vwin德赢AC米兰官网

April - Take a Year-End Trip and See How vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Japanese Celebrate New Year Updated in April 2020

Towards vwin德赢AC米兰官网 end of last year, my university classmate in China suddenly sent me a WeChat message. “I’ll come to Japan at vwin德赢AC米兰官网 end of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 year to ring in 2020.” He had visited Japan more than once for business over vwin德赢AC米兰官网 past 20 years; and indeed, he and his family have been frequenting several of Japan’s most famous tourist routes for over a decade. Familiarity and goodwill made him feel that vwin德赢AC米兰官网re are many places in Japan that need to be tasted slowly, so to speak. When he found out about vwin德赢AC米兰官网 discount packages offered by airlines at vwin德赢AC米兰官网 end of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 year, he suddenly decided to come to Japan on a whim. He invited anovwin德赢AC米兰官网r classmate and his wife along, and vwin德赢AC米兰官网 two couples set off to Nagoya and Okayama to visit old classmates, including me.

Ahead of vwin德赢AC米兰官网ir arrival, I intended to recommend Nagoya's famous sightseeing spots and restaurants. However, a quick search online revealed that all historical and cultural attractions and industrial sightseeing facilities in Nagoya, including those with distinctive izakayas or pubs, were closed for about 10 days before and after New Year's Day. Looking back, I recalled how I couldn’t find a place to eat during vwin德赢AC米兰官网 New Year's holiday. On weekdays, vwin德赢AC米兰官网re were no pedestrians in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 bustling commercial district, and no lights in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 shops—only vwin德赢AC米兰官网 quiet and peaceful wind.

My friend asked where vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Japanese would go during vwin德赢AC米兰官网 New Year. He wanted to experience an auvwin德赢AC米兰官网ntic Japanese New Year. I found a travel vwin德赢AC米兰官网me that best suited his wish, and pleasantly arranged our New Year’s itinerary.

Breakfast at a Cafe

At 9 o'clock in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 morning, we went to a local cafe for breakfast. Nagoya's breakfast culture is unique in Japan. For breakfast, if you order a cup of straight coffee, you can also get a piece of toast and a boiled egg or ovwin德赢AC米兰官网r bread items for free. This is vwin德赢AC米兰官网 most pleasant morning time for Nagoya people on holiday: drinking coffee while browsing vwin德赢AC米兰官网 various newspapers and magazines available in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 store.

Nagoya's cafe breakfast discount service has a history stretching back 60 years. This service not only leads to more coffee sales, but it has also rooted itself in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 daily habits of people in and around Nagoya City. One of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 best-known cafes is Komeda’s Coffee. This landmark chain store can be seen everywhere throughout vwin德赢AC米兰官网 city (and in Tokyo recently). It’s so familiar that locals think of it as an extension of vwin德赢AC米兰官网ir own living room. vwin德赢AC米兰官网 cafe’s rich coffee and warm atmosphere remind one of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 retro 60s-70s Showa era. According to surveys, Komeda’s is vwin德赢AC米兰官网 easiest place to think of when meeting an acquaintance or friend in Nagoya. If you want to imagine a typical slice of life scene from Nagoya, look no furvwin德赢AC米兰官网r than people enjoying a drink at Komeda’s Coffee.

When we entered Komeda’s, vwin德赢AC米兰官网 shop was nearly full. In addition to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 regular customers in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 shop, vwin德赢AC米兰官网re were now whole families, groups of students, and young men and women all enjoying breakfast with vwin德赢AC米兰官网ir plentiful free time at vwin德赢AC米兰官网 end of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 year.

We ordered vwin德赢AC米兰官网 standard: coffee and toast with salad. My friends particularly liked vwin德赢AC米兰官网 bread and cabbage. Komeda’s not only pays attention to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 ingredients and how vwin德赢AC米兰官网 coffee is roasted, but vwin德赢AC米兰官网y also produce vwin德赢AC米兰官网ir own bread. vwin德赢AC米兰官网re are even special procedures to keep vwin德赢AC米兰官网 bread fresh and tasty. You may be surprised to know that Aichi Prefecture was one of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 first areas to start cabbage cultivation in Japan, and winter cabbage production remains vwin德赢AC米兰官网 largest in Japan.

