PANCIT HAPON

Japan is paradise for noodle guzzlers like me where noodles are as popular as the Filipino’s everyday kanin. There are 3 types of Japanese noodles: (1) udon which is made from wheat flour, light in color and thicker than soba; (2) soba which is thin, long, brownish and made from buckwheat flour; and (3) ramen which is actually Nipponized Chinese noodle. The first 2 are usually served in hot soup or dipped in cold shoyu soup, always garnished with minced onion, and spiced with preferred condiments (i.e. spices, pepper). I was introduced to them at JICA’s Osaka International Center where I stayed for 2 nights after arriving in Japan. My encounter with ramen came at the later part of my stay in Japan during my last visit to Nagoya’s Osu Kannon Temple. It is a close relative of the Filipino mami (the Chinese connection) with miso broth. The garnish is very diverse: bamboo shoots (read: labong), bean sprouts (read: toge), thin roasted pork (or beef and chicken) slices, etcetera. What I had at Osu Kannon Temple is actually hybrid ramen: yellow thin Chinese egg noodles in hot soup garnished with thin pork slices, fermented (read: buro) bamboo shoots, chopped onions, and raw egg. Whatever, Japanese noodles are really oishii.





In Nagoya, I was determined to hunt down its 2 most popular noodle dishes. I had the Miso Udon Stew in Osu Kannon Temple’s shopping arcade during one of its famous flea market days. The noodle was served piping hot in a large bowl that I thought was good for 3 persons. It was 2 o’clock in the afternoon and I was really very hungry so I wolfed it down to the last drop of soup and washed it with a cold bottle of Asahi dry beer. The fresh unsalted noodles blended well with the tanginess of the chopped spring onions, the earthy flavor of the chopped chicken, and the musky dark miso-based sauce. A week later, I had Kishimen where it is traditionally served at the Atsuta Shrine. The noodles are flat and smooth in texture, excellently complimented by abura-age (deep fried tofu), assorted green vegetables, dried bonito shavings, and seasoned with tsuyu (light soy sauce).

The local favorite in Japan’s southern tip at Oita is Dango-jiru. On our first day there, UNCRD’s Toga-san and Takai-san, and Ogino-san took me to a small but popular restaurant along the historic Renga Building when they heard of my noodle fetish. The main ingredient is dumpling noodles made by mixing flour with water and salt then cooked in a soup of miso, carrots, onions, and burdock. I really regretted having missed the equally popular Yaseuma snack which is wheat noodles sprinkled with sugar and dipped in soy flour and, 1 week back, Ise’s thicker-than-usual udon in a thicker-than-usual sauce. But as the saying goes, you can’t have it all.

My noodle dinner in Kyoto will be the Tsukimi-soba (soba with raw egg) perfectly served with a hot cup of Japanese green tea and a bottle of cold sake. It was actually a combination of a late lunch and an early dinner because I was too busy enjoying Kyoto that I forgot to eat. I have been to the old city’s world heritage sites, I had touched the happy stone, and my stomach is full of soba fermenting in sake and green tea. It is indeed a beautiful life.



I started my day in Japan with an initiation to its noodle cuisine (my first dish in Osaka is Udon to be exact). It is but fitting to end it with a nice noodle meal. And JICA and UNCRD which I have heckled throughout the training course for not serving Japanese food in JICA Chubu obliged me (and my co-trainees) during our testimonial lunch with an array of sushi (both the restaurant and homemade varieties), tempura, and a tray of wonderful soba noodles with cold shoyu soup served in small cute Japanese bowls. “You have to eat all of that,” Baku-san told me with a grin, pointing at the noodle tray. God knows how I did tried.

PHOTOS (top to bottom):
1) A noodle restaurant at an Osaka mall.
2-3) JICA Osaka Center’s version of the Udon and Soba.
4-5) Osu Kannon’s Ramen and Miso Edon.
6) Atsuta Shrine’s Kishimen.
7) My Dango-jiru in Oita.
8) My Tsukimi-soba lunch-dinner with green tea and sake at Kyoto’s Kiyomazudera Temple.
9) Soba in cold shoyu soup served during our testimonial lunch at the JICA Chubu Center.

