Nagoya (名古屋), A Central Capital

This view is approaching Nagoya via the Kintetsu Nagoya Line. The center two of the four tallest buildings pictured are the JR Central Towers, which houses both the main Nagoya Station and the headquarters of JR Central. By floor space, Nagoya station is the largest train station in the world.

Now that I think about it, I probably should have started with a description of Nagoya instead of Nakatsugawa the last time I wrote on this blog; sorry about that!

Anyways...

A major port city and the capital of Aichi Prefecture (愛知県 Aichi-ken), that would be Nagoya (名古屋市 Nagoya-shi). The city thrives from the various industries located there, mainly automotive, electronic and other trades. The majority of Japanese automotive companies are based out of Nagoya with many branching out to nearby suburbs such as Okazaki. The Nagoya area also hosted Expo 2005 from March until September of that year. There is also Nagoya Port, which is the largest by international trade value, with notable users such as Toyota Motor Corporation.

Having such an industrial status, Nagoya was one of several strategic targets during World War II. The city was one of three of the largest industrial centers, mainly for aircraft production. Nagoya served as the heart of the Japanese aircraft industry at the time, with an estimated 40-50% of all the Japanese combat aircraft in addition to aircraft engines produced from the city itself. The air raids left nearly one-fourth of the city in ruins.

Being a major city, Nagoya has many sightseeing locations, many which are easily accessible via the city's subway system. One of two of the most famous sites would be Nagoya Castle (名古屋城 Nagoya-jo). The exterior has since been restored from the war days but the interior serves as a museum with many of the original artifacts from pre-war days on display as well as a history of the site.

Nagoya Castle exterior.

One of several views from the top level of Nagoya Castle.

Here are some of the displays:

Katana (swords) on display.

Examples of interior designs of the time period.

Samurai and other period accurate headgear.

The common symbol is the gold dolphin (or is it a whale?).

Here's another one of those dolphins?

Blueprints detailing the original castle layout.

The other site worth checking out in Nagoya would be the Atsuta Shrine, a Shinto shrine considered second-only to Ise Shrine. It's said to hold one of the three sacred treasures of Japan (the Kusanagi sword). The shrine also hosts 70 different festivals throughout the year. Other sites include various museums ranging from art to automotive, a zoo, an aquarium, sports hot spots, among other things.

Now you're gonna hate me for doing this last but Nagoya also is known for some of it's cuisine. One of my personal favorites is Miso Katsu:

Deep fried pork or chicken cutlets glazed in red miso sauce with egg and rice makes a good dish.

Other dishes include Tebasaki (sweet marinated chicken wings with sesame seads), Kishimen (flat udon noodles in a slippery texture dipped in light soy sauce and a sliced leek, hot or cold), and Tenmusu (rice ball wrapped in laver with tempura in the center) just to name a few.

And there's also other choices of deep-fried goods:

After spending nearly two years living near and frequenting the city of Nagoya, I've come to find a love for it. There are many things about it that makes it unique. And that goes the same for many other cities and towns dotted across Japan.

A view of the JR Central Towers from the Sky Promenade, which is a city observation deck just across the street from the main Nagoya Station.

Another view of the cityscapes. Photo taken from the Sky Promenade observation deck.

Nakatsugawa (中津川), A City With Hills

View of the city on hill from the Southwest.

One of the very first cities I spent time in (a little over three months) when I returned to Japan over two years ago is Nakatsugawa (中津川市-Nakatsugawa-shi). Situated in the mountainous Gifu Prefecture (岐阜県-Gifu-ken), Nakatsugawa is easily accessible from Nagoya (approximately an hour train ride). Other notable cities that can be accessed from here by train are the cities of Nagano and Matsumoto, both in the Nagano Prefecture. Nakatsugawa is known mainly for abundant chestnut harvesting during the Autumn months and the products that come out of it such as Kurikinton (栗きんとん). To make Kurikinton, you first boil, then mash the chestnuts. After mixing the chestnut mash with sugar, it can be reformed into a chestnut shape. The product can either be made in the comforts of home or purchased from a local market. Whether homemade or store-bought, Kurikinton is extremely popular for home consumption or as gifts.

The city is built into the foot of Mt. Ena, the tall mountain pictured on the right, making the city itself a hilly one.

Nakatsugawa served as one of 69 post towns during the Edo Period along the Nakasendō, one of five routes that served as major roads of the time connecting present-day Tokyo (formerly known as Edo during the time period) with Kyoto (former imperial capital of Japan).

As is a common sight practically anywhere in Japan, the main beauty is the rice farms especially when it's thriving during the wet season. It's pretty to see even in a residential neighborhood.

The present-day Nakatsugawa will see an enhancement of its transportation infrastructure in the future with the construction of the Chūō Shinkansen (a maglev train line) already in planning stages. This will grant the area with easy direct access to major cities such as Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka.

Language & Dialect

Cutting straight to the chase, you might wanna considering checking this page to learn a little bit about Japanese dialects; there are MANY dialects and I didn't even know about them until I returned to Japan back in 2010!

Just to get an idea, here's a visual aid of what the link above is like:

Crazy huh? Well, once you spend some time in a certain area, you get used to it. But that's how any language in the world can become unique in its own way. Also, there are now links to the left of the page if you want to learn the language on your own. Have at it!

The Sun Rises...

Youkoso (welcome) to this blog. I dedicate this blog to the wonderful island nation of Japan and the cultures, sites, and traditions that lie within. I just got off from doing doing volunteer work (in other words, missionary service) in Central Japan (Nagoya, Kanazawa, Nagano, Shizuoka areas, etc.) on behalf of my church. I also spent ten days with my family (who came to Japan to pick me up from my church mission) recently, touring parts of the country, including a long overdue visit with relatives from my mom's side of the family; so yeah, I am half Japanese. A little over a year ago now, Japan and in particular, the Tōhoku region was struck by an earthquake and tsunami causing widespread destruction and resultant nuclear problems. Recovery efforts are still ongoing.

I was living in the city of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture at the time... And my relatives live not too far from the affected region but no one was negatively affected, thankfully. But over 15,000 lost their lives and I continue to mourn for those 15,000 plus. As I pressed through to the one-year anniversary mark of that tragic day, I found a new sense of respect and admiration for the Japanese people. The disaster caused more than just death or loss; people were displaced, money had to be spent (and it's always expensive!) for just about everything that needed replacing, and even the economy was negatively affected.

At the same time, people were united. Relationships became stronger. And all that plus more in response to a tragedy-turned-recovery effort. This blog allows me the opportunity to reflect upon my time spent in Japan and mentally go back to some of the places I've visited when I was a missionary. I can also tell you about some of these places myself since I spent a considerable amount of time in a few places. I hope all of you who read this blog will also find enjoyment and interest in stuff that's "all about Japan." Here's to Japan, her people, and their ways of life!