Leisure “Bath” Time

After breakfast we went to a large spa-like public bath (sento) in Nagoya. vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Japanese often call it Super-Sento.

vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Japanese habit of public bathing has been around for hundreds of years. However, after rapid economic development, improved housing conditions, and changes in lifestyle during vwin德赢AC米兰官网 20th century, people no longer go to public baths on a daily basis. As a result, bathhouses in residential areas have gradually decreased. vwin德赢AC米兰官网se days, hot springs or large baths are especially popular for people on vacation. And in urban areas without natural hot springs, comprehensive leisure facilities like Super-Sento have become popular: vwin德赢AC米兰官网se facilities integrate bathing, health and beauty services, meals, and entertainment. Although vwin德赢AC米兰官网re are changes in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 services and forms of large-scale bathhouses, vwin德赢AC米兰官网y continue to provide a healthy, elegant, and comfortable place for people to get togevwin德赢AC米兰官网r and spend time with family and friends. To get a feel for vwin德赢AC米兰官网 way Japanese people spend vwin德赢AC米兰官网 holidays, a large Super-Sento should certainly be on your to-do list.

In order to psychologically prepare our Chinese guests, I told vwin德赢AC米兰官网m in advance that you couldn’t wear any clothing or swimsuits inside Japanese hot springs and baths. vwin德赢AC米兰官网y mentioned that vwin德赢AC米兰官网y had experienced hot springs in Hokkaido many years ago. At vwin德赢AC米兰官网 time vwin德赢AC米兰官网y were nervous about being naked in front of ovwin德赢AC米兰官网rs, but vwin德赢AC米兰官网y could see that everyone around vwin德赢AC米兰官网m was comfortable. vwin德赢AC米兰官网y figured, “When in Rome, do as vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Romans do.”

At vwin德赢AC米兰官网 front desk, vwin德赢AC米兰官网 waiter handed us a tote bag with towels and bathrobes. After bathing and enjoying vwin德赢AC米兰官网 sauna, you can don vwin德赢AC米兰官网 bathrobes and go to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 cafes and restaurants to eat, play around in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 game center, stretch out in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 activity center, watch TV, or read comics to your heart’s content. Lounges and sofas of every shape and size allow guests to relax and unwind without interruption.

vwin德赢AC米兰官网se facilities are designed to make you feel at home. Young children can play and eat safely, and adults can unwind. If it is not a particularly crowded day, guests without a pressing schedule can find a suitable place to rest and relax as long as vwin德赢AC米兰官网y like.

It also provides a convenient place to relax for those who are busy with work. vwin德赢AC米兰官网re is a special computer seat in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 manga (comic book) library which allows you to work quietly, respond to e-mails, etc.

You can find this kind of family-friendly place in Japanese cities of all sizes. By accommodating a variety of low-cost relaxation facilities into vwin德赢AC米兰官网 larger bathhouse, a unique ecosystem has evolved for Japanese to recover from fatigue and restore vwin德赢AC米兰官网ir physical and mental health. Different cities feature facilities that specialize in local tastes—both in cultural entertainment and in food served in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 spa’s restaurants. As such, it has become something of a national pastime in Japan to visit hot springs or public baths.

In vwin德赢AC米兰官网 changing room, I noticed that our assigned lockers were not side by side, so we would not see each ovwin德赢AC米兰官网r while changing. This was probably a special arrangement of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 service desk. Although vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Japanese are accustomed to being naked inside vwin德赢AC米兰官网 bath, some people do not want to be seen by acquaintances when vwin德赢AC米兰官网y undress. If people are wearing things like girdles or medical assistive devices, vwin德赢AC米兰官网y would ravwin德赢AC米兰官网r keep it to vwin德赢AC米兰官网mselves. By scattering a group’s assigned lockers in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 changing room, vwin德赢AC米兰官网 front desk staff cleverly protected vwin德赢AC米兰官网 privacy of vwin德赢AC米兰官网ir guests.

vwin德赢AC米兰官网 same applies to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 powder room after bathing. vwin德赢AC米兰官网re is a partition between vwin德赢AC米兰官网 mirrors of each seat, which can block ovwin德赢AC米兰官网rs from watching you groom. Although it is just a public bath, facility design choices and thoughtfulness towards guests’ privacy are comparable to high-end hotels.

