Nagoya TV Tower & Oasis 21

The Nagoya TV Tower is the oldest TV tower in Japan, completed in 1954. This iconic landmark was featured in the 1992 movie Godzila vs Mothra where the monsters attack Nagoya and destroy the tower.

The latest attraction in this district of Sakae is the futuristic Oasis 21 complex, which houses the main highway bus terminal, shops and restaurants.

Completed in 2002, the roof is affectionately likened to a 'water spaceship' reflecting the image of the Tower.

Golden Week in Nagoya

Having settled down to life after the earthquake, a get-away plan for Golden Week was quickly put together. Left any later, we would be sitting in the apartment in Tokyo blogging. Fortunately tickets on the Nozomi Shinkansen to Nagoya and back were available. The journey took one hour thirty minutes, merely a bento lunch and nap away.

Airlines and hotels make a killing at this time as prices are at a premium and rooms are limited.

We almost spent the holidays here at the the World Heritage Site of the thatched-roofed villages in the western part of the country.

Two near misses for hotel bookings at Shirakawa-go and Kanazawa was painful. We were on line with the Kanazawa hotel site and had just opened another window to check train times when a sign flashed that the last room had been taken. OMG.

View of downtown Nagoya from the JR Station open-air podium.

Nagoya JR Station is massive and bustling with visitors at all hours. It is linked to the Marriot Hotel, Takashimaya, Tokyo Hands and two other shopping malls, Esca and Meitetsu. All the famed local eateries are located here as well.

Check-in for all hotels in Japan is at 3 pm. Miyuki Station Hotel was chosen for its location, directly in front of the station. Our non-smoking room, as requested, was ready on time. On line bookings were prompt. It was a surprise to discover that bookings were transacted through the Agoda Company, Central World, Bangkok, Thailand. That's the internet making the world smaller as we speak.

Dump the bags and out again. First stop, Osu Kanon Temple, by subway. This is the most revered temple of the Shingon-Buddhist sect.

A shrine of the Japanese Goddess of Mercy is housed here and the Nio, muscular and fierce guardians of Buddha, make their presence felt.

Beyond the temple complex, you find yourself grid-locked in a network of shopping streets. I'm not complaining.

You can find anything from wedding gowns (used or new) to toys, small restaurants and an abundance of isakayas (casual dining establishments).

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day in Japan falls on the second Sunday in May. It was first commemorated in the Showa Period as the birthday of the Empress Kojun, mother of Emperor Akihito. As in many countries it was formalised when the Imperial Women's Union was established. Traditionally carnations given as presents.

In Nepal, Mata Tirtha Aunshi or Mother Pilgrimage fortnight is the equivalent celebration held during the new moon in April.

Iran celebrated mother's day on the birthday of Fatimah, Prophet Mohamad's daughter. After the revolution and with curtailment of the feminist movement, the practice changed.

However in most Arab countries, mother's day is celebrated on the 21 March.

Despite this celebration originating in the United States, China embraces the practice as it goes in line with the country's traditional ethics of respect of the elderly and filial piety to parents.

During its communist era, Czech Republic celebrated Women's Day until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Since then Mother's Day, Valentines Day and Womens Days popular.

Indonesia celebrated Hari Ibu nationally on December 22 when the first Indonesian Womens Congress was established.

Mother's Day in Thailand is celebrated on the birthday of Queen Sirikit, Queen of Thailand.

I don't remember celebrating Mother's Day in any particular form in Kuala Lumpur, until perhaps when the children began bringing home self-made greeting cards from school. Now it has become a booming part of a lifestyle industry for florists, greeting card manufacturers, restaurants and the like.

Independant kids

School kids from as young as early junior school are a pretty independant and confident lot. They ride the trains by themselves, in twos or in groups. Always neatly dressed, currently they still are in winter uniform. They suffer in silence as the days get warmer, until its time to change to summer wear.

Being rather camera shy they immediately turned away when they realised this Gaijin was taking their photo.

Despite the trappings of any big metropolis (see Shakespeare with a Twist), there remains a strong sense of community and good neighbourliness where people take an interest in each others well-being. Significant low crime rates in residential areas can be attributed to the koban system of 24-hour police beat post surveillance. From a young age children are instilled with this sense of responsibility for the community, the neighbourhood above self. It has paid off many times over.

Shakespeare with a twist

Downtown Ueno. Not sure if you have ever imagined Shakespeare in this way, but make of it what you will.

Under the guise of restaurants, health clubs, fashion health (massage parlours), aesthetic salons etc a set menu of services are on offer as well as an ala carte option.

Ayu no Monogatari (Ayu's Story), a Japanese bestseller depicts these murky Tokyo underworld activities. Parents worry about their teenage daughters going to Shibuya, the hub of enjo kosai, compensated dating between older men and school girls who are looking for extra pocket money. Male and female scouts stealthily tout for marketable prey outside the station offering tempting money-making services, the most common being 'modeling'.

This is a 2-3 billion Yen industry, yet the authorities take a curiously laissez-faire approach to the matter. They claim they can do little unless there is violence during procurement.

GANTZ 2011

Gantz the movie (Part 1 & 2) is worth a watch. Originally a manga and anime series, Gantz is about two friends who are hit by an subway train and find themselves in purgatory. From then on Gantz, a large black sphere, directs their existence by setting them tasks to kill aliens. Points earned for successful missions can get them back to the real world.

The CGI effects especially in Part 1, are impressive. A spectacular scene is when an alien in the form of the thousand-armed Goddess Kwan Yin, went ballistic when attacked by the hero- a thousand swords wielding in all directions at the same time.

Part 2 was screened three weeks after Part 1 ended. A new approach to serialised movies? After watching Part 2 it was obvious why. The movie needed loose ends tied leaving Part 2 lacking any CGI magic. Be warned, it would be pointless to watch Part 2 ahead of Part 1 either.

http://www.mangareader.net/97/gantz.html

You can read the manga for free (yes and in English too) at this website.

Malay Kampong in Hatchobori

Somewhere in Hatchobori, Malaysians in Tokyo, hankering for a mamak mee goreng, otak-otak, chicken rice and roti canai with chicken curry, make a bee-line for Malay Kampong. Rated as a casual dining hangout rather than a formal restaurant, it lends perfectly to the Malaysian coffee shop atmosphere or kopi tiam as we call it.

The authentic flavours and fair prices make it affordable and popular with the student population. However being a little out of center, it would take you close to an hour to get to on the Hibya line.

The menu choices are extensive. I would definitely have the Mamak mee goreng again. Karai desu (spicy)! Roti canai done the way I like - crispy and the chicken curry is sinfully lemak (rich with coconut milk). The boys who run the kitchen are from Ipoh, so they also do a mean Ipoh Hor Fun.

It is wonderful to meet up with Rastam's friends; Japanese and Malaysian, Filipino, Indonesian and Korean, and reassuring to know he has developed a good support system over the years.