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Nagoya city from the Gaijin perspective (at least my perspective)

Hi post!

I started at the Colombia post, but, now I'm living in Japan. In Nagoya, to be more precise.

So far, there are mixed impressions about living in Japan, but definitely, will try to focus my attention in posting about my traveling experiences in Japan and more precisely in the Nagoya - Aichi area.

I arrived here on a spousal visa the 26th of April of 2008. Been here for exactly 3 months and one day (as today, 27th, the posting date of this post).

I arrived in Kansai, Osaka. The airport as such is a wonderful piece of architecture. But, the language barrier is daunting. I had to take a tram (Airport Train) from the arrival gate to the immigration gate. The problem is that it took me 45 minutes to figure out the symbols and many attempts to speak with bilingual staff and / or travelers that knew the airport better than me. In that sense, and in many I should say, Japan doesn’t follow international conventions about signs. Screw me!

Once I got there, I had to make a rather lengthy line, since the flight that I came in (Air France from Paris to Osaka) was packed. Most of the French and Europeans passed though like a breeze. Since they hold European passports and most Europeans don’t require a visa for entering the country, well, you might guess that they did their immigration process fast. Of course, all of us gaijin had our fingers scanned.

When it was my turn, the immigration officer took my passport and saw that I had a spousal visa stamped on it. He asked me in a pretty much lame English if I was traveling with my wife. I answered: “no, I’m not". That made the immigration officer raise one of his eyebrows and asked me if there was any possibility to call my wife by phone. “Of course there is. This is the number“ and I just gave it to him.

Actually, he called to the number, and after verifying that my wife was waiting for me at the exit of the customs section, he proceeded to stamp a Landing Permit, scribble some kanji on a form and throw back (yes, throw and not pass me) to me my burgundy Colombian passport. I think that he didn’t understand the “Yokoso Japan!" (Welcome to Japan) campaign that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had pulled out.

Crossing though customs wasn’t easier, either. Many women and men with dogs passed sniffing passengers. I must say that they did it in a rather democratic way: Everyone got sniffed, both nihon-jin (Japanese folk) and us the foreigners.

My luggage came at last, when most of the passengers claimed theirs. Since I came all the way from Bogotá to Osaka, making only one stop at Paris, I guess that my luggage got stranded in the middle of the transfer process. Still, it arrived intact and in perfect conditions.

Then, I had to cross the customs booth. I actually liked the officer that attended me. He asked me in a funny English “Where are you from?", which I said “Colombia". Then he made the typical question “Do you carry narcotics or illegal drugs with you?". I just laughed inside of me. Just wonder: Do you think that if I were trying to smuggle narcotics, I would declare it?

See? That’s the Japanese essence in it’s deepest perception: They are always assuming that people might confess or accept responsibilities of issues even when they are innocent. But that is another story and I’ll post it in another thread.

The officer asked me if I minded to have a close inspection of my stuff. Which meant: Open your entire luggage and let me see it. “Of course not. Let’s do it." I had to unpack both of my luggages and show in detail all what I carried. Maybe for most of you folks what I’m telling is rather abusing and even discriminating. But, let me tell you this: I’m Colombian. A third class citizen of the world. Thanks to the stereotypes and the bad reputation, this is what most Colombians have to stand in most airports around the world.

Did you know that in order to do transit though France, I had to apply for a Transit Visa? Geesh !

Of course, America is out of the question since I don’t have an American visa. You might ask why, but, again, that is another, rather personal, story.

I said “most" because there are still some lucky guys and chicks that are treated with respect. But, that rule usually doesn’t stand for all us Colombians. If you are European or US citizen or Canadian, chances that what I’m telling might not happen to you because you guys come from “Developed" countries. Still, there are some chances that you might get spotted and get at through checkout.

The customs officer found my smallest piece of luggage some sort of suspicious and also some western cowboy boots that I had their heels fixed suspicious, so he proceeded to inspect it using a scanner and another sophisticated piece of device to detect if I brought some stash with me. After proving that the “koronbia-jin" was not representing a threat for the public health of this country of “Wa" (harmony) and that I wasn’t bringing anything illegal, I got frank pass to the country.

Please understand that I’m not speaking with resentment. I’m just speaking with the fistful truth and the enduring patience that most of us assholes Colombians have to bare around the world’s airports.

Then I got picked up by my wife an head to the train station inside Kansai. Yes ! The train station. I hoped to hop on into a shinkansen, but my wife decided to go on the low budget and picked up a Kintetsu line train from Osaka to Nagoya.

