With the Kanto Leg already done, the next portion of this trip went into Nagoya to see a three-game series of the Saitama Seibu Lions and Chunichi Dragons. Here's what happened while in the Tokai Region:
Day 6: Arrival
Rode the Shinkansen (bullet train) for the first time and left Nagoya Station before checking in to my location within Naka Ward. This time, the sun was up and it easy to find the building without trouble. There was a blooper after I checked in.
While attempting to get to Otobashi station, I ended up on an express train towards Ogaki and chose to exit in Gifu City, which is in Gifu prefecture. Rather than just turn around, I figured I could use my JR Pass and take a stroll around for about 40 minutes. It wasn't a bad walk around the city.
The Main target of course was Nagoya Stadium, the Chunchi Dragons farm team building and former ichi-gun stadium. Any fan knows this is also where the film Mr. Baseball took place.
Walking around the area being a residential was a pleasant surprise. Can't imagine how rocking this area was before 1997.
After exploring the rest of that afternoon, I walked through the Osu shopping district.
By recommendation unanimously among my friends and even a few on Twitter, everyone told me to head to Yabaton, a local chain which is known for a Nagoya specialty of Red Miso Tonkatsu. The real thrill I got out of this besides the tasty meat was the unlimited rice and iced green tea that kept coming.
I didn't even read the menu close enough, but when the waitress said "Okawari" with "Gohan", I knew it was a meal where I could get as much rice as I wanted. Was waiting to say Okawari in a non-baseball setting and finally got to do it here. A good six bowls of rice worked perfectly.
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Day 7: Beach/First Game
I took the train down to Taketoyo and continued to Mihama where I saw Nagoya Bay on the southwest side of Aichi prefecture. The train ride felt scenic to say the least.
Another walk through the Osu district had me check out one particular restaurant to try Miso Nokomi Udon. This Udon had a very distinct broth that wasn't too heavy, but also thicker than usual. Because Nagoya is known for Chicken, I asked for the bird along with some egg to go with it. The chef was surprised to see a foreign tourist like me there for baseball and even made a joke about how the Dragons aren't up to par.
The game itself was a crazy blowout where Shuta Tonosaki had a three-hit game and several home runs made a traditional pitchers park look tiny. At 16-2, it was the largest blowout I witnessed on the trip.
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Day 8: Nagoya Castle
I walked through the heart of Nagoya to reach the park featuring Nagoya Castle, famous for being built on the rocks. There is also a replica Honmaru Palace that was restored for anyone to walk through. It was fun walking through with no shoes on.
Inside the park, there was a restaurant that featured Kishimen, a Tokai regional variant of Udon. Broth had a different spin to it while the noodles were more flat.
While heading back, I also stopped by a place to eat Hitsumabushi Unagi (grilled eel). This was by far the most luxurious meal I ate while in Japan and it was interesting to have the eel with different condiments versus just by itself. Personally, I thought it tasted good as is, but using teh dashi and other elements didn't hurt. As you may have noticed, I had no shoes on eating at a small table.
As for the game itself, this was the one to remember with the Lions being no-hit through four innings and not tying the game until the 7th. It was an entertaining affair where the Lions came out on top with three clutch runs in the 9th inning. Nothing more than remarkable from this thriller.
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Day 9: Eating Differently?
I walked towards Kanayama Station and knew of a place that served Hiroshima Style Okonomiyaki, something I've always wanted to try. Given Hiroshima was not on my itinerary, had to settle for something in a big city.
What was funny is the guy cut it up for me and almost offered a fork, but I said no, as I wanted the true spatula experience. Only thing was being distracted by so many condiments and the yakisoba being overcooked as I took awhile to eat it. It was tasty.
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While heading back, I also walked through a grocery store for the first time, which in my opinion, is an underrated fun experience when traveling anywhere in another country. It was a "Max Value" store and I enjoyed seeing all the fish being sold or noticing how they're packaged compared to the States. The beverages I bought were also much cheaper than a convenience store or vending machines.
What stands out when taking the Nagoya Subway to Nagoya Dome is the long walk through all the Dragons posters through the station. It's a nicely decorated walk on an elevated surface as you get to Nagoya Dome itsel.
This Dorayaki ended up being one of my favorite desserts on the trip. Castella covering red bean? Can't go wrong!
This game had a pitcher's duel written all over it. In a 2-1 affair, both sides couldn't capitalize on chances, but it was great to see Zach Neal come back to the ichi-gun and get a win in his return.
I also ran into some very awesome fans where Takeshi (right) recognized my face from earlier.
The long conversation I had about Ikkyu in Kanto led to me see someone's friends in Nagoya. Mami (left) and Miri (right) were very nice with the latter being a college student wanting to practice English. Miri is also a descendant of Fukuoka, where her family followed the Lions likely from their Nishitetsu days.
Because the Lions were the winning team for all 3 games, the Oendan did an after party celebration each time. Here's a clip of what it looked like.
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A fun thing to note while in Nagoya, I stayed in a house with a lot of Americans and none of them liked drying their laundry outdoors. I was the only one who had the nerve to hang everyone on the roof like someone traditionally would. Got a nice view out of it.
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As a whole, Tokai had a lot to offer and see and it felt like Nagoya was off the beaten path for a normal tourist. I didn't see any big crowds and it felt like everything was localized. Even at Nagoya Castle, the crowds were small, only saw a handful of domestic tourists while those exploring were mostly from China or Taiwan.
Given Nagoya is usually just a stop on the Shinkansen towards Osaka, I'm happy I was able to get off and see this area for what it is. It wasn't boring and had plenty of food options to keep me interested. Seeing a Lions sweep was just a bonus.
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