Yanagawa River Boating | Review by Eddie

When you come to downtown Nagoya, you have to check out this super cool landmark, Oasis 21! From a distance, it looks like a huge transparent white spaceship parked in the city center, with the super tall and spectacular Nagoya TV Tower standing beside it.
You can take great photos here from just about any angle. Here are a few highlights I have to share:
Spaceship-Aqua on the rooftop: Take the elevator to the top level, where the floor is actually one big transparent shallow pool! A gentle breeze creates ripples across the water, and if you find the right angle, you can see the entire TV tower reflected in it. It looks incredibly dreamy.
Super cute photo spot: Back on the ground-level plaza, there is a large “@NAGOYA” letter installation on the lawn. You can get both the spaceship and the TV tower in the background, making it the perfect tourist photo.
Great underground shopping area: Right underneath the huge spaceship is actually a sunken shopping mall with air conditioning, lots of anime merchandise stores, capsule toy machines, and dessert shops. It’s super convenient to grab something to eat and rest downstairs when you get tired of walking around.

Step into the Edo period! A day trip to Hida Takayama Old Town in Japan
This time I visited Hida Takayama Old Town in Gifu Prefecture, and I was seriously blown away as soon as I walked in! The entire street is lined with dark wooden old houses, and clear water flows through the small roadside canals. It feels just like stepping into a cartoon or movie set in ancient Japan.
Besides the unique houses, the best part of the old town is all the great places to eat and shop:
Food to enjoy while walking around: There are soy sauce dango grilled until fragrant and slightly charred, with a soft and chewy texture. There are also the famous Hida beef skewers and beef nigiri. The meat is very tender, and the delicious smell fills the street.
Unique souvenirs: The stores have lots of cute “Sarubobo” dolls. I heard they are lucky charms for safety. Their round red appearance is very charming, and they make great gifts for friends.
Traditional long-established stores: There are lots of sake breweries and miso shops that look like they’ve been around for hundreds of years. Large cedar balls hang outside, creating a strong atmosphere of old Japan.
Taking your time strolling around and eating snacks here is very relaxing. You can take a great photo just by standing in front of any wooden window. It’s a fun place with a real sense of history!

The weather today was super nice. The sky was so blue it looked like it had been colored in with markers, with fluffy white clouds floating across it. It was perfect weather for an outing! Today’s destination was Tamamo Park in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, the site of the once-famous Takamatsu Castle.
As soon as I entered the park, the first thing that caught my attention was the vast green moat. Whenever I read about castle defenses in books, I always assumed moats were filled with ordinary fresh water. But after reading the information nearby, I found out that seawater is drawn directly from the Seto Inland Sea into this one, which is very unusual! The water was clean and calm, sparkling in the sunlight, and clearly reflected the lush pine trees and old stone walls along the shore. Looking at the reflections and feeling the cool breeze was so relaxing.
As I slowly followed the path, I came across the coolest-looking structure in the park—the Ushitora Yagura turret. When I stood directly below it and looked up, it was truly impressive! The white walls and layered, upturned roofs stood on a stone base made from enormous blocks fitted together one by one. It looked incredibly solid, and the craftsmanship back then was really remarkable. I immediately took out my phone, crouched down, and snapped a photo looking upward. The sky happened to have a faint orange glow from the setting sun, giving the photo the grand feel of a period drama!
After walking around the park, I found the whole place very quiet and laid-back. I used to feel that history was so distant, but seeing these centuries-old structures and the seawater moat with my own eyes made me realize how cool it is to actually walk through a historic setting. I took so many photos I was happy with today. It was such a fun and rewarding day!