Silver week
Haven't updated in ages (again)! My apartment is finally connected to the net since the Friday before last.
It is now in Japan what they call "Silver Week". Counting the weekend, Silver Week is a 5-day holiday. Saturday, Sunday, Respect for the Aged Day （敬老の日）, National Holiday（国民の休日） and Autumnal Equinox Day （秋分の日）.
This is a good opportunity to go somewhere further away then Aichi-ken. However, due to the lack of money, I thought I'd go on several day trips instead.
和紙のふるさと (The home of Japanese paper)
After a one hour train ride, I arrived at Toyota City (yep, where the world famous car maker's home is). There are these buses call Toyota Oide Basu (Come Here to Toyota Bus, it sounds a bit gay when translated into English).
The train ride was more than an hour, about an hour and fifteen minutes. As you see, I get on at 1 and didn't get off until 37. It was really cheap though, only 600yen. I think Toyota city subsidise a portion of the fare. One way travel time (train+bus) took about 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Paper are hung just like any other artwork.
Materials used to make Japanese paper art.
This is where guests can experience making their own paper. Basically, you start with the tray and put paper+colour mixture onto it in different ways to create various effects.
This udon is served with edible wild plants.
Not sure if these are deliberately planted or wild. They were next to the place where I had lunch.
!!! It was a bit camera shy. After about 3 minutes of taking photos of it like a paparazzi, it went into one of the water holes.
An abandoned house right next to the highway. Pretty awesome.
This is the Meitetsu (a private train company) Toyota-shi station around 5:30 in the evening.
南知多半島 (South Chita Hantou)
With a friend from my workplace and his wife (they're older than my parents), our first stop was this old Japanese house that has a very long name 尾州廻船内海船船主内田佐七家. This Japanese style mansion was own by this very rich man who owned up to ten fishing boats back in 1800s. All four generations lived there.
I don't know why I didn't take a picture of the front of the house but took one of the toilet instead =_= I think I was too busy looking at the place and when I remembered to take photos, it was from here.
A fish market at 伊勢湾 Ise Harbour. The raw tuna is apparently 激安 (extremely cheap) :D
The actual place is totally different from its own website! I was taken by surprise. This is 花ほろば (Flower Square when roughly translated into English). Sunflowers, lavendars and peony in full bloom there. We were allowed to pick up to five of each flower.
Notice that the sunflowers are not facing the sun! They actually have their backs to the sun!
A picture taken from the other side.
I am supposed to put them into a vase or bucket, but since I don't have either, they're like this at the moment. I still need to go out later to get a vase. Think I will get one for the sunflowers. The lavenders are not holding up too well.
Will post about rest of Silver Week in a few days (hopefully, I always end up not doing it).
It is now in Japan what they call "Silver Week". Counting the weekend, Silver Week is a 5-day holiday. Saturday, Sunday, Respect for the Aged Day （敬老の日）, National Holiday（国民の休日） and Autumnal Equinox Day （秋分の日）.
This is a good opportunity to go somewhere further away then Aichi-ken. However, due to the lack of money, I thought I'd go on several day trips instead.
和紙のふるさと (The home of Japanese paper)
After a one hour train ride, I arrived at Toyota City (yep, where the world famous car maker's home is). There are these buses call Toyota Oide Basu (Come Here to Toyota Bus, it sounds a bit gay when translated into English).
The train ride was more than an hour, about an hour and fifteen minutes. As you see, I get on at 1 and didn't get off until 37. It was really cheap though, only 600yen. I think Toyota city subsidise a portion of the fare. One way travel time (train+bus) took about 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Paper are hung just like any other artwork.
Materials used to make Japanese paper art.
This is where guests can experience making their own paper. Basically, you start with the tray and put paper+colour mixture onto it in different ways to create various effects.
This udon is served with edible wild plants.
Not sure if these are deliberately planted or wild. They were next to the place where I had lunch.
!!! It was a bit camera shy. After about 3 minutes of taking photos of it like a paparazzi, it went into one of the water holes.
An abandoned house right next to the highway. Pretty awesome.
This is the Meitetsu (a private train company) Toyota-shi station around 5:30 in the evening.
南知多半島 (South Chita Hantou)
With a friend from my workplace and his wife (they're older than my parents), our first stop was this old Japanese house that has a very long name 尾州廻船内海船船主内田佐七家. This Japanese style mansion was own by this very rich man who owned up to ten fishing boats back in 1800s. All four generations lived there.
I don't know why I didn't take a picture of the front of the house but took one of the toilet instead =_= I think I was too busy looking at the place and when I remembered to take photos, it was from here.
A fish market at 伊勢湾 Ise Harbour. The raw tuna is apparently 激安 (extremely cheap) :D
The actual place is totally different from its own website! I was taken by surprise. This is 花ほろば (Flower Square when roughly translated into English). Sunflowers, lavendars and peony in full bloom there. We were allowed to pick up to five of each flower.
Notice that the sunflowers are not facing the sun! They actually have their backs to the sun!
A picture taken from the other side.
I am supposed to put them into a vase or bucket, but since I don't have either, they're like this at the moment. I still need to go out later to get a vase. Think I will get one for the sunflowers. The lavenders are not holding up too well.
Will post about rest of Silver Week in a few days (hopefully, I always end up not doing it).