I forgot to say, though, that we had to commute using the local train system and get to Osaka’s main station.

I must say that, in general senses, I feel that Japan is quite organized and strict in following some rules, compared to other countries. Perhaps that’s what makes it chic to visit. After we departed from Osaka, I tried to catch up with the repetitive scenery of the industrialized side of Japan (the side at the Pacific Ocean, where most industrialized spots are): hordes or small dimension houses, tiny streets but still enchanting because it is so coupled. It remind me of lego pieces to do-your-own-Japan-spot kit.

Just like anime. I can understand now how smart asses are those buggers that make those cartoons so connected with reality. The flaw about Japan is that since everything is so cramped, you have to start to get used to feel some sort of claustrophobia and agoraphobia going on. If you have problem with tight spots or crowds, well sweetie, Nihon land is not your joint.

My two cents: Cute is not so cute. Cramped is over cramped and tight is tight. Clean walls are not so clean. Most stuff is interesting to see, but, avoid the typical pitfall of doing what tourists do: Going to Parco, Takashimaya or sticking to Sakae district.

Nagoya has more to offer.

But I’ll tell it later.

Enough for today.

By Goye on Jul 27, 2008, 09:16 in Japan forum.

Peter (Moderator) (Trustee board) (Dev team) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Aug 3, 2008, 11:13:

So what more is there to offer???? You left us with a cliffhanger!

Poor but snappy

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houstongal (Trustee board) says on Aug 11, 2008, 10:42:

Great post! My mother is from Nagoya. It's been about 10 years since I was last there.

Good luck making Nagoya your new home. There's so little English spoken there that I can imagine the challenges you're facing. But it sounds like you've got an open mind. Please continue to post and let us know how you're doing!

"It is now official: there's no place on earth where you will not find a Peruvian band." David Sedaris

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Goye says on Aug 20, 2008, 01:31:

Hi post. Back again after programming like hell in order to get some cash.

I called this post “Nagoya city from the Gaijin perspective (at least my perspective)" because that’s exactly what I want to portrait, in a nutshell.

Thanks to Peter and HoustonGal for encouraging more posts. It’s good to know that my rants and my impressions aren’t ignored, after all.

Peter says that we can use IMG tags for embedding photos. Let’s hope they work.

So far, 4 months have gone like a breeze, and I feel older, more stupid and hopeless so far in this city. But I must admit: I’m starting to fit in here. I don’t have friends. I don’t know anybody except my wife. That’s bad in one sense, but trying to see how to make friends.

I hate when we live based on stereotypes. I must admit that I was playing with what Mr. Burns said (you know Mr. Burns, that miserable and wretched guy from “The Simpsons") when making reference to the Japanese: “Japanese? Those fish herders that walk in sandals? “(Translated from the Spanish version).

I was somewhat expecting the typical nihon postal: thousands of salary men and women swarming like ants in and out of subway stations heading to futuristic though lame buildings and wondering when one of those guys were going to make a bungee jump with no rope.

Damn!

Not at all.

I rather found a quiet city, despite of the fact that this town has 3 million people, me included. No noise. No bugging drivers stepping their palms on the steering wheel honking like maniacs. Nope. Not at all.

Instead, you found people that don’t throw their cars to you. No matter if you are ill walking slow, or just hogging the cross in order to see their reaction (as I did. I must admit that I was willing to annoy these poor guys, expecting some sort of “¡muevase hijueputa que la calle no es suya!" or something like that. I miss that. I miss “el madrazo").

Again, this is Japan.

Downtown is so clean. But it’s so damn daunting to see a city that has more people than Medellin and Pereira together and, NO people in the streets!

Where the hell are they? In their offices? In their shrines? Where? Doing the wild thing? (I doubt that. Condom makers, UN statistics and my personal experience tell that this people is the least sexual interested people in the whole planet)

I went to a couple of shrines (you can find a shrine each stupid corner. You can even step out of a convenience store and bump into a shinto shrine even without noticing) to see if the Nagoyans were praying. Not at all.

The all mighty shrines

So, that’s the great mystery. Great city. Lots of space (funny to say, but yes, it has space compared to Tokyo).

But the people are hidden.

So, that takes me to a conclusion: If you really want to start the typical tourist plan, go to downtown alone. It’s easy to roam alone and around.