THE KYOTO PROTOCOL

It’s been said that if you have been to Japan but have not been to Kyoto, then you have not seen Japan. I would agree with this. Kyoto is an old city rich with history and cultural treasures having been Japan’s capital and the emperor’s residence from 794 until 1868. Its value and importance is illustrated in its having been spared by the Americans from their air raids and fire bombing during the war. For me therefore, its Kyoto or nothing.

After some days of hesitation, I finally traveled to Kyoto one weekend with a Lao friend, Posy-san, who was on his way to visit Kobe. Ogino-san advised me to take the shinkansen with a travel time of only 45 minutes but I decided that it’s too expensive for me. We instead took the Limited Express train (i.e. ordinary train with limited stops) for a 2-hour trip with a changing of train midway at Maibara Station. Ogino-san recommended that I visit the Kinkakuji and Kiyomizudera Temples, and the Nijo Castle. I said I will and also included Ryoanji Temple because it’s is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site like the first three. This is my recommended Kyoto Protocol for 1 day tourists like me.

In Kyoto, I bought a 1-day bus pass for Y500 that will take me to any point within the city limits which is a bargain because the minimum 1-way fare is Y200. First stop is the Kinkakuji Temple/Rokuon-ji Temple or the Golden Pavilion that has existed since 1220 as the home of Kintsune Saionji. In 1397, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu started rebuilding the place as his residence 3 years after abdicating as the 3rd Shogun of Ashikaga. He was a Zen Buddhist --- the most popular sect among the samurai class during that time --- and seek enlightenment through meditation and discipline. Thus, he tried to make his compound as sedatingly serene as possible. When he died in 1408, Kinkakuji/Rokuon-ji was converted into a Zen temple as he willed. The pavilion was covered with gold leafs and houses sacred Buddha relics. It was burned down by a fanatic monk in 1950 and rebuilt five years later.

A 15-minute walk from the Golden Pavilion is another Zen shrine --- the Ryoanji Temple. It is famous for its rock garden, said to have been made by Soami at around 1500. Rock gardens are meditation mediums for Zen Buddhism. That of Ryoanji is made up of 15 rocks, white gravel, and enclosed in a wall made of clay that was boiled in oil. It belongs to the Karensansui Garden category of Japanese gardens that features a reproduction of natural landscapes in an abstract way. The other Japanese garden categories are the Tsukiyama Garden category which is basically the creation of artificial hills, and the Chaniwa Garden category that is specially laid-out for tea ceremonies. Outside the Kuri or main temple building is the aesthetically stunning Kyoyochi Pond that was built in the 12th century.





Next stop will be the Nijo Castle that was erected in 1603 by this blog’s most famous Japanese --- Tokugawa Ieyasu --- as his and his successors’ official residence. The castle actually has 2 palaces with Ninomaru Palace, declared as a Japanese National Treasure, as the most important. It was built of Hinoki or Japanese cypress wood and is renowned for its Momoyama architecture, sliding doors, and squeaking Uguisu-Bari or nightingale floors that warned of intruders. Within the inner moat and enclosed by the breathtaking Ninomaru and Seiryu-en Gardens is the Honmaru Palace that was built in 1626 from structures taken from the Fushimi Castle. It burned down in 1750 and was rebuilt in 1893 from components taken from the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

The highlight of the Kyoto Protocol is a late afternoon pilgrimage at the Kiyomazudera or Pure Water Temple. It was founded in 780 and is said to be one of Japan’s most celebrated temple. Aside from its huge wooden main hall, the temple also features the Sishu Shrine that is dedicated to the god of love, a spring below the main hall’s terrace that is said to have healing powers, and a very dark chamber where I groped my towards a stone relic that is said to make those who touched it very happy. I was tired and hungry after a long day walking but indeed a very happy person who slept my way back to Nagoya afterwards.

PHOTOS (top to bottom):
1) The Golden Pavilion’s elegance radiate from the still waters of the Kyoko-chi or Mirror Pond.
2-3) Dreams and wishes were asked from heaven in writing and through candles (my 2 candles for my family’s good health, long life, and prosperity) at the Golden Pavilion’s fudo-do or hall for the Fire God Fudo-do.
4) Ryoanji Temple’s famous rock garden.
5) The 900-year old Kyoyochi Pond outside Ryoanji Temple’s Kuri or main building.
6) The inscription on the Tsukubai or the tearoom’s stone washbasin read “I learn only to be contented”. It was said to be a gift to the Ryoanji Temple from Mitsukuni Tokugawa (1628-1700) who compiled the Dai Nippon-shi or “The Great History of Japan”.
7) Japanese tourists in their traditional Kimono dress take pictures outside Nijo Castle’s Ninomaru Palace.
8) A panoramic view of the Honmaru Castle.
9) Nijo Castle’s traditional teahouse.
10) The pagoda of the Kiyomazudera Temple.
11) Kiyomazudera Temple’s main hall. The healing spring is under the terrace while the “dark chamber” is under one of the temple’s minor halls.
12) Buddha stone images outside Kiyomazudera Temple’s main hall.

