Japan - Nagoya (four)
After drinks at Smash Head, we visited the nearby Osu, a sprawling old-style small-trader shopping market spreading out from the Osu Kannon Temple. The covered streets selling fashion garments, electronics, alternative medicines, etc., give a taste of what Japan might have been like before modernization.
I don't have many photos from the Osu, which is disappointing. :( We actually did a bit of shopping and eating which kept me from seeking out photo ops. I got my mom and sis gifts, and picked up a t-shirt and sunglasses for myself. As for the eating part...we had a really super-delicious burger from a place called Loco Burger; the burger was topped with bacon and eggs. Did I mention it was super-delicious?
Entering Osu
Mmmmmm.....tasty.
So, yeah, we hung out at Osu for a while...it was a rather hypnotic experience. The market went on and on and on, every street offering new and exciting shopping adventures...we could barely tear ourselves away. But tear ourselves away we did because we had plans to meet some of Jerome and Lea's friends for dinner at an izakaya in Sakae, downtown Nagoya (which I will definitely have to photograph on the next visit. It's a fun area...)
Dinner was really fantastic. We all crowded into a booth with a recessed floor and a sliding door (there are only a few Japanese restaurants in Chicago with similar rooms) and devoured the tasty assortment of dishes before us. Tomek and Hochiko (I believe that was her name?), our resident izakaya pros, kept the food and libations flowing. Jerome was unable to join us as he was still out of town in Fukuoka on business. He was expected back the following day...
Daniel (I think that was his name?), from the UK.
Lea
Can't remember his name, but he's also from the UK.
Tomek (from Poland)...he's a really great guy. He joined us for dinner our first night in Nagoya and was fantastic company, so Tristan and I were looking forward to seeing him again...
I think her name was Jamie, Daniel's wife...
Hochiko (?)
Huzzah! About half-way through dinner, Tomek received a phone call from Jerome saying he'd just arrived at Nagoya Station (early!) and would like to join us for dinner. It was great to finally see Jerome again after so long...
Most of these photos were taken with the 50mm/1.2L lens (all the close-up shots.) The rest (really, just one: the wide angle shot) was taken with the 17-55/2.8 IS. The lighting in our small booth was fairly atrocious. Made for challenging work, to say the least. But, I tried to make the best of it... ;)
Dessert...some sort of custard (tasted like flan.)
I realized too late that I hadn't taken any food photos. :( To be honest, food photos of the non-commercial, "hey, look what I ate today!" variety bore me to tears. Nevertheless...I definitely want to take some next time; I think I'm beginning to understand their appeal.
Jerome on the left, toting his luggage; Tomek on the right riding his bike. My photo sucks, but trust me...the two were pretty adorable.
After dinner, we took the train back to Jerome and Lea's place. Tomek (who lives close by) invited us over for a nightcap. It turned out to be a very long, though thoroughly enjoyable, night...
Next up: Kyoto!
I don't have many photos from the Osu, which is disappointing. :( We actually did a bit of shopping and eating which kept me from seeking out photo ops. I got my mom and sis gifts, and picked up a t-shirt and sunglasses for myself. As for the eating part...we had a really super-delicious burger from a place called Loco Burger; the burger was topped with bacon and eggs. Did I mention it was super-delicious?
Entering Osu
Mmmmmm.....tasty.
So, yeah, we hung out at Osu for a while...it was a rather hypnotic experience. The market went on and on and on, every street offering new and exciting shopping adventures...we could barely tear ourselves away. But tear ourselves away we did because we had plans to meet some of Jerome and Lea's friends for dinner at an izakaya in Sakae, downtown Nagoya (which I will definitely have to photograph on the next visit. It's a fun area...)
Dinner was really fantastic. We all crowded into a booth with a recessed floor and a sliding door (there are only a few Japanese restaurants in Chicago with similar rooms) and devoured the tasty assortment of dishes before us. Tomek and Hochiko (I believe that was her name?), our resident izakaya pros, kept the food and libations flowing. Jerome was unable to join us as he was still out of town in Fukuoka on business. He was expected back the following day...
Daniel (I think that was his name?), from the UK.
Lea
Can't remember his name, but he's also from the UK.
Tomek (from Poland)...he's a really great guy. He joined us for dinner our first night in Nagoya and was fantastic company, so Tristan and I were looking forward to seeing him again...
I think her name was Jamie, Daniel's wife...
Hochiko (?)
Huzzah! About half-way through dinner, Tomek received a phone call from Jerome saying he'd just arrived at Nagoya Station (early!) and would like to join us for dinner. It was great to finally see Jerome again after so long...
Most of these photos were taken with the 50mm/1.2L lens (all the close-up shots.) The rest (really, just one: the wide angle shot) was taken with the 17-55/2.8 IS. The lighting in our small booth was fairly atrocious. Made for challenging work, to say the least. But, I tried to make the best of it... ;)
Dessert...some sort of custard (tasted like flan.)
I realized too late that I hadn't taken any food photos. :( To be honest, food photos of the non-commercial, "hey, look what I ate today!" variety bore me to tears. Nevertheless...I definitely want to take some next time; I think I'm beginning to understand their appeal.
Jerome on the left, toting his luggage; Tomek on the right riding his bike. My photo sucks, but trust me...the two were pretty adorable.
After dinner, we took the train back to Jerome and Lea's place. Tomek (who lives close by) invited us over for a nightcap. It turned out to be a very long, though thoroughly enjoyable, night...
Next up: Kyoto!