わたしの日本りょこう２０１１ part 1

Wow! I couldn't believe the snow.   Our flight was the morning after NY's big blizzard.  Getting to the airport was like straight out of "The Road," marching down city streets dragging our luggage.  Our flight was delayed 2 whole days, so we missed the family trip to the hot springs in Shirahama.  But we did make it to Japan in one piece and got to enjoy hot showers at Narita Airport.  Its a great deal, check it out next time you're there!

"One Piece" get it? "...in one piece..." Haha.

After our connecting flight to Nagoya. We stayed at the Trusty Hotel.  I liked their name and New Year's decoration.

Here's the standard subway ticket station.  Looks complicated, but works a lot like Washington DC's if you've ever been there.  My first time in Japan, I didn't know ANY Japanese.  Honestly, this was the most intimidating factor.  "What if I get lost?" I thought.  But now, after my first semester, I'm much more at ease and ready explore Japan.  What's interesting about the subway is how everybody lines up in designated lines before boarding the train.  Here's the subway instruction on discounts for kids.  I like how the kids look like they're having a great time with hands in the air.

I'm a huge fan of Japanese vending machines and the canned coffee, so it was great to see gai-jin brother Tommy Lee Jones.  At this particular machine you can even get warm corn chowder or sweet bean soup. I also like Nagoya's Manhole covers.

Never mind soda machines and man hole covers though, this is Nagoya's biggest landmark. Nagoya TV Tower in it's Central Park.

Here's some photos of Nagoya from 300 ft. up inside the tower.  How about that Shinto shrine and gate on top of a building?  I also liked the giant above ground pond.  We didn't get to go to Nagoya Castle but here's a picture from inside the Tower.  Can you see it? It's right in the middle:

This is only a small part of our trip. Stay tuned for more!