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Every summer for the last fourteen years, I have traveled with my now college-aged kids to Japan to visit their paternal grandparents. We usually stay with them for about a month and even the most mundane daily tasks (I'll save the recycling center story for another day) are an adventure for us. Though it is not an autobiographical story, TANABATA WISH is very much inspired by my trips and experiences in Japan. Like Skyler, I am a foodie, so I do a lot of eating and cooking with my mother-in-law and Japanese friends while I am in Japan. I like to bring that knowledge back to the US and use it in my workshops as The Obento Lady at local anime cons.
I specifically set TANABATA WISH in Nagoya because that's where my husband grew up. One summer, the kids and I lived briefly in Nagoya. That tiny apartment would go on to become Sky's family’s summer home. Last summer, I went back to the neighborhood to find the apartment. Unfortunately, it had been torn down, and a very futuristic home with lots of glass was in its place. There are many places in TANABATA WISH that you can visit if you are traveling in Japan. I'll tell you more about those places in future posts, but for today's behind-the-scenes look we are going to talk about Nagoya Station. It's enormous! There are multiple train and subway lines that branch out of the station, so it can be a little confusing (especially if you are from Phoenix and have no clue how public transportation works). Because many Japanese people commute by train/subway, it makes sense that a whole shopping area would be built around this transportation hub. There are tons of places to eat and shop inside Nagoya Station. If the weather outside is awful, you can easily spend multiple fun hours below ground in the station. Because the station is so large, many people use the Golden Clock in front of the Takashimaya Department Store as a meeting place. I have Sky meet her parents there before their trip out to the countryside. If you come through Nagoya Station and see the Golden Clock, take a selfie and tag me on your favorite social media channel.
TRAVEL TIP: Did you know that most big Japanese department stores have a grocery store on the bottom level? If you are exhausted from a day of sightseeing, find the anchor store of the train station (there may be more than one) and head subterranean. It's level B2 in Takashimaya according to the map. You can buy produce, shelf-stable foods, and even prepared foods to take back to your hotel room to consume. Itadakimasu!
That’s it for today. Whether you are a traveler, foodie, history buff, teacher, homeschooler, or just someone who is a lifelong learner (like me!), I hope you will stick around. Ja mata ne!