Doteni stew - https://int.japanesetaste.com/blogs/japanese-taste-blog/nagoya-food-scene-12-must-try-foods
hitsumabushi, unagi wee
Speaking of Toto, Japanese shower controls don’t get enough love. They’re great. Many places have bidets too, and Germany/Poland has these similar mixer showers but the usual Japan quality modifier applies.
Weighed my bag today, if anything it’s probably lighter because I’m not carrying an extra couple of KG in water and food 😀 22.25kg not including camera or water bottle, but including probably half a kilo of stickers and other random omiyage I’ve picked up in the last few days.
Oldest castle
Hida river, the “Japanese Rhine”
I’m on a hybrid train today which is neat - battery electric using regen to save power usage over the trip
https://maps.app.goo.gl/neqAkERpoLazpkLQ6?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
“Stunning scenery, even for Hida” geez throwing shade much?
Big long tunnel, before here everything flowed to the Pacific. Now everything we will see flows to the Sea of Japan
Checked in dropped off bag, time to explore a tiny part of the town while I’m here.
Gosh there’s so many content creator types here. Chest rigs and epic cameras and … I know I’m a tourist but wow, it’s a whole thing. And done get me started on the (primarily Chinese) tourists that’ll act like they own the place and set up for long sessions of trying to capture That One Great Shot Of The Pretty Shop I Didn’t Even Walk In To.
Beef bun. I think I got a boring one. Will have to try more.
Saaaaake.
More saké.
Beef on a stick. Also cutlet on a stick and wagyu nigiri.
Also rice balls. And miso rice things.
Did I mention more saké? Fuck me. I need a nap, but I can’t check in for an hour and there’s nowhere here to sit.
Retro museum, what a kooky place full of random history. And signs on most of the Nintendo game consoles saying you can’t play them because of copyright violations? Awkward.
Y’know. When they have a town full of saké breweries and 1000¥ gets you 10 samples they really should provide more napping benches. I found one outside a municipal government building memorial (???)
Back to the hotel for a shower and a nap and cruising Instagram to let the saké soak out and just rest my feet a bit.
Let’s go buy that Sarubobo before the stores shut and well, a lot of them had by 16:30 but thankfully the tourism places wanted my ¥ so I got one.
Food time, it seems Tuesday is “lots of stuff is closed” day, but cruising Google maps I found some places and eventually stumbled into Umamiya because the menu looked chock full of beef and happiness, and the reviews said it was good.
Beef on a stick and pork on a stick and beef ramen with egg and mushrooms. Also beer. Because beer.
I know I picked the right place when there’s two old locals at the bar, a dude about 80 years old taking orders and it has a 4.6 on Google maps. The music was solid lounge/jazz and quiet, the food was quick, flavourful and cheap, and I stumbled out at 17:30 as the last one before it closed. Seems like the guy just didn’t want to stay open today.
Mandatory FamilyMart snack raid, caramel cookie something and tiramisu something else.
Chilled out for a bit and then went for a night wander to see how the town looks at night. Pretty and deserted and lovely and chill. Also lovely and cold.