Devastation in the Tohoku Region

I know everyone has heard already about the news in Japan. The news here censors a lot of the really terrible images that may be seen in the US or other countries where it's not as strict. I have to say though that even with the censors it is still devastating and gut wrenching. Luckily, Nagoya only felt a slow trembling that lasted a long time, but I can't express any kind of relief when I think of the sheer number of lives that have been lost or affected by this disaster. Now, on top of the earthquakes (which seem to still be occurring in some cities) the Nuclear Power Plant up north has had all four of their buildings (which contained the nuclear reactor) explode. Because of the earthquake the reactors had shut down, but this also caused the water cooling system to shut down. I can't give exact detail since this is from what I can understand and from what I have heard from others. Now on top of having to deal with the aftermath of the earthquakes and tsunami some areas now also have to worry about radiation poisoning when it rains.

As I am writing this I am feeling an earthquake.........it was a small one, but now it makes me worry that in a different city that it wasn't that small......like last time. I'm thinking it will be beneficial to put together an emergency kit, and soon!


Photos courtesy of Madperspective

Kachaguri Restaurant かちゃぐりや

The master at work! It was very entertaining to watch him work while we ate！

The aquarium where they hold fresh fish and then the shellfish case.

This is the view I had all night. I felt like I had front row seats to a concert or something!

Some sashimi......

some squid with fish cod roe and seaweed......

four oysters, we had three choices of sauce. I had both of mine with ponzu sauce and Sato had one of his with salsa.......

mmmmm oysters........

some grilled oysters, these were very good too! Grilled oysters taste a little different from raw oysters.....

fresh aji, so fresh that the fish was still twitching a little bit on the skewer........

grilled yellowtail, it was so soft and we ate it in no time........

the making of the Anago dashi tamago.......

a close up of the Anago dashi tamago, this is a Japanese style omelet with Anago placed in the middle before it is rolled. Usually there is no Anago in the middle. Anago is a type of eel.

Chirashizushi.......This was very good! I normally don't like leek, but the leek was so thinly sliced that it wasn't overwhelming. The rice had a nice flavor what with the green onions and vinegar......mmmmmmm......

The hippo statue at the entrance to the building that the restaurant is in. You have to go down the walkway to the back to find the restaurant. It will be on the left side with the Japanese style door. If you are in Nagoya and want to check out this restaurant I recommend making an reservation. The restaurant isn't all that big and it fills up fast. Here is the tel number (052) 586-3653 for anyone who is interested!

View of Nagoya Station Area from the 14th Floor

So I went to Nagoya Station a few weeks ago, because I don't go in that direction very often. I spent most of the day in this one department store and still didn't see everything that was in here. I saw this view and could not resist taking a picture, especially on such a beautiful day! I could have gone up higher to the Sky Deck, but I didn't feel like paying for the view. I had just eaten lunch and the fee was about the same cost as my lunch, which is to say that my lunch was a little expensive.......but it was good. Although, it wasn't a "Oh I have to come here again!" type of good. It was more of a "if I really tried I could probably make this at home", but it would have taken some time and effort.  Either way, I hope you like this shot as much as I do.