This has been one of my longest stay in Japan which spans from June to November 2008. Though I am the only one from the Singapore office to be posted to Japan this time round, there are many people who have helped me throughout my stay here. This posting is dedicated to all of them.
It has been an unforgetable 6 months in Japan which will definitely bring back fond memories when I look back towards it.
To see the full size image, please click here: Actual size.
My Travel Map
I have travelled to a few popular destinations during my stay. Nakagawa-san brought me to the areas to the far north of Komaki - Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Kamikochi, Takayama. The farthest I have travelled is to Hiroshima City and Miyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture. Total journey time is 8.5 hours and is only possible by overnight bus.
Memorable Photos of Summer and Autumn
Driving through winding mountain roads at speeds of 120km/hr...
Loving family with two very adorable kids...
Ultimate beef steak experience...
Husband and wife rocks in the sea off Ise Shima...
Sunset phototaking with Park-san...
Grand Sumo tournament in July...
Large torii in the sea off Miyajima, top 3 sights of Japan...
Remarkably beautiful and peaceful temple in Miyajima...
A city that faced the world's first atomic bomb and is dedicated to world peace...
High school baseball tournament with high energy cheerleading...
Largest fireworks festival in Central Japan...
World Cosplay Submit with representatives from 14 countries...
Nostalgic homecook food...
Beautiful night photoshot of Nagoya Sakae...
Amazing theme village based on the Meiji era...
Beautiful beach facing the Sea of Japan...
Top 3 gardens of Japan, the Kenrokuen of Kanazawa...
Stressful times over the weekend, JLPT exams preparation...
Ultimate dinner, 6000Yen Hokkaido crusine...
City on Parade, the Nagoya Festival...
Beautiful sunset over the Japan Alps of Kamikochi...
Bus Tour with the Komaki International Association...
Beautiful autumn leaves in Kyoto...
4th October (Saturday)
There is not much plan for today, except just shopping and fine dining in Nagoya. The girls were mentioning something about having Nagoya specialty - Unagi (eel). Since one of them have not had lunch yet, we proceeded to the restaurant directly. It is only 11am and there is already a queue in front of the shop. We queued for around 45mins before going in.
This is their recommended set meal, it cost 2730Yen (S$40). Ok, by now I'm already used to spending in Japanese yen, so I am ok with this price.
Thereafter we (or should be they) went shopping around the station area. By around 4pm, we were pretty tired and decided to go for tea session. Here I am in one of the cafe in the Takashimaya mega shopping centre.
Our afternoon tea with cakes.
After tea, we did a few more shopping for local specialty before taking a bus back to Komaki. We finally had a chance to go for the Korean restaurant in the area. We went twice previously but it was closed. The shop lady was pretty fierce. Nevertheless, I find the food to be so-so. The portions are so small. Check out the plate to the right, it is Wa-Gyuu(和牛). It cost 2,400Yen and there are 6 pieces of meat.
5th October (Sunday)
When I'm free over the sundays, I will join in the Japanese class organized by the Komaki International Association (KIA). The initials are exactly the same as the Koriyama International Association which I joined 2 years back. There are lots of students in the class, most of them are from China. With the remainder from Vietnam and Indonesia. The class I joined is actually an exam-prep class which will prepare me for the JLPT exams end of the year.
8th October (Wednesday)
On the Wednesday evening we have a farewell party for small a, a Taiwan girl currently with us. Our dinner is at a Hokkaido restaurant and 17 of us joined in. The dinner is just simply fabulous. Check it out!
They have seafood, sashimi, etc. Now they are preparing the scallops (Hotate). It is the best!
We have all the shells, fishes, vegetables thrown in.
And to wrap up our meal, we have the hot pot. It is also one of my favourites. In the end it cost around 6,000Yen(S$90) per person. But this dinner is one of the best I had for sometime.
11th October
On this day I have arranged with Eling to register for the Komaki International Association bus tour. We rendezvous at around 11.20am and proceeded on to the office. I heard there is an overwhelming response for the bus tour and we were pretty lucky to be able to register for it. I also signed up for Howard on his behalf.
Thereafter we went to the Italian restaurant (Saizeriya) directly opposite the People's Hall for lunch. We saw our Japanese class teacher there. Here are the things we have ordered.
We had a slow chat thereafter and left Saizeriya around 4pm.
