the entire seating area is covered in straw mats. Women dressed in traditional outfits serve drinks and clear plates. The chef prepares a variety of meats and vegetables throughout the meal. The very first serving we had last night was fried shrimp heads. The shrimp heads were actually very good once you got over the appearance. The rest of the meal consisted of scallops, asparagus, fish, crab, eggplant, and mushrooms. There is sauce available for dipping or you can spice the food with salt or dry mustard. One of the final servings was a small fish fried and served whole. This was a little daunting as it reminded me of the sharks I used to have in my fishtank. We finished the night with a serving of fresh melon. I ordered papaya, one of my favorites.
It's later now and I am done for the day and just back from dinner. We went to Outback Steakhouse. Yes, right here in Nagoya, Japan!
The cities here tend to be very brightly lit at night. There are signs almost everywhere you look with decorative lighting - flashing lights, neon, strobes, colors.. If it weren't raining I would have gotten a picture or two. We spent most of day traveling and working so I didn't get very many pictures, but here are a few..
The view from the train.
Today is kind of grey, but at least it's not raining! The scenery varies between super tightly packed houses - literally with only a few feet between them and usually no yard or garden - to areas where the land is divided into small plots for farming. Occasionally there is a terraced hillside that looks like it might be used for rice farming. Almost every smaller building has a sweeping roof line and tiled roof that would typically be associated with Asian architecture. Other buildings and factories tend to be kind of square and drab and concrete.
Last night, like I said, we went out for tempura. Tempura is a variety of very lightly breaded and fried food. The restaurant we were at is very popular in Tokyo. The dining area is separated into individual rooms (a tatami room?) with a seating area surrounding a chef. You need to take off your shoes prior to entering the room, step up about a foot and a half onto the bench/floor, then take your seat on a pillow at bar that surrounds the cooking area. Your feet hang over the edge like sitting on a riser and the entire seating area is covered in straw mats. Women dressed in traditional outfits serve drinks and clear plates. The chef prepares a variety of meats and vegetables throughout the meal. The very first serving we had last night was fried shrimp heads. The shrimp heads were actually very good once you got over the appearance. The rest of the meal consisted of scallops, asparagus, fish, crab, eggplant, and mushrooms. There is sauce available for dipping or you can spice the food with salt or dry mustard. One of the final servings was a small fish fried and served whole. This was a little daunting as it reminded me of the sharks I used to have in my fishtank. We finished the night with a serving of fresh melon. I ordered papaya, one of my favorites.
It's later now and I am done for the day and just back from dinner. We went to Outback Steakhouse. Yes, right here in Nagoya, Japan!
The cities here tend to be very brightly lit at night. There are signs almost everywhere you look with decorative lighting - flashing lights, neon, strobes, colors.. If it weren't raining I would have gotten a picture or two. We spent most of day traveling and working so I didn't get very many pictures, but here are a few..
The view from the train.
The city of Nagoya. Check out all of the signs. These are all lit up at night. And they prune back all of the branches on the trees making them look kind of like something from Dr. Suess!
Steve and Christophe at the train station.
Me and my beer..
