East Meets ACE – Part 13: Typhoon & Missed Credits at Parque Espana / 志摩スペイン村
The next morning, Sunday, September 30, we would not be able to go to Parque Espana-Shima Spain Village in Shima, Mie, Japan, as it would close at noon, most coasters would not be running and the three hour drive back could leave us on the road just as the typhoon hit. We missed four credits (bringing the trip total to 11) including: Pyrenees (Bolliger & Mabillard, Inverted,1997), one of the more anticipated coasters of the trip with its six inversions; Gran Montserrat (Mack Rides GmbH & Co KG, Steel Sit Down, 1994); Kiddy Montserrat (Hoei Sangyo Co., Ltd., Family, 2016); and Steampunk Coaster Iron Bull (Sansei Yusoki Co., Ltd., Enclosed Steel Sit Down Family, 2003 or earlier). The park also has many other, highly themed rides. Oh, well, another trip!
Since the storm was expected to hit in the mid to late afternoon, we started investigating what we could do in the morning to make something of the day while still staying safe during the storm. While there are a number of museums near our hotel, all of them made the decision to close all day due to the storm. With help of the concierge, we learned that Nagoya Castle would open as scheduled that morning, but would likely close early. We also learned of a Buddhist Temple nearby that we would be able to see.
We decided to walk to Nagoya Castle
and arrived
to see signs saying that while it was currently open,
it would close soon
and everyone
would have to leave immediately.
While the main part of the castle is closed for renovation,
the palace rooms were open.
Although the original, as in much of Japan,
was destroyed by bombing in World War II,
this recreated building
was fascinating
as we walked through
in our sock feet,
our shoes left in lockers as we entered.
We admired the interesting artwork
and architecture.
Back outside, we got some good views
of the main castle building, typical of Japanese castles,
but very different
from Western castles.
We walked
through the gardens,
with its many paths,
which includes
a tearoom.
and saw a storage building which held most of the castle treasures during the war
and was fortunately not destroyed.
It was about 12:00
and we heard the announcement that the castle would close at 12:30,
but as we walked out about 12:15 they were insisting on everyone leaving immediately.
We walked around and got some good shots
from outside the castle walls.
We then took the subway to the Buddhist Temple,
which was quite beautiful with its vermillion and black colors.
We walked around
and saw
the many fascinating things.
Since we had not had lunch yet, we stopped for an ice cream snack, which was good,
and then walked down street after street that were covered and filled with shops and restaurants. We bought flavored popcorn.
Off the main streets
there were a number of shrines,
some of which we stopped
to look at
with there interesting features.
We began to notice that some of the restaurants were closing so we realized we better get to
Oasis 21, a shopping and dining development where we intended to find some lunch.
After a quick subway ride we discovered that most of the restaurants there had closed, so we headed back to the hotel hoping to find something nearby.
We found a place near the hotel and had a good Japanese meal.
After stocking up on food supplies, we headed back to the Hilton Nagoya around 4:00, just as the rain and winds began to pick up. Around 6:00 the intensity of the storm picked up. I stayed in the room the rest of the night watching weather reports in Japanese. The eye came through around 11:00 and the storm calmed down. By morning the sun was out and I had survived my first typhoon. But it was not the last that would impact this trip.
Up Next: Nagashima Spa Land
Ronny's Travels 