A Trip to Gifu City
Sorry it has been so long since I wrote anything. Things have been very busy and we haven’t done too much. We went back to Hana Festa park a few weeks ago and saw a Giant Asian Hornet. This is the biggest hornet in the world and kills 40 people a year in central Japan. We have since seen several of them around our apartment, including a dead one floating in a rice paddy. They can be up to three inches long and look like a small hummingbird when they are flying!
We have been watching a family of swallows who live on the floor below us. They have 4 babies and every night papa bird sleeps just inside the main door to the apartment building. The other day I watched the parents bringing food back to the babies. They were shoving giant dragonflies down their gullets!! I couldn’t believe those frail little baby birds could possibly ingest such a large thing, but they got it down. The wings were flapping as it was being swallowed. Damien and I like to check on the family every time we come in or out.
We went to Gifu City yesterday. Gifu is the capital city of Gifu Prefecture and is much bigger than Kani. It seemed kind of run down and depressed in some areas. We walked from the station up to the castle. The castle was an important castle in the days before the shogun took control in the early 1600s. It is a reconstruction though since the original was bombed in the war. The castle is very high up on a hill. We hiked up to it rather than take the ropeway. It was a rugged but enjoyable hike. We had an incredible view from the top. Too bad it wasn’t a clear day. We will have to go back.
Near the castle park there were many old buildings. The architecture was just beautiful. We were in constant awe of the Japanese aesthetic everywhere. From the color of the decades, or in some cases centuries old, wood to the perfectly designed gardens, the bamboo gates to the details on the wooden sliding doors. There were a lot of expensive restaurants in some of the old buildings. We will have to save our yen and go back.
We did go to a really nice café called Natural Café. It was a locally run little place in an old building 113 years old. When we entered I immediately realized that I had just stepped in poop! I said to Damien, “Oh shit! There’s a big pile of dog poo here!” Then Damien said, “That’s not dog poo. That’s a turtle there!” Then I saw what I had thought was a statue right in front of us. It was a giant tortoise that had just pooped on the floor. So the café had a resident tortoise!! It is not everyday that you step in turtle poop as you enter a café. The café was actually on the second floor while the turtle has the run of the first floor and the front porch. The décor in the café was wonderful and we enjoyed a leisurely lunch of kick ass Thai green curry and homemade desserts! It was one of the best places we have been to since we have been back I must say.
Another highlight was coming across a 200 year old golden Buddha made of wood and lacquered paper.
Well, this blog is pretty long. I will try to write little posts more often but we are so busy. I have only had 1 day off in 16 days.
Ciao!
We have been watching a family of swallows who live on the floor below us. They have 4 babies and every night papa bird sleeps just inside the main door to the apartment building. The other day I watched the parents bringing food back to the babies. They were shoving giant dragonflies down their gullets!! I couldn’t believe those frail little baby birds could possibly ingest such a large thing, but they got it down. The wings were flapping as it was being swallowed. Damien and I like to check on the family every time we come in or out.
We went to Gifu City yesterday. Gifu is the capital city of Gifu Prefecture and is much bigger than Kani. It seemed kind of run down and depressed in some areas. We walked from the station up to the castle. The castle was an important castle in the days before the shogun took control in the early 1600s. It is a reconstruction though since the original was bombed in the war. The castle is very high up on a hill. We hiked up to it rather than take the ropeway. It was a rugged but enjoyable hike. We had an incredible view from the top. Too bad it wasn’t a clear day. We will have to go back.
Near the castle park there were many old buildings. The architecture was just beautiful. We were in constant awe of the Japanese aesthetic everywhere. From the color of the decades, or in some cases centuries old, wood to the perfectly designed gardens, the bamboo gates to the details on the wooden sliding doors. There were a lot of expensive restaurants in some of the old buildings. We will have to save our yen and go back.
We did go to a really nice café called Natural Café. It was a locally run little place in an old building 113 years old. When we entered I immediately realized that I had just stepped in poop! I said to Damien, “Oh shit! There’s a big pile of dog poo here!” Then Damien said, “That’s not dog poo. That’s a turtle there!” Then I saw what I had thought was a statue right in front of us. It was a giant tortoise that had just pooped on the floor. So the café had a resident tortoise!! It is not everyday that you step in turtle poop as you enter a café. The café was actually on the second floor while the turtle has the run of the first floor and the front porch. The décor in the café was wonderful and we enjoyed a leisurely lunch of kick ass Thai green curry and homemade desserts! It was one of the best places we have been to since we have been back I must say.
Another highlight was coming across a 200 year old golden Buddha made of wood and lacquered paper.
Well, this blog is pretty long. I will try to write little posts more often but we are so busy. I have only had 1 day off in 16 days.
Ciao!
posted by Ana | 4:58 AM
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