Arrived at the Nagoya airport around 6:15 AM. I had an 11 1/2 hour layover, since my flight to Chicago did not leave until around 6 PM, so I shot through Customs and Immigration, threw my carry-on into a locker, and caught a train into Nagoya. It was my first time actually seeing any of Japan. In the past, I had only connected to other destinations from here.

Nagoya is an ultra modern airport. The Japanese actually built a whole island just for the airport. It was quite extraordinary.



The train ride to Castle Nagoya was fast, clean and full of sights. I had a reserved seat on the Express train. It ran around 1100 yen (about $10.30) each way. The trip was about 30 minutes. In a taxi it would take 45 minutes and cost $100 US.

Nagoya Castle was ordered built by the Shogun of the day in the 1700’s. All the lords under him were required to contribute time, money and their laborers. It was completely destroyed during the closing days of WWII. It was restored in the mid 50’s. The grounds, outer fortification walls, gates and gate houses are largely intact and in excellent condition.

Here are some of the 350 pics I took.



















As I left this beautiful grounds I noticed how strongly the traditional style permeates into their modern designs. Even the sewer covers bear the details:


City Hall:


Here is a rare sight in Japan. A Gas Guzzler:


I grabbed a bite in the train terminal. It was great. There was this little French cafeteria with rows and rows of options from Pastrami and Cream Cheese on a bagel, to pizza, to Sugar glazed donuts. The Kiwi Strawberry Soy shake was excellent as well.


Back to the airport a bit early to see if there was any shopping other than the limited stuff available on the concourse. Boy was there! There is an area called Sky City. It is patterned after a French quarter and is beautiful.








There is even an upper deck landing to go out and watch the planes and gates:






There was my favorite…A place that sold only Gelato, chocolate and Coffee….Ah, the finishing touch on a great trip!

There was also a Chinese Restaurant where I had dinner called The Shark’s Tail”. Here is the display by the sign.


Finally went to the concourse to the Sakura Club. If you are flying business on AA they give you a pass to get in. It was very nice, with a free and open bar, coffee and free internet access. It was quite nice.

My plane to Chicago boarded on time and I was able to sleep nearly all the way there. I made my connection on time and arrived in Dallas at around 8 PM, tired, but ready to go get my kids and spend some quality time with them.

I spent about $500 on souvenirs and both my bags were packed to the 70 lb each weight limit. This was one of the greatest vacations I have ever had, and I count myself fortunate to be able to enjoy this wonderful and amazing lifestyle that we all have!

Carpe’ Diem my friends, Carpe’ Diem!

Val

An excellent report and I enjoyed all your pics. I hope your enthusiasm for posting trip reports continues.

Thanks Mongerx. My trip reports don't get as much reading as the sex laden or drama filled ones, and for those members who still have the old 1200 baud modem, it takes a long time to load up a page with a large number of pics, so I do not get the response other reports do. It's okay, I don't mind.

Hmmm, maybe if I could find a way to convert all of this into Kobold....

Val, thanks for the time and diligence you put into your reports. Since I often have hours of mind numbing boredom to fight, I genuinely appreciate and enjoy your writing style. Glad you had a great time!