Nagoya: Exploring with Insiders

"Journeys in Japan"

Nagoya, the principal city of central Japan.

With a population of 2.3 million,

this is the hub of Japan's third largest metropolitan region.

These two ladies are longtime residents of Nagoya.

Elisabeth Llopis is from Spain.

And Lena Yamaguchi is from Germany.

They're both very enthusiastic about their adopted hometown.

There's one thing we cannot forgive. It is Nagoya

being misunderstood as a boring city.

Many people believe Nagoya is one of the least attractive major cities in Japan,

and we couldn't disagree more.

That's why we set out to change this stereotype.

- Hi Stephen.
- Hi, Lena. How are you?

I'm great. And you?

On this edition of "Journeys in Japan,"

Elly and Lena introduce some of the people,

the areas, and the foods

that make Nagoya so special for them.

Nagoya is not boring!

Nagoya: Exploring with Insiders

Nagoya is located about 260 kilometers west from Tokyo.

It's the capital city of Aichi Prefecture,

and a major economic center for the surrounding region.

It also has a very rich history.

From Nagoya Station, a 15-minute walk brings you to Shikemichi.

It was built as a castle town about 400 years ago,

making it the oldest neighborhood in the city.

So, we are here. Let's go a little bit more to here.

Lena and Elly serve as guides

introducing the city to visitors from other countries.

On this day, they are introducing parts of Nagoya to two influencers from Thailand

who have many followers on social media.

These kind of shrines,

they are called "yanegami." So, "the roof gods,"

and they can only be found

in this region, actually, around the Shikemichi area.

Elly and Lena were asked to show the influencers

around by the Nagoya Convention Bureau

which arranged this promotional career.

Elly and Lena see things in Nagoya from the perspective of inbound tourists.

More than anything, they both love the city.

They're well assimilated and they let people know about the fun places they have discovered.

They strongly support our work and that is why we asked them to collaborate with us this time.

Three, two, one!

Even on their days off,

both Lena and Elly enjoy exploring the city on their own.

This is one of my favorite areas here in Nagoya. It's called Osu.

This district, Osu, is a place where Lena likes to bring visitors.

But today she's just looking around for her own enjoyment.

Osu Kannon is a Buddhist temple

that's become the symbol and focal point of the neighborhood,

and that's where Lena has come to start her day.

Now I'm heading to the next spot inside the Osu shopping arcade.

Osu's bustling shopping district boasts around 1,200 shops,

restaurants and other businesses.

It's one of Nagoya's most popular areas.

Osu actually has a lot of street food,

and if you want to try lots of different Japanese food,

this is the place to do it.

This is typical for Nagoya. Here, everything is made with red miso.

Here you are.

Thank you.

Ooh, look at this.

It looks really delicious. And this is just the typical miso

deliciousness.

I'm not sure if you could hear it, but it's really, really crunchy. Just fried.

And then you have this really

strong flavor of the red miso

which is so typical for Nagoya and this area here.

This is just perfect.

- Hi, Stephen.
- Oh, hi there, Lena. How are you?

- Great. I'm great. And you?
- I'm doing okay, thank you.

So, this is Stephen Carter.

He's basically an Osu local celebrity.

Hi, I'm Stephen Carter. I'm one of the volunteer Osu guides here.

Stephen is from the United States.

He's been working in Osu for 37 years now,

and he's deeply embedded in the neighborhood.

You really know a lot of people around here.

Well, I live at that end of the arcade, and my office is on this end,

so this is my route to and from work every day.

Okay. So you know everyone, basically.

I know a lot of people.

There are international streets. They're really old, tiny streets.

- So, a whole bunch of everything is here.
- Exactly.

It's just a nice mix of everything.

That's why I like it. It's just this funky mix.

It's a souvenir shop here. It has a lot of nice things. Shall we take a look?

Yeah, let's have a look.

They have a lot of Nagoya-themed things here,

but those are really cute. The gigantic "kinshachi."

Those are the symbols of Nagoya which are on top of the castle,

and you can find them everywhere here,

like, literally everywhere. Everything here is kinshachi.

These are kinshachi,

and that here is a kinshachi.

And these here are kinshachi.

And everything is kinshachi! They're so cute and gold and... I'm so excited.

This sort of is a bag that I helped design.

I did the translation of the English

- that's on here.
- Oh, really?

"Nagoya Japan." "What, Nagoya?! I love it!"

- Hello. Feel free to come in.
- Thank you.

- Want to check it out?
- Yeah, let's have a look.

- Okay, let's go see.
- Please come this way.

This is a concept cafe,

and it has a theme. This one has an underwater theme.

Underwater theme.

The decor inside this cafe

is intended to conjure up the ocean deep,

and the maids represent mermaids.

Stephen, do you often visit concept cafes like this one?

- Oh, yeah, once or twice a month.
- Oh yeah, wow, that's a lot.