SACRED LEAVES, HOLY STONES

Somehow, I knew that I would someday visit Japan. I told this many years ago to a Japanese war veteran who used to make annual pilgrimages to Almaguer. He came every year, bringing with him different groups who have lost a family somewhere in Almaguer during the war. They would usually burn incense, spread offerings of sake and rice, and pray at the bridge that now divides Almaguer into North and South. Perhaps it was a battle site, like Lakay Sammy’s bangcag near the dacquel nga carayan where the Samahang Dilim was always hired to dig for remains of Japanese soldiers buried there. Lakay Sammy is father to Roy who --- with Abet, Junie, Ninoy, Tok, Piso, and Ukong --- ruled the dark nights of Almaguer. They were paid P150 per day that was big money at that time, and more so if they find gold teeth fillings and caps. The recovered remains were then cremated in a big bonfire and the ashes brought back to Japan for proper interment.

The Samahang Dilim dug even without the annual Japanese visitors --- for the gold teeth fillings and caps. On one such day, Abet tunneled a santol tree and found a fairly intact skeletal remain. But there was no gold. Instead, they found some rusty Japanese coins (Abet though they were uniform buttons), a fork, and what could have been film negatives. This and the others that they recovered were eventually turned over to the annual visitors. There was also that unexploded bomb near the latrine of Amang Lakay that Kuyang Uben finally disposed (before his soldiering days) by throwing it at the fish pond of Lakay Amplaying.

Part of our training course was a visit to nearby Asuke in Toyota City an hour from Nagoya. The place is famous for its Korankei Gorge that is said to be the second best place in Japan for the autumn maple leaves viewing. In 1634, the Buddhist priest Sanei from the Kojakuji Temple planted the first maple trees that have made Asuke famous centuries later. The maple leaves should have been bright red when we came but we were told that because of global warming, this had been delayed by 2 weeks since 2 years ago. Nestled on the Korankei Gorge is the Sanshu Asuke Yashiki museum where we were shown a traditional Japanese home and the production of local handicrafts.

A day later, we were on our way to the southern resort city of Oita. We covered the 700 kilometer distance from Nagoya in 3 hours through an exhilarating ride in Japan’s fabled shinkansen or bullet train. Oita has been the prefecture capital for 1,300 years since the era of the Bungo Kokufu. It is famous for its nearby hot spring spas and home to the Motomachi Stone Buddhas of the Heian Period (794-1192) that were carved on the side of the Uenogaoka Hill. I tried going there by bus but it’s quite complicated for a non-Japanese like me so I walked and got lost. A taxi finally took me to the shrine that had been declared as a national historic monument. Some 200 meters away is the prefectural historic monument of the Iwayaji Stone Buddhas. I touched those ancient holy stones and said my prayers. It was a strange ghostly feeling.

We stayed in Oita for 4 days and from there made guerilla visits to the famous Yufuin area and in Oyama where I had my best Japanese lunch ever, then Fukuoka where we took the plane back to Nagoya.

PHOTOS (top to bottom)
1) Asuke’s Korankei Gorge.
2) The famous momiji or maple leaves.
3) A Buddhist altar inside a traditional Japanese home at the Sanshu Asuke Yashiki Museum.
4) The main image of the Motomachi Stone Buddhas and 5) an image eroded by time.
6-7) The Iwayaji Stone Budhhas.
8) Yufuin’s Mt. Fukuman.
9) The Tenso Shrine is marked by a torii at Yufuin’s Lake Kinrinko.
10) An ancient plum tree in Oyama.

