Thailand has a lot of amazing scenery, and travelling by train is a great way to see it. There always seems to be something interesting to look at.
Sometimes you can open the windows on Thai long-distance trains, but unfortunately the windows on this train couldn`t be opened (except for the dining car, but it was full of noisy foreigners, so I didn`t want to spend time there).
I was a bit disappointed.
When I arrived in Bangkok, I went straight from the airport to Hua Lamphong Train Station & bought a ticket for the overnight train to Chiang-Mai, which is in the far north of Thailand.
I have caught this train many times & I really enjoy using it, though I prefer a lower berth (this time I had to take an upper berth [bed] which you can see is a little cramped [no space]).
It`s a very interesting & relaxing way to travel. It`s also very cheap - about 2,200 yen (=$25) for the 13-hour journey (2nd class sleeper).
I apologize for not posting anything on my blog recently. I went to Thailand for a week, and I have been busy since returning to Japan.
The main reason for my trip to Thailand was to attend a friend`s wedding. I used to work with Paul a long time ago, when I lived & worked in Thailand. Since then, we have kept in touch & I was very glad to be invited to his wedding.
Congratulations to Paul and his lovely wife, Ray.
Owen saw a shop selling mizumanju (a kind of traditional Japanese sweet) on TV and said he wanted to eat it. The shop on the show was in Ogaki, which is not so far from Ichinomiya, so on Sunday we went there by train.
I asked the lady at the tourist information office, "Where is the mizumanju shop?" and she answered, "There are lots!" Oh.
First we went to the one we saw on TV, bought some mizumanju, & ate it by the river nearby.
Next we visited Ogaki Castle, then we visited another mizumanju shop, where we had `mizumanjugori` - mizumanju with shaved ice. Yum yum!
After that we found ANOTHER mizumanju shop, so we bought & ate some more...
Finally we returned to the first shop & bought some mizumanju to take home for my wife. But we ate some of them on the train...
If you like mizumanju, I definitely recommend Ogaki!
During the week there was a festival at Ichinomiya Tower. There was a flea market & lots of stalls [yatai] & activities, especially for kids. One of the most popular activities was catching `ayu` fish in a long pool, then cooking them over hot coals.
People also had a chance to release small buckets of young fish into the river, which is a nice idea. Several stalls also had various kinds of river animals such as fish, crabs, shrimp, snails & dragonfly larvae [tonbo no yousei], which I found interesting. I`m looking forward to catching some of them this summer!
On Monday I took Owen to Marue Department Store in Sakae, in Nagoya, to see a model train exhibition. When I was a kid, we had a small electric train set, but of course the ones at the exhibition were much bigger - MUCH bigger.
It was pretty interesting. After four hours Owen still didn`t want to leave. Four hours! Can you believe it?!
Anyway, we had a good time.
Thanks Minoru (student & train freak) for telling me about it!
Chiemi Matsunaga is another of our very talented students. She is a photographer, and now she is holding an exhibition of her baby photos at Ichinomiya Meitetsu Department Store, in Ichinomiya Station.
It`s from May 2 - 5 on the 6th floor, then May 6 - 8 on the 7th floor. If you have a chance, pop in and have a look.
Well done, Chiemi - I was impressed with your work!
These caravans are soooo retro & cool. I`m not sure if they`re for sale or not - there is a company sign nearby (`American Trailer Develop` - you can see it in the bottom right photograph, under the horse). However, I first noticed them a few years ago, and nobody seems to have bought any. Maybe they`re a private collection? Nice hobby!
The number plates are interesting too; `South Carolina`, `California` & a frame with `Have Fun Squaredancing` on it - haha!
On Sunday there was a local election in Ichinomiya. I can`t vote in Japan, but if I could vote, I would definitely NOT vote for any candidate [kouhosha] who drove around in a small van with a big megaphone on the top. Argh - what a terrible noise!
Did you vote? Can you guess which of the above candidates is my favourite...?
The festival on Sunday was good. There were a lot of people and the weather was mostly fine.
Owen was especially interested in a stall [yatai] which had small rubber balls & toys floating around a small pool. For 400 yen, you can scoop up as many as possible, one time, with a ladle. I think Owen was happy just to watch the balls go round & round, but I paid & scooped up 4 toys for him.
LIttle by little, our bathroom is starting to look like that stall...
We had a good time.
By the way, please don`t ask me about the horses. Especially the one wearing the purple mask. I don`t know anything.
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