A fellow Osu guide tells me that

there are now more than 70 concept cafes here in Osu.

70?

- That's crazy for such a small area.
- Yeah, it's very concentrated

Here is your "omurice."

Our "deep sea" omurice is really delicious. I hope you enjoy it!

It's almost too cute to eat.

Now it's ready.

This ketchup heart is full of mermaid love. Please feel our love as you eat it.

The young ladies working here are also full members of the community

helping with the neighborhood cleanup campaign.

How do you feel about Osu?

Nagoya, like all Japan, has a lot of old culture.

But Osu has plenty of modern culture, too, such as concept cafes.

Osu is a chaotic place, but it offers a great mix of things.

Meanwhile, Elly is in another part of Nagoya.

Arimatsu is a town about 20 minutes by train from the center of the city.

This traditional neighborhood has been designated as a preservation district.

Elly is also a photographer,

and she likes to visit Arimatsu to document the area.

Arimatsu is such a picturesque town.

It's like something out of an ukiyo-e painting.

And it's incredible that such a place is in Nagoya.

And there,

the old town and the highway!

It's such a striking contrast, isn't it?

This street is actually part of the Tokaido,

an ancient highway that was built in the 17th century

to link Kyoto with Edo, the former name for Tokyo.

Many houses have these blue and white short curtains.

Here, there, and there.

They are called "noren."

Arimatsu has a long history as a center for dyeing fabrics.

Indigo-dyed noren curtains can be seen hanging over many entrances.

(Arimatsu Narumi Shibori Kaikan)

This is one place where the tradition is alive and well.

Arimatsu Shibori fabrics were first developed some 400 years ago,

and they became popular as a souvenir for people traveling along the old Tokaido highway.

That's amazing. There are a lot of designs.

I love it.

Wow, it's very light.

Incredibly light.

It's soft

but rough at the same time.

All these fabrics have been dyed using a technique known as "shibori,"

a Japanese version of tie-dyeing.

Wow, they are all made by hand. That's amazing.

And also, there are more than 100 techniques that are used

to create these amazing shibori pieces.

Even today, the old methods are still practiced by artisans

who take it in turns to demonstrate their skills here.

The crucial part of shibori is the way the cloth is tied

with thread or other material to prevent the dye from penetrating.

After the cloth is dyed, the threads are undone

to reveal the pattern like this.

Can you make exactly the same design again?

Impossible. Each one is unique.

The owner of this shop is Osuka Aya.

She's been an artist and dyer for 17 years.

- Hello, this is a nice garden.
- Thank you.

This is my home and atelier. In the front is my shop.

I moved here three years ago.

Arimatsu is the home of Arimatsu Shibori dyeing.

My dream was to work here while bringing up my children.

I'm happy that my dream has come true.

These are some of Osuka's works.

Wow, look at how the tradition

and the modern thinking is merging here.

Many wallets.

Oh, how cute they are! And they have different fabrics

and different types of Arimatsu Shibori.

The colors are really bright.

Here she's preparing a fabric to be dyed

using a technique called "tesuji shibori."

It's one of her specialties.

The cloth is first folded, and then the thread is tightly wrapped around it.

Osuka herself came up with the design for this tool.

That large wooden implement is intended for using while sitting on your knees at floor level.

These days we don't sit like that so much.

So I developed this version, which can be used for many different techniques while sitting on a chair.

I'd like it if more people use this tool, so the techniques spread more widely.

It's important to keep up a good rhythm.

Having a consistent rhythm while you tie the thread helps you to maintain the same strength and tension.

That's the rhythm of a trained craftsperson.

I do this every day.

I enjoy it, no matter how many times I do it.

This cloth, 180-centimeters long,

is now firmly tied and ready to be dyed.

Now, we open it up.

I can't wait to see what it looks like.

I'm excited too.

It seems that the light is moving.

Can you see the white parts

like it's moving from left and right?

And it feels, like, very dynamic.

(Arimatsu Community Center)

Oh, Kayoko! How are you?

- Hi.
- Okay.

- Long time, no see you.
- That's true.

Yeah. So this is Kayoko.

She is a teacher and teaches "ikebana" here in Arimatsu.

And Elly is one of my students.

Ikebana teacher Kondo Kayoko makes use of her excellent command of English

to hold hands-on flower arrangement classes for foreigners at the community center

and also in her home.

Sensei, I just feel today that I have this

ikebana lesson just all for me.

- I feel like a VIP right now.
- You are a VIP today. That's right.

Kondo is a practitioner of the Sogetsu school of ikebana.

Elly makes her own flower arrangements

following the example that her teacher has just prepared.

Sogetsu is, we want to show our ideas

and characteristics to the ikebana.

So, flowers become you.

So, I think that that style, it suits very well,

because I really love to express myself freely.

