Skip to main content

Miscellaneous Nagano Fun

Image
By

Above: the view from our hotel room.  We overlooked the train station and some night life.

This is an actual double-decker bus we found as we wandered around Nagano city one night.  I personally love the posters on the front for "Phantom" and "Les Mis."  It pretends to be a British pub restaurant, although I think most British people would cringe to see how their food and drink has been Japanified.  Corn and mayo on everything! Although, on second thought, maybe that improves British food?

This building to the right is a post office/bank, denoted by the bright orange flags and T-shaped symbols on the signage.  I was drawn to the design of the building.  It reminds me of America's old-fashioned public office buildings that hold so much charm and history.  This building hearkens back to traditional Japanese aesthetics and architecture in much the same way.



We stayed two nights in Nagano city, and we found a great Vietnamese restaurant that we ate at both nights because it was so delicious.  On top of the deliciousness, the wait staff was very kind to me about my allergy.  They continuously went back to the kitchen to check on ingredients, and even returned and remade some food that they put fried onions on accidentally.  These dishes are from our second night.  The dish to the lower left is a coconut milk concoction with sweet potato, pumpkin, and peanut.  It was absolutely divine.  The spring rolls and after-dinner pudding and hot tea were also superb.

Labels

Labels:
Location: Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

To Live in the Moment Without Fear

By
To Live in the Moment Without Fear  is a work by Yuko Shinoda from Gifu, Japan.  Danced by six women, the dance investigates what it means to be a part of a community threatened by a disaster that takes a life.  Premiered June 5th 2011 in Nagoya, Japan, the dance features a strong movement aesthetic that draws from traditional Japanese dance as well as contemporary styles and contact improvisation.  Shinoda's use of space and timing, as her dancers flow in-and-out of solos, duets, trios, and unison, creates a sense that the dancers are unified and alone at the same time.  In the end, Shinoda's view of life is clear: we must tend to the fallen, but we must never surrender ourselves to fear while we are still alive.
3 comments
Read more

Yokohama, Day Four: Roppongi Hills and Shibuya

By
We met Nik's girlfriend, Megumi, for an amazing lunch on the way to Roppongi Hills, where we met up with her friend Misa. Roppongi Hills is an incredibly upscale shopping district in Tokyo, even more upscale than the Ginza. I couldn't afford to look at the stores. We passed by a German-influenced illumination display, honoring 150 years of German-Japanese friendship. It was really beautiful and seemed traditional (I'm going to run it by my German friend to test its authenticity).  In the first two pictures you can see Japanese people chowing down on dark lager and brats, as well as a lovely carved statue with figurines and candles that constantly turned on a podium. Misa was hungry so we got her a lunch snack, and when Matt saw a bagel place he succumbed to his Jewishness. Pictured is his bagel with cream cheese and lox, which he ate in the face of Christmas with Nik. Roppongi Hills also has many beautiful sculptures, including a giant spider of which I didn'...
Post a Comment
Read more

Japan's Ice Is Cooler Than Your Ice

By
Nagamori chuugakkou (middle school) is a friendly, clean, and very large place where I now spend my weekdays. I am mid-way through my first week as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT), and things are going very well despite my distinct lack of Japanese language skills. I teach full-time at Nagamori, which is different from most of my ALTIA colleagues who teach at two schools (Matt included). I enjoy staying at one school because it is much easier for me to handle the language barrier: I am able to see the same kids and teachers every day, and I am continuously improving my communication skills. Mostly the kids are great. They are, as a whole, interested and engaged. I have been doing a lot of jiko shoukai , which means "self-introduction." Third day in and the kids have got a pretty good handle on me even though I haven't officially been in their class yet. I no longer can ask them if I am from Australia, for example, because they all know I am from America....
2 comments
Read more