Around Toyohashi & Toyokawa

Monday, January 18, 2010 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments


Have you ever just wanted to explore your neighborhood? Got some time, a bike, and a friend? Then I suggest doing just that. Annie and myself biked around Toyohashi; checking out the main park and then biking into Toyokawa. It was a beautiful day and everything seemed to come into place despite us getting lost for a bit in Toyokawa. We checked out the typical 100 yen shops and just enjoyed the weather.
Labels:

The light at the end of the tunnel: Hamamatsu!

Sunday, January 10, 2010 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments

A winter trip to Hamamatsu is something that will get you energized and invigorated for the new year. It was the light at the end of the tunnel that I needed after suffering through a very cold Toyohashi winter. Hamamatsu is one of those other cities that I would love to explore if I had more time. They have one of the largest malls in Japan and a very large Brazilian population. Hamamatsu had one of the best all you can eat places that I have ever been to.

  
Anyway, this trip consisted of Toshi, Shimon, Annie, and myself driving to Hamamatsu. Road trips are always fun with good company. We decided to just go and figure out things when we got there. The beginning of our trip took us to an old abandoned tunnel in the middle of no where. It was supposedly haunted, but being the fearless group we were, we kept forging on.

The city of Hamamatsu was beautiful when we went there. The city still had a lot of the Christmas decorations still up and the city was embroidered with lights. We ate the "best burger in Japan" or was it in Hamamatsu at a restaurant downtown. It was pretty good, I don't know if it was the best though.


Labels:

Rawr~ Toyohashi Zoo~!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
One of the interesting places in Toyohashi is the Zoo. It consists of a great botanical garden, a zoo, and a theme park all rolled into one large attraction. The Ferris wheel is one of the landmarks of Toyohashi that reminds me of the outskirts of the city.

The Zoo is an excellent destination; it's a cheap entertaining local trip that one can take if living in Toyohashi. Just take a couple friends and a couple bucks and you'll be entertained for a day.

The condition of the animals weren't the greatest especially for the large cats, but a lot of the animals had decent habitats. Space is a precious commodity in Japan after all. The animals seemed to be in good health and lively.



Labels:

Gamagori~

Saturday, January 2, 2010 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
We decided to head to Gamagori after karaoking all night. Gamagori's always an interesting destination. According to Shimon it's the home of the One Piece anime.

It's a port city with a nice shopping center in the middle. I don't think there's much else besides the shopping center in the middle, but I have yet to explore the city.
Labels:

Happy New Years~!

Friday, January 1, 2010 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments

Happy New Years~! After waiting in the cold we finally welcomed the new year at a shrine in Japan. The best way to start a new year is with friends huddled together for warmth. I really don't think that we have events like these in America. There were a ton of people in line waiting in line to make a wish a pray for the new year. Food and sake was also provided for free. I was amazed at how much commune that people had.

We stayed for a bit then karaoked for the rest of the night.
Labels:

New Year's Eve~ Hot Ramen~!

Thursday, December 31, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments

Tosh, Shimon, Annie, and I decided to bring in the new year Japanese style. We went to a local shrine that was suggested by Shimon and Tosh. We waited for a bit at the shrine, but we were too cold so we decided to get something warm to eat.

I had the best Ramen in the world at the shop that was located near the shrine. It was spicy, hot, savory, and the best thing I have ever tasted. I have yet to find a Ramen that compares to it.

After eating we went back to the shrine to participate in the festivities. We mainly huddled close to some burning logs and just talked.

I thought about the year that had gone by. I thought about the friends that I had made and the life I was living. I was thankful for everything. I just was glad to be living in that moment. Even though things might change in the future and we might all drift apart, I was grateful for having everyone that moment and I was thankful for being there.

Labels:

Warmth of Family During the Winter

Tuesday, December 29, 2009 Posted by Digital Katsu 0 comments
I went to visit my host family in Nagoya the day before Christmas eve. Who else would you rather spend your Pre-Christmas eve with?

I was happy that no matter what happened with my life in Toyohashi, I always had a wonderful family in Nagoya that I could count on. This kind of family life was something I didn't get to experience much of back in the US. I know that even though she's not my real mother, I really love her as much as anyone else who I consider to be my mom.
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)