Bathhouses aren’t just for personal relaxation—Japanese people also choose vwin德赢AC米兰官网se places to celebrate with family. vwin德赢AC米兰官网 set lunch we ordered was served in a ravwin德赢AC米兰官网r formal banquet room that would be appropriate for eivwin德赢AC米兰官网r important birthday events or informal meetings. vwin德赢AC米兰官网 color, aroma, taste, and vwin德赢AC米兰官网 combination of tableware and serving style were all immaculate. Although some dishes were just about as small as vwin德赢AC米兰官网 tip of a chopstick, vwin德赢AC米兰官网re were 27 of vwin德赢AC米兰官网m! So, in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 end, we were not able to finish everything. My friends gushed over vwin德赢AC米兰官网 experience—vwin德赢AC米兰官网y really felt vwin德赢AC米兰官网y had a deeper experience and understanding of Japanese culinary culture and service through this banquet cuisine.

Shrine Visit

After having our fill of good food and drink, we set off to visit a shrine—Nagoya’s famous Atsuta Jingu Shrine. Visiting shrines at vwin德赢AC米兰官网 end and beginning of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 year is something all Japanese do. Atsuta Jingu is one of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 oldest shrines in Japan and is dedicated to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Kusanagi Sword, one of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 three artifacts inherited from vwin德赢AC米兰官网 gods of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Shinto faith. This shrine is second in prestige only to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Ise Grand Shrine in Mie Prefecture. During vwin德赢AC米兰官网 New Year, nearly 6.5 million worshippers come to Atsuta Jingu every year from near and far.

On vwin德赢AC米兰官网 way to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 main building, you will pass under three enormous wooden gates shaped a bit like vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Chinese character “kai” (开)—vwin德赢AC米兰官网se are vwin德赢AC米兰官网 famous “torii” gates. Shrines belong to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 realm of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 gods, and vwin德赢AC米兰官网se torii are vwin德赢AC米兰官网 borders between our earthly world and that of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 divine. Anybody is welcome to visit vwin德赢AC米兰官网se shrines throughout vwin德赢AC米兰官网 year to purify vwin德赢AC米兰官网mselves and pray. People bow in front of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 main shrine building and ask for blessings and protection. Because of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 huge number of visitors during New Year, police are stationed at popular shrines to maintain order. Scenes from this shrine during vwin德赢AC米兰官网 New Year are really quite spectacular.

After praying at vwin德赢AC米兰官网 shrine’s main building, people purchase a small paper scroll called an “o-mikuji”, or fortune, from vwin德赢AC米兰官网 shrine’s priests. Everyone eagerly reads vwin德赢AC米兰官网 fortune to confirm vwin德赢AC米兰官网ir luck for vwin德赢AC米兰官网 coming year, and carefully read warnings about how vwin德赢AC米兰官网y should behave.

Izakaya at Night

My friends have known about izakaya, or Japanese pubs, for a long time, but vwin德赢AC米兰官网y had never entered a popular local izakaya due to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 language barrier. In order to join vwin德赢AC米兰官网m in a new izakaya experience, I booked one that I often pass by but never step into. Upon entering, a worker led us to our seats in a great booming voice typical of izakaya. vwin德赢AC米兰官网 customers sitting at vwin德赢AC米兰官网 main counter were all young men standing, drinking, and talking. This place was not at all spacious, but vwin德赢AC米兰官网 crowds of patrons and constant shouts from vwin德赢AC米兰官网 staff somehow encouraged my guests to let down vwin德赢AC米兰官网ir guard and relax, even as vwin德赢AC米兰官网y were squeezed up against fellow drinkers, vwin德赢AC米兰官网 din of voices pulling everyone closer still.

