Sanuk Canadian

An extended holiday to Japan continues... I have been to Yokohama several times before, but a newly opened museum deserved a visit: the Cup Noodles museum. There is some English explanation, but it's very limited. Basically, this museum is for Japanese fans of Nissin Cup Noodle. Still, the exhibits are uniquely designed and that alone is worth the visit. When you enter, you'll first see a huge hall filled with cup noodles. I was impressed with the variety! Wall of Ramen: I found some Thai flavored noodles... There were many hidden/cute designs around the museum... A large wall mural explaining the history of Momofuku Ando, the "father of instant ramen", had many unique and fun pencil sketches! I really enjoyed this display. Go Go chickens! (His first invention was "chicken ramen") The discovery of "cup noodles": I found another display which showed Cup Noodles around the world. This part was really interesting for me; I didn't know that the Nis...

An extended tour of Japan begins... I am always free during the day time, so I like going out and exploring. This morning, I decided to visit a place I missed during my last visit: Tokyo Anime Center. It's located in Akihabara, in the UDX building. See the floor guide (click for details): No photos are allowed inside, so I could only take two. One of the entrance... ...and the other of a famous red-haired character from my area of Canada: It's funny, we spell it: "Anne of Green GABLES". Oh well. ^_^ After this, I had spoken with a guy from Tokyo while in Nagoya. He said there was a Gundam cafe in Tokyo, so I went to see. It's right in front of the station: Inside, they were having a "Gundam Seed" fair, so music and videos from that series were played on the big screen: More Gundam: I ordered a tea, which burned my tongue. Be warned: If you order hot drinks here, "hot" means "like lava". My tongue hurt for the rest of the day. Tea: Com...

My final night in the city wraps up.... After getting back from the museum, my friend said she needed help finding a Halloween costume. After shopping, she suggested going out for some burgers. It was so warm on this night, even at the end of October, we sat outside. ^_^ My elephant was thirsty, so I fed him a beer... Elephants love Corona...this is a little known fact. (laugh) ...my friend loves Corona too. The next morning, I got an email from Japanese friends living in Bangkok: "The flood situation is not good in Thailand. Try to extend your stay in Japan." What?! I am a very laid back, flexible person these days, so I changed my plan and stayed. I moved to Tokyo too, since I have other friends there. My shinkansen ride at noon was filled with the delicious aroma of みそカツ！(pork cutlet with miso sause) Outside: Inside: Please visit again tomorrow to see my Tokyo adventures...^_^ I stayed there for 9 days. Woo! Miso cutlet is very famous in Nagoya. This shop, Yabuton, special...

Travels in Nagoya, Japan continue... After wrapping up the concert, I felt that I could finally relax. Nagoya is famous for cafe breakfasts, called "Morning set". I dragged a friend out with me in the morning... ^_^ We ate a new cafe near her home. The morning set was really yummy! After eating, we chatted in Japanese with the 2 ladies running the shop. They must have liked my friend and I so much, because they gave us each a little gift -- a clock! ^_^ After breakfast, I told my friend: "Let's go out!" A student of hers had recommended I visit the new Railway museum near Nagoya Port. So, we went. ^_^ Me at the entrance... This was a pretty fun place. I love trains, and there were so many on display. I saw... ...the Maglev (train which levitates on magnets, allowing it to move very quickly) ...(please sing!) The galaxy express 39 will take you on a journey..a never ending journey...(laugh) I took a photo of the map showing the museum's floor plan (click to s...

My private trip to Nagoya Japan continues... This was the day of the concert! I was super nervous! Players had to report to the hall by noon and I was due to perform at 15.30 or so... waiting around & warming up made me more nervous.... I'm sorry I don't have any photos of the concert yet. I have to wait for the professional photographer to send them here. When they arrive, I will scan and post them. ^_^ After the concert wrapped up, a large group of us headed out to a French bistro for a celebratory dinner! I really enjoyed. The restaurant: We ordered a course menu. First, salad... Main dish... Dessert... ...and of course wine! We ordered 2 bottles and I made sure to try both. ^_^ All the flautists & friends... I got a friend to snap a photo of my flute teacher and pianist. My flute teacher gave me really funny advice: "Don't date Japanese men!" (laugh) Men are the same everywhere, I think...it doesn't matter which country they are from. ^_^ Cutenekko...

My trip to Nagoya, Japan continues... This day was also quite busy; I had meetings with two friends and rehearsals again. First, I met a friend I hadn't seen in over 2 years!!! She was my pianist and we performed together in a small, solo concert many years ago. I love her--so of course, we had so much to talk about. She took me to a European bistro for lunch. Inside... Our table... I ordered salmon, since I'm a Canadian girl... ...and crab salad. She found this restaurant on the 食べるブローグ (Food Blog) site that is quite popular in Japan. Readers gave this shop 4 stars -- and I agree, it was really good! Shop sign: After lunch, I picked up my flute and headed over to practice (again). My view changed to a smaller studio this time... After 2 hours here, I moved to the concert hall for more rehearsals. After a total of 5 hours rehearsing, in the lobby, I ran into 3 former colleagues. They were always so kind to me; I consider them to be my second family...we chatted about so many th...