GEKU, NAIKU AND A STREET CALLED OHARAIMACHI

The most sacred Shinto shrines in Japan are 90 minutes away by train from Nagoya in Ise. I decided to go there during my first weekend in Nagoya, still jittery from my subway uncertainties. Ogino-san has the kindness of showing me the way to the station of the train to Ise, providing me English maps, and writing down queries for direction in Japanese in case I get lost. So the next day which is a Saturday, I took the subway to the Kintetsu Line at Nagoya’s Central Station. I am sure I was at the right place but it is not the same one Ogino-san took me. And so I spent 1 hour trying to figure out how to get a ticket to Ise because the ticket vending machines don’t seem to understand what I want it to do. I almost decided to turn back before taking a leap of faith by asking a station staff for direction. After a few minutes of broken Japanese, broken English, and lots of gestures, I was on my way to Ise.

There was one train transfer at the Matsusaka Station before I arrived at the Iseshi Station. There, I asked my way to the shrines. The Ise Shrines are actually 2 separate shrines: the Outer Shrine or Geku and the Inner Shrine or Naiku. Geku, a 5-minute walk from the train station, was my first destination. It is believed to have been established in the 5th century and dedicated to Toyouke --- the kami of clothing, food, and housing. It was unusually colder inside Geku and I felt eerie, as if I was transported to another world and the ancient huge trees are heavenly sentinels watching my every move. I moved with the mass of people, hoping from one minor shrine to another, giving an offering of Y1, Y10, and Y50 coins --- whispering my apologies that I am just a trainee from a poor country --- and saying my prayers in what I thought was the Shinto way. That is, holding my palms together in the usual prayer mode while repeatedly bowing my head then clapping loudly at the end.

Shinto shrines have 7 components: (1) the torii which is the approach to the shrine with a pair of koamino (i.e. guardian dogs or lions) at both sides; (2) the purification through where hands and mouth are cleaned before approaching the main hall; (3) the main and offering hall which is the most sacred place in the shrine; (4) usually a stage for bugako dances and no theaters; (5) the ema where wishes are written; (6) a place for omikuji or fortune papers; and (7) the shimenawa which mark the boundary of sacred places. By tradition, the Ise Shrines are rebuilt every 20 years which is the reason for the vacant lot beside each main shrine.

The Inner Shrine or Naiku is a 15-minute bus ride from Geku. There was a traffic jam midway the trip so I decided to follow some passengers and walked the rest of the way. The entrance to Naiku is a dramatic wooden bridge after the torii. It looks pretty much like Geku except that the eerie feeling is more subdued perhaps because of the multitude of people who crowded the shrine. Naiku is dedicated to Amaterasu and is believed to have been established earlier than Geku in the 3rd century. It is where the sacred mirror is stored. Taking photos of the main shrine is prohibited but I somehow managed to have one.

Outside the inner shrine is Oharaimachi --- the 1-kilometer old approach to Naiku. Today, it looks more like a shopping district but has retained its rustic elegance because of the reconstruction of houses from the Meiji era that used to line the road. Ogino-san told me later that I was very fortunate because my visit to Ise coincided with a festival where representatives of other Shinto shrines around Japan come together once in several years. There was a parade, which is similar to the Philippine prusisyon, where wooden altar-like structures are carried by men in frenzy, which are like our karosa. That is when I understood the traffic jam and the throng of people who were there that day. I had my first taste of sake at Oharaimachi where I also brought a wooden toy for my youngest son Balong. I left Ise via the Ujiyamada Station feeling tired but light. I slept the rest of the way to Nagoya and slept more in the subway ride to the Issha Station.

PHOTOS (top to bottom):
1) Mossy roof and ancient trees at the Geku main hall.
2) A shimenawa at Geku.
3) Worshippers in one of Geku’s minor altars.
4) The main torii and at the entrance of the wooden bridge to Naiku.
5) The vacant lot beside Naiku’s main hall where a new shrine will be built after a cycle of 20 years.
6) Worshippers pray and give their offerings at the curtain-draped window fronting Naiku’s sacred shrine.
7) Naiku’s sacred shrine is inside this enclosure.
8) Oharaimachi’s prusisyon.

THE NAGOYA SUBWAY CHRONICLES

I arrived in Nagoya from Osaka on 25 November 2006 after a 4-hour trip by chartered bus for a 6-week JICA-sponsored training. Although it is currently Japan’s fourth largest city, Nagoya started small as the Tokugawa family’s castle town of Owari. The family patriarch is Ieyasu Tokugawa who was appointed by the emperor as shogun in 1603. He established the seat of his government in Edo (i.e. present day Tokyo) where the Tokugawa Shogunate ruled Japan for 250 years until the Meiji Restoration in 1868 (i.e. the period when the power of the emperor was restored). One of the shogunate’s surviving legacies is the Nagoya Castle that was built at the beginning of the Edo Period between 1688 and 1703. The castle was destroyed in 1945 during the war and was reconstructed beginning in 1959.



