Nagoya
- Lydia Roe
- May 1
- 4 min read
Here we are, at our final stop. Hello Nagoya!
Cosy cafes
Like I mentioned in my first Tokyo post, the cafes in Japan are on a whole different level! A far cry from costa or starbucks, the discover of Hoshinos blew those two corporate giants out of the water not only in drinks and food but atmosphere too. Despite being labelled as a coffee house or a café, Hoshinos I would say gives the vibe more of a small, cosy restaurant. When entering, we were greeted with soft jazz music and a friendly waiter who took us to our table and even provided us with an English menu. Of course this was to convenience us but Henry still put his Japanese to use by ordering in that tongue. We washed out hands with warm towels and sipped on the cool water as we waited for our order. After a day of travelling, it was certainly the atmosphere we needed to decompress. Given our fondness, we proceeded to eat there every night we stayed in Nagoya and on the morning we left to return to Tokyo. One thing is for sure, I miss that fruit tea.
Hedgehogs
Usually animal cafes are something I am wary of given the debate over whether they are ethical or not but one full of rescued hedgehogs eased my concern. Hedgehogs hold a personal significance to me, a symbol that connects me with my dearly loved and long-gone grandma. Every time I see them I feel my heart jump with excitement and I am stuck unable to take my eyes off of them so holding one filled me with a surreal sense of joy and comfort. Our little friend for an hour was called John, an understandably grumpy guy but despite that, he let me hold him. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time and, in a voice, barely above a whisper I spoke to John. Somehow, his big inquisitive eyes staring up at me made me think that maybe he understood his importance to me.
Kyudo and Venturing out on my own
We didn’t go to Japan purely for a holiday, no. We had a reason and that reason was Henry’s Kyudo exam. A traditional martial art of Japan, Kyudo combines archery with the art of ceremony. I sat in the viewing gallery with all the other supporters and with a prime view, I watched Henry, unable to hide the immense pride I felt deep in my heart. Hearing about it, is impressive in itself but watching it in person gave me a new found respect for the dedication needed. For two years Henry had practised and was ready for his second-grade exam – one I am very pleased to say that he passed!
This exam also consisted of three full days of intense training so when Henry set off to do that, I was left to find my own entertainment. The first day I was a little apprehensive, clinging to my phone with google maps open just to make sure I didn’t get lost. I still did, but not for long for as the days went on, I grew in confidence and by the third day I could navigate the streets pretty well! Probably not as well as a native of Nagoya but it made me feel a little less like a tourist. What did I do on those three days? I shopped of course!
My thoughts on Nagoya
Nagoya was truly lovely. A city vibe but the most peaceful and relaxed area we had been to, it was the right way to wind the trip down. There isn’t much to say on the city apart from being the best of the three (not counting Kyoto) purely for its match to mine and Henry’s personalities. It wasn’t in our faces; it wasn’t loud and it wasn’t particularly busy. In a lot of ways, it felt more like authentic Japan. On our last day in Nagoya we drank tea at a tea room reminiscent of home and we both decided we were ready to return.
Coming back home and reflection
The strangest thing I took away from Japan and perhaps the saddest was how safe I felt walking around alone as a woman. Not once did I feel at risk and my guard didn’t feel like it needed to be up as much as in the UK. In general, the areas of Japan I went to had a feeling of safety and coming back to England I felt like I experienced brief culture shock from the rudeness and rowdiness experienced in in my home country. On the bus home from the airport, I felt anxious just sitting next to a stranger but doing the same thing in Japan filled me with no fear at all. I do miss that about Japan however I do not miss the insecurity I felt inwardly out my appearance whilst on my trip. Wherever I went there were advertisements projecting beauty standards onto women. Every girl my age I saw had a full face of makeup and was dressed to the nines. They looked amazing, each and every one of them but I
couldn’t help but feel ugly in comparison just for not covering a pimple with concealer or wearing a jumper instead of a gorgeous dress. I have suffered throughout my life from image issues and body dysmorphia which has let to eating disorders so I don’t know whether I was just that little bit more sensitive or Japan really pushes their women to always be perfect. Overall, I did enjoy Japan a lot and if it was the right location, I would perhaps spend some time living there properly but with so many other places in the world I want to visit, I am keeping Japan as a fond memory just for the time being. For now, goodbye Japan.
Thank you for joining me on this journey across Japan! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it and if you haven’t checked it out yet, on my YouTube channel I have put together short five-minute vlogs of my travels so please go over there and give those a view! My next adventure is to Edinburgh so I will see you there!
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