Previously on episode 1.
In this three episode series we're taking a six day trip starting at Chubu International
Airport and making our way through Nagoya and the surrounding prefectures.
So join me Raina Ong as we continue on days 3 and 4 of our trip off the beaten track in
Central Japan.
On day 3 we'll try our hand at a tea picking activity in the surrounding tea fields then
take the train to Nagoya where we'll feast at a local restaurant before retiring for
the night.
On day 4 we begin with a Nagoya breakfast then take the train and bus to an excellent
open air museum following that we pick up a rental car and drive about an hour north
to a water town noted for its realistic food replicas and pristine waterways.
Day 3
Kakegawa is one of the top tea growing regions in japan and has over 400 years of history
cultivating tea.
There are over 1 000 tea farms in the city and many of them are found in the hilly area
east of the city center.
A visit to the tea fields in Kakegawa offers scenic views sometimes in combination with
Mount Fuji when the weather conditions align.
Kakegawa tea is grown using a traditional method in which grass is grown around the
tea fields to be used as mulch.
The grass is cut and dried then spread over the soil from Autumn through Winter.
The system is said to improve the effectiveness of fertilizer and prevents the ground from
drying out and ultimately improves the quality of the tea leaves as well as contributes to
preserving the local flora and fauna.
Now you might have noticed the little fans surrounding the tea fields and wondered about
their purpose.
That is a frequently asked question by those who visit a tea field and i didn't come close
to guessing its purpose: that is, to circulate the air and prevent the morning fog from settling
on the tea bushes which is damaging to them.
In addition to scenic views the seemingly endless tea fields are also where visitors
can participate in tea related activities like picking tea leaves, roasting tea leaves
or appreciating tea.
Note that activities have to be booked in advance.
There are a number of places offering activities at the tea farms and mine was arranged through
my accommodation where i stayed the night before.
Picking tea leaves is a new experience for me and i'm glad to be able to try it here
in Kakegawa.
In Kakegawa, the first tea leaves are picked sometime in late april and new tea or "shincha"
as it is called in japanese is available soon after.
The subsequent pickings are done over the next few months during the harvesting period.
Tea farmers maintain a hard schedule of picking tea leaves and processing the freshly picked
leaves soon after.
Outside of the major tea picking period, tea farmers typically have more time to interact
with and show the visitors the finer points of appreciating tea.
After picking some tea leaves in Tsukimoto-san's tea farm, he's going to teach me how to brew
some tea.
We start off with tea brewed with only ice cubes since it is a warm day.
Then we move on to brewing tea with hot water to taste the difference.
The iced brewed tea had a strong complex flavor profile which was rich with umami both savory
and fresh at the same time, while the hot tea brought out the fragrance of the tea leaves
and had a sweeter flavor.
After the lovely tea experience i make my way back to Kakegawa Station and take the
bullet train to Nagoya.
As Japan's third most populous metropolitan area, Nagoya has a strong local food culture
and also offers a wide variety of dining options.
Well-known local favorites include misokatsu ,deep fried pork colors with miso sauce, hitsumabishi
eel on rice that is eaten with different condiments in four portions, and deep fried chicken wings.
For dinner I head to a restaurant in the city to try some of Nagoya's local specialties.
So Nagoya Cochin which is a local breed of chicken is one of Nagoya's local specialties,
and for dinner tonight I'm in a chicken specialty restaurant which serves Nagoya Cochin dishes
like yakitori skewers, oyakodon which is a rice bowl topped with egg and chicken, as
well as chicken wings which by the way are also a Nagoya local specialty not to be missed.
Itadakimasu!
After dinner it was back to my hotel to rest after that huge meal.
Day 4
Ohayo, good morning!
Now, morning-gu or morning sets are popular in Nagoya and i'm headed to this cafe for
breakfast.
A typical breakfast set comes with a drink and a sandwich but here in Nagoya the local
specialty is sweet red bean paste on toast like so.
Itadakimasu!
After the satisfying and very filling breakfast i proceeded to Meiji-Mura, a large open air
museum about an hour outside of Central Nagoya.
Museum Meiji-Mura is one of the largest outdoor museums in Japan and houses a collection of
buildings and furnishings and documents from the Meiji Period which lasted from 1868 to
1912.
The period marked the end of feudalism and centuries of international isolation and is
characterized by Japan's rapid modernization and westernization.
There are a few fun activities available in Meiji-Mura and one of them is renting Meiji
period style outfits which you can wear to explore the park.
Well i'm now a university student who has traveled back to the meiji period and i'm
going to visit all these historic buildings, let's go!
More than 60 historic buildings from all across Japan were relocated to Meiji-Mura, and 11
of them are designated culturally important heritage.
While many of the buildings at Meiji-Mura are western style buildings some like the
Kureha theater where kabuki and other performances were held, and writer Natsume Soseki's former
residents are traditional Japanese style buildings.
A visit to Meji-Mura takes a minimum of three hours, and i spent half a day walking around
the park and seeing all the historic buildings.
Many of the historic buildings at Meiji-Mura can be entered freely and contain exhibits
pertaining to their owners.
Visitors can also try their hand at some retro arcade games like archery or shooting.
I had such a great time all dressed up and seeing the historic buildings which also made
for excellent backdrops.
The hours just flew by so quickly and it was time to move on to my next destination before
I know it.
From Meiji-Mura, I return to Inuyama Station from where i pick up my rental car to head
to my next destination: Gujo-Hachiman in Gifu Prefecture.
Gujo-Hachiman is a small riverside town surrounded by mountains in the middle of the landlocked
Gifu Prefecture.
The town is best known for its pristine waterways as well as for being the largest producer
of food replicas, the kind you see at the entrance of many restaurants.
Since i arrived in the evening, I head straight to dinner and save the fruit replica excitement
for the next day.
My restaurant of choice is Izumisaka, a local diner in the town centre which serves up regional
delicacies like Hida wagyu beef and hobayaki, which is a miso marinated dish grilled over
a large magnolia leaf.
Look at what I ordered for dinner!
I've got the local Jidori Chiken as well as maitake mushrooms and the hobamisoyaki as
well as the Gujo okonomiyaki which is like the local savory pancake, as well as a local
Hida wagyu beef steak.
And to complete my meal I've also ordered cold sake which was brewed in the neighboring town.
After that satisfying meal i retired to my accommodation and called it a night.
And that was episode two of our six day trip through Central Japan.
Be sure to join us on episode three as we continue on the last two days of our trip
making some food replicas and hiking in one of the most scenic places with spectacular
mountain scenery.
For more information about this trip or to watch another video click the links on the
screen now or head over to japan-guide.com, your comprehensive up-to-date travel guide
firsthand from Japan.
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Happy travels!