We decided not to go out of town, since we've only been here for a few months, and just relax. But today, we went to Nagoya Castle and walked around the grounds. We didn't go into the main castle, as Matt's knees were hurting, but there was plenty to see outside the castle.
Getting there: Subway train to Shiyakusho Station, on the Meijo Line (Exit 7 will take you right to the front gate.)
On the walk into the castle grounds, we stopped to eat at Orympia Cafe. The food was quite good, however if we'd known, there were several food vendors inside the castle grounds.
We also passed a few stall vendors who were selling crafts. This lady hand makes all of her wares, and Ashton bought a wooden turtle from her.
Into the castle grounds, and I found a stall that caught my fancy. A lady named Izumi was spinning wool into yarn. She and her husband had several crafts that were available for purchase. I purchased a fridge magnet, which was a sheep carved from wood, and then some hand-spun yarn to create the sheep's wool. Super cute!
I won't go and show you all the lovely photos we took of the castle and grounds, because you should really come and see it for yourself. Also, the photos you find online are going to be much better than my poor efforts. But here are some photos of my guys exploring the grounds, which is so much nicer!
Inside the Hommaru Palace (where, of course, you had to take your shoes off), there were signs saying to "Mind Your Head". Ashton wasn't too far off knocking his head on the beams by accident.
This camellia (which happens to be one of my favourites) was grafted from the original camellia tree that stands by the Hommoru Palace. The original tree is still alive, though it was burnt badly during the air raids of 1945.
The stones behind Matt, Ashton and Declan here are original foundation stones from the main castle.
This amazing tree was an opportunity too great to pass up. Perfect for two brothers!
And what kind of day would it be without a silly photo...