The most convenient way to travel around Nagoya is by chikatetsu or subway of which it has 4 main lines: the yellow-coded Higashiyama Line, the red-coded Sakura-dori Line, the blue-coded Tsuramai Line, and the violet-coded Meijo Line. I watched Bill Murray in “Lost in Transition” and I though it would be difficult to go around the city with my very limited Japanese. Contrary to my early uncertainty, I found the subway easy and efficient because the signage, announcements, and maps are both in Japanese and English. Just remember the station numbers and follow the color codes and arrows. I brought a Y5,000 Yurika Card (i.e. a discounted pass card) that I used in commuting to and from the JICA Chubu International Center to the UNCRD office via the Higashiyama and Sakura-dori Lines. On weekends, I usually buy a Y600 1-day pass to go around the city, which is cheap because the minimum fare at the Higashiyama Line is Y200 yen for one trip.

I woke up early on my first morning to hunt for temples and shrines that dotted the city and found my first one in the Jinzu Temple and the Kifune Shrine after a 15-minute walk from the JICA Center where I was staying. Now, this gets a little complicated because a temple is usually associated with Buddhism and a shrine with Shinto. Both are Japanese religions: the first one is an import from India via China and Korea, and the second one the indigenous religion which is said to be as old as Japan. Both beliefs overlap and complement each other which illustrate the openness of present day Japan to all religions. In fact, Christmas is as Christmas in Japan as in the Philippines, and many young Japanese get married in Christian churches although they are Buddhists and Shintoists.

1. Atsuta Shrine and Osu Kannon Temple

Atsuta Shrine is the second most important Shinto shrine in Japan. It is where the Sun Goddess Amaterasu who is Shinto’s most important kami or god is enshrined, and where the sacred sword --- one of the emperor’s 3 symbols of legitimacy --- is stored. The sword was said to be discovered by Susanoo, Amaterasu’s brother, in the tail of an 8-headed dragon that he killed. Another symbol is a mirror that was used to lure Amaterasu out of a cave that is now stored at Ise’s Inner Shrine. The third object is a sacred jewel that, along with the sacred sword and the mirror, was given to Ningi no Mikoto by his grandmother Amaterasu when he went down to earth. He then gave these to his grandson Jimmu who became the first emperor of Japan. The sacred jewel is now stored at Tokyo’s Imperial Palace. These 3 imperial regalia are Shinto’s most sacred objects.

I visited Atsuta Shrine via the Higashiyama Line’s Issha Station. I transferred to the Meijo Line at the Motoyama Station (No. 16 for Higashiyama and No. 17 for Meijo) and got off at its Jingu Nishi Station (No. 27). A short distance from the shrine is the Osu Kannon Temple. To get there, I took the subway at the Jingu Nishi Station then transferred to the Tsurumai Line at the Kamimaezu Station (No. 3 for Meijo and No. 7 for Tsurumai). The next stop will be Osu Kannon Station (No. 8).

The Osu Kannon Temple was originally located in Gifu Prefecture. It was founded by Noushin Shounin who built the temple in 1324 as ordered by Emperor Godaigo. Ieyasu Tokugawa moved the temple to its present site in 1612. My 2 visits to the temple fortunately coincided with its famous flea market that is held every 8th and 28th of each month. I was able to haggle for a souvenir samurai sword at half its tagged price during the first visit. The present structure is a 20th century reconstruction of the previous ones but its original design remained mostly intact.

Osu Kannon is a Buddhist temple. Buddhism, or its Mahayana or “Greater Vehicle” branch to be exact, was introduced to Japan by the Korean kingdom of Kudara or Paikche in the 6th century. Since then, it has evolved into the following major sects: the Chinese sects of Tendai that was introduced by Saicho in 805, Singon that was introduced by Kukai in 806, and Zen that was introduced in 1191; Jodo or “Pure Land” that was founded in 1175 by Honen; Jodo-Shinshu or “True Pure Land” that was established by Shinran --- Honen’s successor --- in 1224; and Lotus Hokke or Nichiren that was founded in 1253 by Nichiren.

