Monday, April 22, 2013

Twenty-Second and Twenty-Third Week

TWENTY-SECOND WEEK

So, I lost track of my camera this week, had pictures to post but couldn't find my camera.  Needless to say, I was freaking out a little.

END OF HANAMI
 Just the week before I went to hanami, but by the end of this week it was over.  The flowers were going away and were being replaced by leaves.  It really is a process that takes around 3 weeks, I'd say.



ONE LAST SKI TRIP

 My friends invited me to go skiing again, one last time before the snow nearby completely goes away.  Of course since it is much warmer in Nagoya, we had to go more north than last time.  I have no idea where we went, but the resort was in Gifu, but very close to Nagano. 
 These pictures were taken on the way there.






I forgot to take many pictures of the ski hill, I was too concentrated on skiing.  But I did take some. These were on the lift to the top.
 The name of the ski hill is Ciao.
 The view from the top.

 The mountain's peak was really high up.

TWENTY-THIRD WEEK

BUS TO NAGOYA STATION

 Go out the doors in the lobby of Proxy.

 Down the stairs to the left.

 They'll be a Meitetsu Bus stop
The sign says which stops are available to get off: Sakea, Fushimi-cho, Meitetsu Bus Center (this is the Nagoya station stop), and others. There will be many more stops on the way to the Sakae, but the stops are only to get on, not get off. The bus goes on one of the highways, which is mostly a tunnel.  It's a little expensive since it costs 500 yen one way. With Meitetsu buses, when you get on you get a paper with a number on it.  A screen on the bus will have your number and under it the amount of money you have to pay.  Generally it keeps on increasing the farther you go, but from Benten Ike (the stop near Proxy) to the first & last stops in Nagoya station is 500 yen.
 You'll get off in this building, not always at the exact same spot, but maybe a little back or forward.
 Just hug the windows to the left.
 You can just follow the signs to JR lines.
 Or just keep going straight.



 You could go through the stores on the right, you're on the fourth floor, just go down to the first and out the doors, then turn left and you'll see Nagoya station.  But since I'm not allowed to take pictures inside, I'm just going to show the other way.
 Don't turn just keep going straight.
 Go outside.
 Down the stairs.
 Keep going down the stairs until you get to the ground floor.




 Turn left.
 Through the crosswalk.
 Now you're in the JR section of Nagoya Station again.

 But it's a different side.  Turn right.
 Keep going.

 You'll pass the travel agency.
 To the right after the agency.
 Look for the coin locker.

 Just follow the coin lockers.
 Then just keep going straight
.

And you'll eventually reach the golden clock.

SHOPS NEAR HONGO STATION

 Once you get off the bus.
 There immediately is Vie de France, a bread shop.  It's pretty good.  But bread in Japan is not at all like bread in the United States.  The variety is much greater.

 Go past Vie de France
 And turn right.
 Across the street there'll be an Indian restaurant. It's nan and curry is pretty good.  It's open for lunch time and after 5pm.  It's lunch prices are pretty reasonable, but it's a little expensive for dinner.
 When you get off the bus, instead of going to Vie de France turn around and you'll see the 100 yen shop in the second floor and Matuzakaya Store.
It's a grocery store but it also has some foreign products that Frante doesn't have.