Tag: kirby

A Pilgrimage to Nagoya’s Rabbit Shrine and Penguin Café

Bunny ema hanging at Miwa Shrine in Nagoya’s Osu Shopping District. Some have very unique faces!

It’s been almost 2 months since my last article regarding my travels through Indonesia, but I hope everyone’s new year is off to a great start! Since my last update, I briefly visited my home country for Christmas and have been working to save up for my trip to Europe in April. However, over the last week I decided to give myself a break and go backpacking through Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe! The purpose of this trip was to try new cafes, visit some shrines that were still on my bucket list, and see my Kansai friends before my month-long trip to Italy and other surrounding countries. Though I have traveled to these cities many times, it’s always satisfying to walk down old streets and see what new things lie in wait. In this article, I am happy to share several new recommendations that I found during my travels.

Visiting the Rabbit Shrine: Miwa Shrine

Last year everyone was making the pilgrimage to Nara’s Tiger Temple, but this year Nagoya’s Rabbit Shrine (called Miwa Shrine) is receiving a large number of visitors! Located in the heart of the Osu Shopping district, this shrine has a large rabbit statue you can rub for good luck and enshrines a god that is said to represent love and marriage. If you walk around to the back of shrine’s main area, you will see an arrow that has pierced through a tree. This is where the Owari Clan used to practice archery. If you would like to learn more about the significance of this shrine, please see the Miwa Shrine article from Centrip Japan. Also be sure to check out the hanging rabbit ema because they have unique designs drawn by visitors to the shrine. I loved the Psyduck rabbit! You can purchase them at the building adjacent to the shrine.

Address: 3 Chome-9-32 Osu, Naka Ward, Nagoya, Aichi 460-0011

Dining at Osu’s Penguin Café (PG Café)

With penguin décor in every inch of the room, this themed café was truly a lot to take in! We personality enjoyed spotting all of the penguins from anime and games on the shelves while we waited for our food, not to mention the (nearly) life-sized penguin plushies lounging around. They make the perfect companions if you dine alone. There is also a mini claw machine game you can play to win tiny keychains of fuzzy animals (I won two in one try). As for the food, there are a lot of drink and dessert options plus some very filling entrees. My friends and I decided to split a dessert set with three tiers of penguin pastries, and also ordered a plate of omurice and hot coffee in penguin cups. My personal favorites were the pancakes with the PG Café logo, the chocolate penguin tart, and the original cookies. They also make penguin latte art for those who are interested. Though I’ve been to tastier dessert cafes, I’d definitely say that the food here is above average. A lot of heart went into creating the penguin collection of PG Café.

Feel free to just walk into this café because no reservations are required, but there may be a wait time since the space is pretty cozy.

Address: 3 Chome-23-27 Osu, Naka Ward, Nagoya, Aichi 460-0011

Nanten Sushi

Nanten Sushi is a well-received sushi and kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) restaurant south of Nagoya Station. When first saw their Peanuts-themed kaisendon on Instagram, I knew I had to make the journey out here and try it for myself! This is perhaps the most elaborate and detailed seafood bowl that I have ever eaten in my life. I loved the adorable faces of the onigiri and flower display surrounding the bowl. Not to mention that the taste of the seafood was out of this world! I watched the sushi chef sear eel right in front of me so I know that it was made fresh. The staff was very kind to me as well. Please note that a reservation is required for these character seafood bowls, but you can easily make them over phone. I would recommend this place to all seafood lovers because it is one of the best places I have been to in Nagoya!

Address: 〒457-0027 Aichi, Nagoya, Minami Ward, Yayoicho, 165 南天寿し

Sweet Yasuko

Another place I highly recommend trying is a tiny pink bakery called Sweet Yasuko that sells cute cookies and soft serve ice cream. When I saw their puppy-themed strawberry ice cream in my recommended feed and knew I had to try it! They also sell adorably decorated cookies of hearts, mermaids, and cute accessories for low prices. Additionally courses (in Japanese) are offered for those who are looking to improve their decoration skills. I love supporting small businesses—especially when they’re pink—so that’s why I enjoyed my time here.

