Holiday! It would be so nice...

CORRECTION: it was so nice. After a heated Thursday night "discussion" with the Board of Education which I won (over whether or not I am entitled to sick leave and whether a previous day off sick used up my day in lieu) nearly led to the cancellation of my holiday , I set off on Friday morning to Japan's fourth largest city, Nagoya. And wow, what a trip. If I was missing the city, I surely had my fill (if that's possible in four days).

Nagoya is a great city too. As you come out of the station you walk into what could be the financial district of London or New York, with tall, modern buildings and wide avenues lined with statues and works of art. And if you're like me, you walk the 25 minute walk to your hotel which happens to be in the heart of the red-light district (I'm getting concerned about how naturally drawn I seem to be to red-light districts). You then drop off your luggage and explore. So I wandered around the almost European streets in the blazing sun and explore the shops. And see exciting city-type things, like a pop singer (May Nakabayashi) launching her debut single outside Parco dept. store. And walk round the park that runs through the centre of the city (Hisaya odori park) admiring the art, the TV tower in the distance and the sunshine, and start talking to a Japanese guy who is on his lunch break and really wants to visit England. Continuing, you find a Fortnum and Masons which sells LEMON MERINGUE PIE (albeit very expensive homemade pie) and when it's dark you head to Oasis 21, the space-station like bus station. I don't know what it is about bus stations, but loads of them seem to have ground breaking designs. Well, 2 at least- this one and Stratford's. Then to the TV tower which is another Eiffel tower rip-off, but is in a much nicer location compared to Tokyo's tower (which looks like it's sitting on a warehouse). Lots and lots of photos get taken.

After changing at the hotel I head out to a Turkish restaurant for some exceltlent Turkish cuisine and then onto a hiy-uuuge nightclub where I end up dancing with a Phillipino transexual and her Peruvian "friend". Now that's something you can't do in Katsuyama. Imagine my surprise then when I get an email to say I'm an uncle at 1:20 am April 30th (Japan time). It almost makes me stop drinking. But not quite... Congratulations baby Amelia! and John and Sarah!

Saturday was a frenzy of walking and sightseeing, starting with Atsuta Jinja, a very important shrine where the legendary imperial grass-cutting sword is allegedly kept. The temple was nice and a wedding was in progress, so I loitered for a bit before moving on to a municipal park (Tsurumai park) which was half in a European style and the other half Japanese style. Complete with scary giant Japanese hornets. Understandably I ran away screaming like a 6 year old all the way down Osu-dori, (stopping only at the second hand CD stores to stock up on cheap classics- as in Lolly and Technotronic, not Beethoven) ending up at Osu-Kannon, a very old temple which is bright red and covered in pigeon poo. Nearby shops were eclectic and fun and led me to Shirakawa park with it's fountains. Avoiding the science and art museums at the park, I went instead to the Orchid park to see a huge variety of orchids, some with flowers larger then my fist. Additional excitement came from a high school Jazz band who were playing well, although their two tone-deaf-due-to nerves singers weren't doing them any favours... A walk in the sun to the station led to more shopping and a trip to the cinema (saw Hide and Seek which was entertaining if a bit crap).

Sunday continued in a similar vein- started late after a slow coffee at Starbucks (I rediscovered my love of drawing) and then in the rain I headed to Nagoya castle. Which is great. Having survived plans to demolish it in 1870, it was declared an important historical site in the 1930s and then completely destroyed in a 1945 bombing raid. The castle was reconstructed fully (the inside is an intersting museum with English info), and there are plans to restore the palace that stood outside it. The grounds also contain the Ninomaru gardens, which are rather lovely, and a tea house where I enjoyed green tea and Japanese sweets. As the rain continued, I continued walking in my shorts and t-shirt, exploring the Hisaya Odori park where I found a full Mexican section (statues, art and spanish-language plaques) and replicas of celebrities' signatures from Sunset Boulevard's paving stones. More shopping, and after a trip to the small, but exciting design museum with it's moving displays, I felt it may be time for an umbrella. That makes it six I own. Oops. Having local foods for dinner (kishimen noodles- flat like tagliatelle) I ended the night exploring the park and enjoying the night scenery. And being approached by men who looked like drug dealers. No thank you!

I left Nagoya on Monday in the sun to head to Toyota to meet Eugene and Yuko, but that's for another entry... Ignore what the travel guides say, Nagoya is well worth a visit.