What an action packed trip so far. We were a bit reluctant coming back to Nagoya as it meant that our holiday was nearly over! We still had a couple of days left, and boy did we ended up packing in a whole heap of fun filled days for all of us. Wifey managed to find a pretty good deal at Hilton, which meant we were staying in a ‘nice’ hotel for once. Having said that, we really didn’t spend that much time in the hotel at all! It’s also the part of the trip, where we returned the car (don’t want to park in the city.. I assure you), so almost everywhere we went were by train (for the first time this trip). It wasn’t as convenient.. but nevertheless, there were plenty of fun for all of us which included…
Kariya Highway Oasis
Our first “point of interest” was literally a highway stop on the way back from Gero Onsen. Except it was apparently Japan’s third most popular amusement facility behind Tokyo Disneyland and Osaka’s Universal Studio! That has to be one hell of a highway stop! Like Nagashima Spa Land, but on a smaller scale, it had a bit shopping, restaurants, onsen bath, a mini theme park for the kids (and cheap too!).. And one of the attraction was apparently its ‘Deluxe toilet’!
Aichi Children’s Center
Another destination that I assume tourists wouldn’t typically go to was this children’s center located out in the suburbs at Nagakute. It didn’t seem all that interesting on paper, but when we arrived, it was arguably the best fun that we’ve seen Ethan had! The best way I could describe the centre is that it’s a giant climbing facility. When you have hundreds of kids all doing it at the same time, it’s a whole different ball game! I definitely can’t think of anything like it in Singapore / Australia. I don’t even recall the last time Ethan had that much fun just endlessly running around, climbing, hiding, jumping and seemingly endless enthusiasm exploring the whole place!
Seriously… this center alone is worth coming back to Nagoya for!
Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium
This one is a typical tourist destination, which I must admit I wasn’t that into at first. But when we did go there, all of us had fun. It’s an aquarium after all, except it specialises in large sea animals. The real highlight for me, was definitely the dolphin show.
Most importantly, Ethan appeared to have enjoyed it too.
To finish off rest of the time we had left in Nagoya, we spent most of it in shopping centres and restaurants/food stalls tasting local food (I possibly had one of the best hamburg I’ve ever had @ミート矢澤 ) namely near the Nagoya station, Sakae and the Osu shopping street.
Nagoya is the part of Japan that I would describe as a ‘family heaven’. I really felt like everywhere we went were designed for kids and families. I didn’t get that vibe in other parts of Japan. If I get to live in Japan, I would certainly pick Nagoya anyway. Given the likelihood of me doing that is near zero.. I can still come here as a tourist! And that I will most certainly do again, at least until Ethan grows up!
