My Daytrip to Nagoya/Gifu

It's about 12:30 and I just walked in the door from my 16-hour adventure to Nayoga/Gifu. What a fantastic day!! I've been sitting on trains much too long today (4 hours+ each way, not including scooting to-and-from places once I arrived in Nagoya), but I am really glad I decided to go.

So I originally went on the trip because I have this 5-day JR Pass that I need to use this summer and because I wanted to see the lobby of the Imperial Hotel (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright) that is currently housed at an open-air museum called Meiji-Mura. The museum was fantastic; it exceeded my expectations far beyond what I could have hoped for. I also stopped at Atsuta Shrine, one of Japan's most famous shrines (houses a sword that was "handed down to the royal family from the Gods" - one of three holy regalia) and Inuyamajo, Japan's oldest Samurai Castle. I was going to swing by Ise to check out Japan's most holy shrine (and also the site of another of the three holy regalia, this time a mirror), but I decided to spend more time at the Meiji-era museum and just enjoy myself, rather than stress about fitting too much in. Meiji Mura was coincidentally holding a matsuri (festival) today, so pretty much everyone visiting the park was wearing yukata, or summer kimonos (I was pretty much the only non-Japanese tourist at the place), they were open later and they had special events going on.

I will give details tomorrow, but if you get a chance to.... go to Meiji Mura! I would *definately* recommend it. It's not only an interesting array (read: hodge podge) of really well-preserved buildings from the Meiji era (when Japan first opened to the outside world, essentially colonizing itself, and experienced a bout of "cultural schizophrenia" as the LP put it), but it is also showcases a fantastic representation of structures from all over Japan (even the world, if you consider the fact that most of the architects - like Frank Lloyd Wright - were foreign born).

I'm totally wiped, so off to bed with me. I was hoping to stop in Osaka on the way home to see what the re-sale (ok, scalping) situation on the Summer Sonic tickets was, but I was too late in getting back. I kinda don't think the concert is going to happen tomorrow, but the weather has been nice, so at least I'll be able to relax and be outside. Hope you are having a fun weekend and more soon. 'Night!