And it’s nice, since there aren’t so many Nagoyans around. Maybe, and that’s something that depends on the time of day, you can bump with large amounts of people at the subway exits.

But, do as I do: Go to downtown Nagoya. Just for fun. Get acquainted with the city. You’ll like it. Just as I did.

Windows Live Spaces

Video: Centro de Nagoya

Video: Publicidad de una pastelería en Sakae

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houstongal (Trustee board) says on Aug 21, 2008, 19:54:

Great new photos and videos Goye! I loved the skyscraper in the first slide show. Very cool.

Yup, Japan is very clean and orderly. I love the taxi drivers with their white gloves and the doors that automatically open. Nagoya is definitely a sleepy town. You would see a ton more people in the streets of Tokyo. Enjoy the serenity and post again soon!

"It is now official: there's no place on earth where you will not find a Peruvian band." David Sedaris

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Peter (Moderator) (Trustee board) (Dev team) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Aug 24, 2008, 07:58:

That's such a coincidence that your mom is from there!

Poor but snappy

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houstongal (Trustee board) says on Aug 26, 2008, 21:01:

Isn't it? Nagoya must be a happening city now. I even stopped at the airport on the way back to the US from the Philippines a few months ago. Very nice airport.

I'm thinking I need to go vacation in Japan next year....

"It is now official: there's no place on earth where you will not find a Peruvian band." David Sedaris

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houstongal (Trustee board) says on Sep 1, 2008, 13:17:

The last time I was in Nagoya (10 years ago), my relatives dressed me up in a kimono. Here I am with my parents.
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
I loved the color of the kimono. They had dozens of kimonos to choose from.

"It is now official: there's no place on earth where you will not find a Peruvian band." David Sedaris

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Goye says on Sep 28, 2008, 20:42:

Shrines: A portrait of Nagoya and by the way, of Japan

Hello post.

Long time no see. I’ve been doing the “salary man” thing for a while. Of course programming and developing. But I haven’t forgotten my will to contribute to this post.

Many of you gringos and gringas come here just like me, without a darn clue about Japan. Too many stereotypes and generalizations mislead us. But, some of the portraits that we associate with Japan are shrines.

Indeed there are some which are pretty “duh” but some (most of them, I should correct) are wonderful.

Many of us think that J people are pretty religious or spiritual (before any snapping on my butt, let me finish) but the truth is that they have a quite practical way of seeing their deities and their spiritual ways.

For our western ways, they are strange and odd as they could be. But that practical necessity of manifesting their religion (first to their native gods through Shinto and later to Buda) made what we have now: Shrines.

It’s gorgeous and wonderful to see this around. But, enough about it.

Take a look at the pics !

Windows Live Spaces

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Goye says on Sep 28, 2008, 20:42:

Deleted ... I submitted the previous article twice.... My bad :(

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houstongal (Trustee board) says on Oct 1, 2008, 13:02:

Everything is incredibly clean isn't it? In all your photos the surroundings are spotless. Thanks for checking in!

"It is now official: there's no place on earth where you will not find a Peruvian band." David Sedaris

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Cruz.Hermosilia says on May 28, 2009, 08:16:

I live in Nagoya, and honestly? I hate it here...
Really man, it's crowded, and very hot in the summers. People aren't that hospitable.
And plus never take a taxi... Well there are some you could count on, but the majority will just cheat you.
From my experience... Which actually happened tonight... Better take the subway, cheaper and faster without thr traffic.
I rode the taxi home from my part time babysitting job, and this old taxi driver drove another way round sakae! Damn it! It should be just straight from imaike upto nagoya station where he could just follow a straight line by the higashiyama subway line, but no! Instead, he went on the back of Sakae, and another way round Nagoya station! What an ass!
Subways are okay, but kintestu and jr trains are very slow, I mean it!
I you can't speak Japanese, start studying.
Plus, never go to highschool here, it's horrible. Oh, I know...
Sakae is not much crowded at nights. Good places to hang out are Shooters club, a famous spot fo gaijins.
Then there's osu! It's a great place for cheap buys and vintage.

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Goye says on May 31, 2009, 07:33:

Hi, Cruz.

Well, I've been here for a little while. And I can damn say that I love Nagoya, so far. It is crowded and summer sucks balls, but still, is a nice spot if you make yourself a place.

Most of my favorite spots are out of Nagoya, but, still I manage to like Sakae. And definitely, I love to stroll around Tempaku.

More soon.

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