17th October (Friday)
On the Friday evening, I brought Howard to Hitori Shabu Shabu (One person Hot Pot) which is just a 10mins walk from our office. It is quite affordable which cost 500Yen - 1200Yen per person. I went for the Pork Hot Pot which cost 850Yen only.
18th October (Saturday)
On the saturday, I show Howard around Nagoya. We stop at Nagoya station and begin exploring the environs. As it is coming close to lunch time, I brought him to a favourite hangout recommended by Nai the last time, the Raimen street in Nagoya station.
Thereafter we walked to Osu Kannon. I managed to devise a perfect route where we can walk from Osu Kannon and explore the entire indoor shopping area without backtracking. Here I am taking a break at the traffic light junction from Osu.
And Howard at Nadya Park.
We walked northwards towards the City Hall and checked out Nagoya castle.
Finally we are back to Sakae Oasis 21 spaceship.
Similar to last year, there is a cable tv exhibition going on in Oasis 21. We took the 6pm bus from Oasis 21. In all, we walked 7 hours the entire day.
24th October (Friday)
We had a welcome dinner for Howard-san on this day. The dinner is held at a Izakaya just a short walk from our office. Here I am with Suzuki-san and Shin-san. My face is a bit red (and no it's not sun-burnt).
Katayama-san and Howard-san.
The rest of the gang. From left: Okino-san, Fujisawa-san, Wakabayashi-san, Nakagawa-san, Toba-san and Fujita-san.
New Improve Meals
For around 10 days from end-October till early-November, the meals in our dorm got a major booster. Someone temporarily came and took over the cook and prepared really amazing dinner. Check out smoked salmon with spaghetti below. There are also many other splendid cuisine which I will not be listing them here.
26th October (Sunday) - Shin's Birthday
During Howard's welcome dinner, I heard that Shin-san birthday is the coming Sunday. So I arranged a party for him. And off we go to our Komaki korean restaurant. It's really been a while since I last had korean food. It was perfect! Really miss korean food. Previously when I was in China, I had it almost every day.
1st November (Saturday) - Howard's Birthday
Here I am celebrating the second birthday, Howard's birthday. And we are off to our favourite hangout at Saizeriya, Japan's Italian family restaurant. One notable feature of Saizeriya is their drink bar.
2nd November (Sunday) - My Birthday
Here is my birthday celebration. For the last 3 years, I have not celebrated my birthday in Singapore. I was in China and Japan respectively, and this time round I am back to Japan again. I was given a choice on the cuisine. And I opted for hotpot. That is one of my favourite amongst Japanese food. Ok, I kind of opted for eat all you can lunch set. I ate too much on this day and had to skip dinner.
9th November (Sunday) - Fine Japanese Meal
On the sunday, I met up with Eling after class and we went to check out some fine dining japanese restaurant in the area. She recommended this restaurant called Aji no Ka (味の華) which is a 20plus minutes walk from Komaki-hara. We got there around 1.30pm and is amazed by the long queue. But nevertheless the queue got processed pretty fast. She has been here before previously with her colleagues and has some great recommendations.
I ordered the claypot with sashimi set which cost around 1700Yen.
Here I am before the start of the meal. Itatakimasu!
And Eling.
Thankfully the shop doesn't close in the afternoon. And had a slow chat like old friends till 5pm.
19th November (Wednesday) Farewell Party
On this day is our farewell party. We are going to a restaurant in Komaki that is famous for Nagoya's chicken wings. It is called Furaibou (風来坊). 17 colleagues from our department attended our farewell party. Some of my other close colleagues have to be outstation for another project, so they are unable to join in.
In the photo below we have Okuno-san, Nakamura-san, Satou-san, Aoii-san, Murakami-san, Suzuki-san, Nakagawa-san, Senda-san and Wakabayashi-sensei.
Here we have guys closer to our age group. From left we have Shin-san, Okino-san, Mori-san and Fujisawa-san.
And here is Fujita-san, Me and Howard. Agoh-san is sitting at the corner, as such he is unable to join in the photoshot.
We ordered a lot of dishes.
And also lots of chicken wings. It is called Tebasaki (手羽先). It is really yummy!
I have lots of fun in this farewell party, everyone just keep chatting and laughing. Since it is a party for me, I don't have to pay for it. Yippee! I am thankful to everyone for organising this party. I pray that everyone will be well and always work together as a team.