Address: 3 Chome-2-23 Izumi, Higashi Ward, Nagoya, Aichi 461-0001

Used Line New Beer

Another place that I was dying to try was a sandwich and craft beer restaurant called Used Like New Beer in Kamejima. I saw the egg sandwich and loved the aesthetic of it, so my friend and I ordered three of them plus a vegetable sandwich with tuna in it. The sandwiches were made with fresh ingredients and did not disappoint. They also make sandwiches with keema curry, mentaiko, and mackerel for those who like toppings that are unique to Japan, but they make traditional sandwiches like BLTs here too. Some of the craft beers they had for sale here I had never seen before! Though I am usually not a beer person, I tried the Patisserie Nyankoro beer that had chunks of strawberry in it and was the best beer that I had ever tasted. I would highly recommend stopping here if you are a beer fan, because you’ll definitely find some pretty unique flavors here.

Address: 2 Chome-17-5 Kikui, Nishi Ward, Nagoya, Aichi 451-0044

Other Recommendations

One bar that I’ve recommend in the past and can’t recommend enough is Nagoya’s most famous international gaming bar, Critical Hit. I have made so many friends here over the years that I will keep for life. I loved the Mario pipes with the Slime plushies coming out of them, plus the wide arrange of classic and modern games that you can play here. This time I played Kirby’s Dream Course with one of my friends which is probably the most entertaining golf spinoff that I have ever played. I enjoyed how they placed some of the bosses on the courses to try and derail your shot. We also went to a Vivienne Westwood-themed bar called Drowning Fish. The bartenders here were also anime and gaming enthusiasts so we had a great time chatting. All of the tiny bars that I have visited in Nagoya are amazing, and Aichi Prefecture really deserves more recognition for its nightlife!

Accommodation

Usually when I go to Nagoya I always stay with friends, but since I came on a weekday I decided to stay in a hotel in central Sakae called Hotel Erenoa. What I liked about this hotel is that it was only 2900 yen per night and had a public bath. The only disappointing thing was that the bath was only useable for three hours per day at night. I really wish that I could have used it in the morning to, but otherwise I had a pleasant stay here. This is one of the cheapest hotels in central Nagoya and I would recommend staying here if you are on a budget.

Thank you for reading the first article in my latest series. In my next article, I will be writing about my trip to Kyoto and various recommendations that I have there.

Aesthetic Food Finds in Nagoya Vol. 1

Here is a collection of aesthetic food finds in Nagoya, Japan (Volume 1). ♥

This country has no shortage of of aesthetic foods so I will continue to share cafes that I stumble across in future posts!  Even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, most dessert cafes in Nagoya remain open as of March 2020.

Ai Cafe

On the very first day of my recent trip to Nagoya, my best friend and I decided to rise up to the challenge and order all 3 bears on the “Spring Fair” menu at Ai Cafe.  This included sakura ice cream bear soda, strawberry bear toast, and a whopping king bear parfait.  This challenge is not recommended for the weak due to the large amounts of aesthetic food you will receive—we were completely unprepared for the massive pink ice cream and extra thicc toast and waffle dishes all shaped like bears that stared back at us.  But with careful strategy and pacing, we defeated them all and washed them down with a Kenshiro Coffee.  The staff was super accommodating to take the time to make this for us.

A professionally Tweeted summary of the 3 bear challenge:

Interestingly enough, Ai Cafe’s closest station is Gokiso Station, which I made a hilarious Japanese pun of: ごきそさまでした！

You may not think it’s funny, but I do.

Psychedelic Pattern Smoothies at Tuwl’s

While exploring the charming little shopping area of Osu Kannon, we stumbled upon a very small smoothie stand called Tuwl’s that sells psychedelic pattern smoothies.  Unfortunately this place does not seem to be on a map yet, but it’s easy to find if you are walking towards the Taito Station.  The smoothies are not only intricately designed, but they also taste out of this world.  You can choose the fruit juice you want with a base of seeds, tapioca, or granola.  I chose avocado juice with the seed base and was happy to find it was mixed with chopped strawberries too.  My friend got the raspberry banana version which looks very similar to mine but has a different taste and pattern.  All I can say was that the smoothie trip was worth it and it’s worth trying at least once.

