Nagoya/Gifu/Wide View

I made a quick trip down south this weekend, visiting my buddy James in Gifu for the 4th of July. Gifu itself isn't a big or famous city, and despite being in a different prefecture, it is part of the greater Nagoya area. We met up at Nagoya station and killed time by losing money in an arcade to a bunch of those claw machines, tempting us with Hello Kitty frying pans, huge boxes of candy, and stuffed animals that could have potentially been ours. We eventually met up with our friend Chie, who also went to UCSC and is a local, and we walked around some interesting parts of the city. James introduced me to Tonmusu, which is pictured below. It is a very simple idea, but also happens to be incredibly delicious. It's a ball of rice wrapped in thin slices of pork, and either with a topping or as is. It was great with no toppings and great with cheese on it, and costs about $3. A pretty good deal if you ask me...


The train I took down there is called the "Wide View", and took me through some new territory. While most roads and tracks from Nagano to Nagoya or Gifu go through Tokyo, the Wide View train goes around, through the mountains, and on a quicker and more direct path. It not only saved me time, but also money, and I had some really beautiful scenery to look at. It was about three hours each way, so I had plenty of time to doze off, read, and listen to music. Here's a little video I took.

Naturally, with so many mountains, trees, and rivers, I had no choice but to listen to one of my favorite albums of all time. With lyrics poetic enough to take my mind from the middle of a busy city to the epic wild of Alaska, listening to all seven songs of David Conner's Ursus Horribilis while on that train was a one of a kind experience. Seeing as the Wide View is a cheap and convenient way to get to the other side of Tokyo, I hope to have that experience a few more times. If you're interested in hearing a few of those songs, you can hear them here. Or you can see one here.