22 October 2016
Places to eat
Eating Okonomiyaki in Toyama
Toyama has lots of places to eat. I identified 3 places I want to eat at and I am only here 2 nights. Such a terrible dilemma.
I would still rate the city as quiet, but its a lot less quiet than Nagano.
There are people. Some of those people seem to be out enjoying themselves rather than on their way home.
There are bright lights. Basically two areas of bright lights, the station area with most of the hotels, and the red light district near my hotel.
The red light district was turned off until about 8pm, when suddenly they turned the lights on, and what looked like abandoned streets turned into guys with bad hair in dodgy suits standing in the middle of the road trying to look tough but actually looking like 12 year olds.
The station area, and the station itself, actually has lots of restaurants, stores, food halls, all the things you might expect in Japan.
Now I am back in my hotel room enjoying the huge amount of space I have to dance along to the AKB48 extravaganza.
Actually on the tv is a 30 minute advertisement, where a camera crew sneak into a clothing store change room where girls are not fitting into pants they are trying on.
Music starts and the girl looks shocked. Then 2 anorexic Japanese girls dressed as Hawaiian hula dancers come hula'ing into the change rooms and the camera crew produce a revolutionary new device which is like a seat mounted on a spring.
The girl too fat for her pants then sits on this seat and hulas on it for 3 minutes.
She then re tries on the pants, and they now fit! IT ONLY TAKES 3 MINUTES!
Let there be lights.
I read this place was good on the internet, so I went. It was good.
I chose the okonomiyaki which the menu claimed was their top seller. It was good. It had various kinds of seafood and pork in a mountain yam pancake. It is quite small which is fine by me.
The clientele were very much into the baseball on the tv. When one player struck out a guy stood up and yelled at the tv for a while until his wife calmed him down.
One of the main streets. It has tram lines. This picture is weird, it looks like I got down close to the road to take it, but I didnt. Strange. I have pondered this for long enough already.
Frightened by the abundance of shops, lights and people, I retreated down some dark alleyways.
This store hired me to do their art work.
A completely different main street. I also went to the far side of the station. There was nothing there!
Under the station they have 3 food halls like this. They shut at 8pm though!
The path under the station to the far side of nothingness either is under construction or has a modern art installation. I am not sure which.
Bonus neon is over the road from my hotel, it suddenly sprang to life on my way home from the convenience store where I bought a selection of salted plums and anchovy mix.