Lyrical Coffee Donut

At one point during my trip to Nagoya, I thought I woke up in an alternate universe where coffee and donuts were “lyrical”, flowers grew from the ceiling, and it was snowing in Tokyo during sakura season but still sunny and pleasant in Aichi Prefecture.  However, I learned that this was just every day life at Lyrical Coffee Donut (almost).  This little cafe and flower workshop is tucked away near Kamejima Station making it still somewhat central to Nagoya.  We ordered the sakura and coconut donuts (which we shared with our son, Waddle Dee), and also tried a floral jelly drink with the sandwich set.  It tasted beyond delicious, and because it was sakura season the flower donuts were quite popular.  I hope to come back here and try some more variety in the near future.

Yama Coffee

Not wanting to completely break our bear diet, we set off to Yama Coffee near Osu Kannon to try the infamous marshmallow coffee set.  The marshmallows come in various shapes and sizes, but I had my heart set on the panda ones because they were the most aesthetic.  I was delighted to see that they had added pink ones to the set to commemorate sakura season.  I ordered a latte and they drew a macha leaf pattern on it which added to the panda theme.  I feel like I can never drink coffee without marshmallows again because they add a perfect fluffy texture that packets of sugar can’t obtain.  Yama Coffee is a coffee experience that I think everyone should have.

Queen’s Healthy Diner

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Soy Chicken is Best Chicken.

After experiencing a sugar-induced coma from consuming all the bears, we realized we should eat something a little more healthy for dinner.  My friend introduced me to Queen’s Healthy Diner which is not far from Sakae Station.  This little diner is owned by a nice woman who prepares much of the food all by herself.  I had a vegan salad and soy milk macha drink with alcohol, and my friend ordered the soy karaage (fried chicken) with homemade mayonnaise.  I have to say that they karaage was by far the best thing on the menu.  It tasted like like fried tofu and had the texture and appearance of karaage but was much healthier and easier to digest.  In addition to this, there are vegan burritos, pizzas, and pastas available.  This restaurant is every vegan in Nagoya’s dream come true.

Ogura Toast at Cafe Gentiane

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I’m not sure who exactly came up with the strange idea to spread azuki bean paste on top of buttered French toast, but it somehow became a popular dish in this region after the first World War movement.  Bean paste isn’t the first thing I’d think to add to my toast, but it surprisingly makes a delicious topping.  The texture is a bit thicker than jam or jelly, but it’s just as sweet and usually comes with a side of butter or whipped cream as well.  This dish is dubbed “Ogura Toast” and can be found all over Nagoya and other places in Aichi Prefecture.  Since we were short on time, we settled for a place called Cafe Gentiane in Nagoya Station, but you can find Ogura Toast in a lot of other cafes here.  You really can’t go wrong with French toast in Japan because it has a lot of rich variety.

Now Closed: Little Baby Dogs

When I first attended World Cosplay Summit dressed as Futaba from Persona 5 in 2017, I stumbled upon a small ice cream place in Sakae called “Little Baby Dogs“.  The beautiful chocolate-dipped ice cream cones and heart-shaped toppings made this place a real charm (not to mention the name).  Unfortunately this shop is now closed, but my memories of cosplaying and eating ice cream here will last forever.

Bonus: Balllls

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http://www.balllls.com

Have you ever had a craving for Balllls?  Though most tapioca places in Japan seem to be closing due to the trend dying off, Balllls Tapitera in Osu is actually just moving to a new location.  I look forward to its grand re-opening and seeing more strange places like this in the future.

Thank you for reading Volume 1 of my aesthetic food journeys in Nagoya.  If you have any recommendations, please drop them in the comments!  I will be writing more volumes in the future.