From Nagano to Toyama by Shinkansen
Now I am in Toyama, and have the biggest hotel room I have ever had in Japan. Just think of all the activities I can do in here! Its going to be awesome.
The journey from Nagano to Toyama takes about an hour by bullet train, inside a tunnel, with periodic views of smoke haze and factories.
The smoke haze is caused by idiot farmers, just like in Australia, insisting on burning rubbish in their fields. It is terrible and I dont know how they are allowed to do it still. Farmer idiocy is about a 3000% negative offset for all the hybrid cars and solar cells in the world.
My hotel in Toyama, which is a Daiwa Roynet, is a bit of a walk away from the central station, past the reconstructed castle, and near a semi abandoned Nagano style shopping street.
The station and castle area seem to have a bit more life about them, I hope this is the case! Although I am only here 2 nights and already have a full day activity planned for tomorrow that requires me to get up at 5am.
Now I might do some aerobics, pilates and lawn bowling in my huge hotel room.
This photo taken for work purposes, shows the full recycling station inside a Starbucks which everyone uses correctly, different plastic tubes for different cup types to be recycled.
Different holes for paper, food, plastic.
In Australia we just have one hole for everything. Thats enough talk about Australian holes for now.
Child safety fence has been erected around this fish pond.
The largest sea of bicycles I ever saw. Its early, so these people have all left for the weekend.
Last photo in Nagano is a bunch of school kids loudly protesting about something, this will be the theme for today.
Here is a shot I managed to snap from the train one of the few moments it was not in a tunnel. Nice smoke.
Some non farm related smoke to add to farmer smoke. Actually out the other window here is the sea of Japan. I never saw it from Japan before, but I did see it from Korea.
A small garden is being erected out the front of the Toyama station.
Toyama also has some old rickety trams.
The open sewers here seem to have very clean running water.
Here is the outside of my hotel, read the name, I also wrote it above, stop complaining I dont say what the hotel is.
Behind my hotel is this impressive looking curtain shop. I like to take the photo with people in it to add interest and to make them feel awkward.
The old covered shopping street is long, and mostly abandoned. There are a couple of nice department stores, and this pop up market, which is about the only part with any people.
It was hard to stay in the market due to the deafening noise from the street of idiots yelling at the top of their lungs through loud speakers.
I went out to investigate. The orange shirt guys are guarding the guy in the white shirt who is speed bowing at traffic whilst other people scream out distorted messages.
Then another speaker truck turned up and they had a screaming match in the street. This shit is the scourge of Japan. There were at least 10 other trucks going around.
This isnt a once a year thing, it happens in every city every time I am in Japan.
Apparently according to a map on the street corner, this is a famous preserved shopping street. Except the shops all closed down.
I headed out to a field and met this father and daughter who agreed to pose for me.
I found a nice bakery for a late lunch. They had a seating area. The sandwiches and bread rolls looked nice...except all they had left was tuna and egg and variations of the two mixed with cream. So I ended up with these two small plain looking things. At least it was cheap.
This is my huge hotel room. I am taking ballroom dancing lessons from the tv right now.
It even has a full size bath. I am laying in it now listening to political speakers / protestors circle the hotel with their loudspeaker trucks.
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.