2. Nunoike Cathedral and the Cultural Path Futaba Museum

Oyet told me of Nagoya’s 100 year old Chikaramachi Church and on my last free day, I went hunting for it. I asked Ogino-san, our training coordinator, for directions and he told me that I might be referring to the Nunoike Cathedral which is the most well-known catholic church in Nagoya. And so I took the subway at Issha Station and alighted at the Shinsakae-machi Station (No. 11). I thought I could find the cathedral easily through its spires but it took me 30 minutes of walking and asking around before finally doing so. There it is, tucked in a quite corner, its spires dwarfed by modern skyscrapers. It looked pretty much like the San Sebastian Church in Manila. The church was built in 1962 and serves as the cathedral of the Diocese of Nagoya that has jurisdiction over parishes in the prefectures of Aichi, Gifu, Ishikawa, Toyama, and Fukui.

I asked about the Chikaramachi Church and was given easy directions: walk straight ahead to the expressway, turn right, then the church 2 blocks away somewhere. It was another 20 minute walk but well worth it. The church was built by Shusai Inoue in 1904 and has remained intact including its convento that was built in 1930. He, along with Father Turtan, evangelized in the Aichi-Gifu region. The church is located in a historic district that used to be the towns of Shirakabe, Chikara, and Shumoko where vassals of the Tokugawa Shogunate resided including Asahi Bunzaemon, author of the Ohm Rochuki. Traders and upper class families later built their homes in the area after the Meiji Restoration among which are Sasuke Toyoda (younger brother of Sakischi Toyoda, Japan’s acknowledged “King of Inventors”), Tesujiro Haruta (founder of Taiyo Shoko Company, Ltd.), and Sadayakko Kawakami (considered as Japan’s first actress and popularly known as Madame Sadayakko). In 1985, the area was designated as a protected historical site by the Nagoya City government and was collectively called as the Cultural Path Futaba Museum.

3. Sundays in Nanzan

I go to the Nanza Church’s English mass every Sunday morning that I can with Nolan and Madz --- fellow Filipino JICA trainees --- where I met other Filipino expatriates who are either working or studying in Japan. One is a Ph. D. student from PHILRICE which is just 2 kilometers away from my home in Bacal 2, and who is the inaanak sa kasal of a former colleague who is now with PHILRICE who was also in Japan at that time. We usually go by bike but the church can be reached via the Higashiyama Line through the Motoyama Station. On my last mass there, we took photos of the changing colors of Nagoya University. It is autumn in Japan and the best season of the year when the momiji (maple) leaves change colors before the winter season. It was a very beautiful sight.

Postscript

The subways are located underground. One thing I observed was the passengers usually have something to read either seated or standing then doze off to sleep (or just closed their eyes). A Japanese professor told me that his people worked like machines. Perhaps the subway is a moment of respite for them. Or maybe it’s the darkness of the tunnels.

I saw many interesting characters in the subway. My most unforgettable ones are the young women who dressed up like Barbie Dolls and anime characters, and the young men who tried to look like rock stars with their Duran Duran hairdos and ragged jeans. Boots are usual accessories for women maybe because of the chill. The younger ones seem to prefer mini skirts (some are really micro) and short walking shorts. Most men are in their coat and ties. The Japanese dress differently and may look serious but will politely try to help a lost stranger find his/her way.

On the last 2 weeks of my training, I walked from the UNCRD to the Nagoya Central Station along the underground department stores to avoid the hassle of transferring from the Sakura-dori to the Higashiyama Lines. Once in the train, I will drift into a light sleep, automatically waking when the train stops at the Issha Station.

PHOTOS (top to bottom):
1) The Nagoya Castle.
2) Jinzu Temple.
3) Tombstones in the Kifune Shrine.
4) Atsuta Shrine’s purification through.
5) A Shinto priest officiating to what is equivalent to the Filipino simba at the Atsuta Shrine’s main hall.
6) Flea market at the Osu Kannon Temple.
7) Nagoya’s Nunoike Cathedral.
8) The 102 years old Chikaramachi Church.
9) Entrance to Chikaramachi’s convento that was built in 1930.
10) Sasuke Toyoda’s former residence.
11) Tesujiro Haruta’s house.
12) The Sadayakko Kawakami museum.
13) The SVD-administered Nanza Church near Nagoya University.
14) Momiji leaves.