- So I really love this one. The style.
- You're right.

This piece is in the so-called "moribana" style.

The aim is to produce an arrangement that has a strong balance.

The leaves and flowers are placed according to a set form,

but each individual can add their own ideas.

- It looks like a forest right now.
- That's true.

Created a little forest.

- What do you think?
- Well, I think that it's kind of

"savage garden," a little savage garden.

- Thank you so much.
- You're welcome.

- I enjoyed it a lot.
- Great.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city,

Lena is heading to a favorite lunch spot.

It's a restaurant that specializes in eel dishes.

This is another of Nagoya's specialty foods.

Oh, wow. That looks delicious.

So here we have "hitsumabushi" which is a special kind of eel dish.

The fillets of broiled eel are cut up and served on rice.

There is a set procedure for eating this dish.

So the first step you want to do is

split your hitsumabushi into four servings,

and put the first one into your serving bowl.

First, you eat one quarter of the grilled eel and rice

just the way it is served.

The eel is charcoal-grilled,

and that's why it has this really nice smoky flavor

and super nice texture.

And it fits perfectly with the white rice.

For the next quarter, you add some of the seasonings.

"Nori" seaweed, fine-cut spring onions, and piquant wasabi.

So the onions give it of course this really nice green color,

but also like a slight freshness which makes the dish

just really, really light and flavorful. It's delicious.

Next, you pour "dashi" soup stock over the eel and rice.

It's a style of eating known as "chazuke."

As you might have guessed, this is my favorite step of all three steps.

It's just really, really flavorful.

The soup makes it completely different.

It has this really nice texture,

and it just fits everything so well together.

And the wasabi gives it a little spiciness.

And for the last quarter of the dish,

you can finish it off any way you like.

Really good.

(Kakuozan)

Elly is now strolling around one area of the city she's particularly fond of.

Kakuozan is a very unique place.

We are going to visit here a hidden gem.

This temple, Kakuozan Nittaiji, was built in 1904.

It's such a focal point that the neighborhood itself

has come to be known as Kakuozan.

This is the statue of the old king of Thailand.

It's very rare for a Japanese Buddhist temple.

The temple was founded to enshrine a relic of the Buddha

that was presented by the King of Thailand.

This temple does not belong to any one sect of Buddhism.

It's a Buddhist Japanese temple, but it doesn't look like a Japanese temple.

It's a mix between Thailand and Japan.

Kakuozan is also a center for arts and crafts.

(Kakuozan Apartment)

Everything is so cute.

This wooden apartment house dates back to the 1950s.

Some 20 years ago, it was refurbished as a local crafts hub.

Although most of the founding members are no longer involved,

others have joined and continue to work in this communal space.

There's one...

These are really cute. I'm very interested. What sort of shop is this?

My designs are all based on mushrooms. I make anything I feel like to display in my shop.

There are certainly a lot of mushrooms here. It feels like I've entered a forest.

This space is both my studio and my shop.

Customers can watch me working and then they can buy the things I make, if they like them.

How many colors are here?

That's very cute.

I like the wire art.

They are really funny shapes.

This producer creates her own original characters.

As you see, there's only a thin wall between me and the craftsperson in the neighboring space.

So we can talk with each other and I can say, "Look, I've just made this, isn't it cute?"

That kind of stimulus helps me to develop my work. It's very enjoyable.

The city of Kiyosu lies on the northwest edge of Nagoya.

Cool. That's super cool castle. Very cute.

Kiyosu is actually where the history of Nagoya all began.

- Hello.
- Welcome to Kiyosu Castle.

I've heard Kiyosu and Nagoya have a strong connection.

That's right.

The whole town of Kiyosu was moved, along with the castle, to where Nagoya is now.

The town was moved? That sounds like hard work.

- The entire town?
- That's right.

At the beginning of the Edo period in the early 17th century,

the shogun decided that for military reasons,

the city should be moved from lowland Kiyosu

to the higher land in what is now present-day Nagoya.

Oh, thank you. You're so kind.

Look at this.

Oh. Did you see the Shinkansen going by?

Yeah. Wow, it's so fast.

So everything from Kiyosu was moved over there to Nagoya.

- Yes, everything.
- Crazy.

And it's beautiful landscape.

Yeah, it looks really cool.

This time we introduced you to only a small part of the attractions of Nagoya.

There is so much more to discover here,

and new places appear all the time.

Living here in Nagoya is an adventure every day.

I got to visit some of my favorite places in Nagoya,

and I realized again how fascinating the city is.

Nagoya has a lot to offer.

It's a convenient location with an important history,

skilled craftsmanship, and unique foods.

I hope we have inspired you to come to see the charms of Nagoya.

To reach Nagoya from Tokyo,

it takes about an hour and 40 minutes

by Shinkansen bullet train.

There are also frequent highway bus services

which are more affordable than the train.