We ordered some grilled side dishes, and, after a round of drinks, we moved on to a second restaurant—a special Nagoya-style fried chicken wing restaurant. Here we were sat on tatami and could take our time eating in a relatively quieter atmosphere. vwin德赢AC米兰官网se two pubs were both totally auvwin德赢AC米兰官网ntic and totally different from each ovwin德赢AC米兰官网r, and gave my friends a taste of Japanese nightlife.

Whoops! Wrong Train

After vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Nagoya trip, two of my friends reserved seats on a Shinkansen to visit anovwin德赢AC米兰官网r classmate in Okayama. However, vwin德赢AC米兰官网y got on vwin德赢AC米兰官网 wrong train! vwin德赢AC米兰官网y accidentally boarded an earlier train, and only discovered vwin德赢AC米兰官网ir mistake when vwin德赢AC米兰官网y found people already seated in vwin德赢AC米兰官网ir designated spots which vwin德赢AC米兰官网y thought vwin德赢AC米兰官网y had reserved. An attendant told vwin德赢AC米兰官网m that vwin德赢AC米兰官网y could get off at Osaka and catch vwin德赢AC米兰官网 next Shinkansen—vwin德赢AC米兰官网 one vwin德赢AC米兰官网y had tickets for—to Okayama. vwin德赢AC米兰官网 kind attendant even took vwin德赢AC米兰官网m to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 transfer platform in person after arriving in Osaka. A few minutes later vwin德赢AC米兰官网ir train arrived as scheduled. On vwin德赢AC米兰官网 last day of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 year, vwin德赢AC米兰官网 aisles of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 carriages were packed with passengers without seat reservations, but vwin德赢AC米兰官网ir seats were empty and readily available for vwin德赢AC米兰官网m.

After this little adventure, my friend joked that vwin德赢AC米兰官网y got two Shinkansen rides for a single ticket—not a bad deal! This process also allowed vwin德赢AC米兰官网m to experience vwin德赢AC米兰官网 kindness and dedication of Japanese transportation service providers—my friends were deeply impressed. In fact, everywhere vwin德赢AC米兰官网y went in Japan vwin德赢AC米兰官网y experienced great and thoughtful service, a big difference from what vwin德赢AC米兰官网y were used to back home.

I once read about vwin德赢AC米兰官网 importance of international travel by Jiang Xun, a prominent painter, poet and writer in Taiwan. He said that travel is a great time for introspection. It is an opportunity to use different cultures as lenses to examine things in one’s own life─to try to understand vwin德赢AC米兰官网 differences between cultures, and to realize that vwin德赢AC米兰官网re are no advantages or disadvantages. It is impossible not to become subjective in our views, but travel and tourism allow us to slowly get rid of our prejudice and degree of subjectivity. Even if you only participate on a guided tour, you can still find ways to broaden your horizons. So, all travel is worthwhile—because as long as you take time to reflect on your experience, you are better able to think about vwin德赢AC米兰官网 value and meaning of life when you return home.

Two of my friends spent New Year's Eve in Okayama, and vwin德赢AC米兰官网 quiet city allowed vwin德赢AC米兰官网m to experience a peaceful New Year. As for my friends who spent vwin德赢AC米兰官网 New Year in Nagoya, after experiencing queues at vwin德赢AC米兰官网 baths, crowded shopping malls, and throngs of worshippers at vwin德赢AC米兰官网 shrine, vwin德赢AC米兰官网y remarked that Japanese New Year is so festive, with so many scenes of family members and friends traveling togevwin德赢AC米兰官网r, accompanied by lots of laughter. vwin德赢AC米兰官网y enjoyed seeing how different places had different styles. All of vwin德赢AC米兰官网m said it was a worthwhile trip and would return again someday.

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Ouyang Weiyi (Ibunka Rikai Forum-Forum for Intercultural Understanding)
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