Blog - homeandawaywithlisa

Entries in Nagoya (6)

Wednesday

Jul232014

Nagoya Oktoberfest (名古屋オクトーバーフェスト)

When I was in Japan last week my trip would not have been complete without an evening at Nagoya Oktoberfest. I know that you are likely thinking 'German beer in Nagoya?' 'Oktoberfest in July?' but honestly it is a really fun time and a great place to hang out and relax with friends.

Nagoya Oktoberfest began in July 2011 and my first time going was in 2012. The pictures in this post are a combination from that summer as well as this one. Stretching over two plazas in Nagoya in Sakae, Oktoberfest consists of huge tents filled with picnic tables ringed by German beer and food stalls and a stage for some German entertainment.

First off, I have to say that I love the logo. Oktoberfest in Japanese is "オクトーバーフェスト" and they turned the "ーバー" into two hands clinking beer mugs. Very cute and very Japanese!

If you are at Oktoberfest you can get wine or soda if you would like, but why would you when there are over 40 German beers available from 10 different breweries. All the beer is served in glassware individual to the brewery. To get a beer you pay for the beer plus a ¥1,000 (about $10 USD) deposit for your glass. If you go back to that same brewery's stall for another beer they will swap out your glass and you just pay for the beer. At the end you return your glass and get your deposit back. The tricky part is that you have to return the glass to the correct brewery stall since each one has different glasses. It's not a big deal but wise to make a note of before you start drinking.

In addition to beer there is a wide variety of wurst, sauerkraut and other German food that you can enjoy. I did also see among other things available edamame and churros, which I thought would make for quite an interesting pairing with wurst.

At the far end of the plaza, a stage is set up with dancing and music that is fun to watch and enjoy made up of both German and Japanese performers. You haven't seen anything until you've watched a Japanese guy dancing in lederhosen.

Both summers that I went to Nagoya Oktoberfest I had a great time catching up with friends who still lived in Japan as well as other friends who happened to be back in Japan at the same time as me. With the laid back atmosphere and German beer you can't go wrong on a summer evening in Nagoya.

Nagoya Oktoberfest is held in Nagoya at Hisaya Odori Koen Hisaya Plaza (久屋大通公園久屋広場) and Angel Plaza (エンゼル広場) which you can access by a short walk from either the Sakae Subway Station on the Higashiyama Line or the Yabacho Subway Station on the Meijo Line. Oktoberfest lasts for two and half weeks in the middle of July, open from 11:00-21:00 on Saturday and Sunday and 15:00 - 21:00 on weekdays. This information was accurate at the time of writing, but please confirm prior to visiting in case time or location has changed.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014 at 7:08AM | Posted by

Lisa |

Post a Comment | |

Email Article |

Print Article

tagged

Aichi,

Asia,

Japan,

Nagoya,

Travel in

Away

Monday

Oct072013

Osu Kannon Flea Market

Things have been crazy busy for the past few weeks. Two days after getting back from New York and Connecticut I headed out to Japan for a business trip just getting back this weekend. Even though I was tired, I always make the most of my weekend time when I am in Japan and this trip was no different.

I am a sucker for flea markets and lucked out that the Osu Kannon flea market was being held the Saturday while I was in Nagoya. The market is held on the grounds of the Osu Kannon temple on the 18th and 28th of the month. Since it often falls on weekdays I only ended up being able to go once during the time I was living in Japan, on the day that I was moving back home to the US.

Last Saturday I arrived at Osu Kannon about 8:00 am and it was already bustling. With the temple in the background and trees lining the courtyard the flea market setting is quite pretty. Just about everything under the sun can be found as you walk around the stalls from used modern goods to antiques.

I loved this carved wooden roof ornament but it was enormous so there was no way for me to take it home.

This basket was super cool and I thought it would be great in my laundry room as a hamper but again there was no way for me to possibly take it back with me.

These children's learning blocks with hiragana (Japanese syllabary) were adorable and if I had a little one I would have loved to pick up a set of blocks to spell their name.

These glass light fixture shades were really neat and taking a pair home would have been great but I thought they were too fragile to make it back in my luggage.

Now that I've shared the items that I loved but couldn't buy I'll move on to what I did end up buying to take home. My first purchase was a bamboo vase that has a copper lining so that you can put flowers in it. It was a little scuffed so I talked the seller down from ¥500 to ¥300 (about $3 US).

Next were a set of mid-century glass Japanese baby bottles from Kobe. I already have an antique Japanese milk bottle with red writing on it and I thought these would be a cool companion to it.

Ever since I got my first SLR I have been a Canon camera lover so when I saw this old Canon camera with a leather case I had to get it, especially since I was able to talk the seller down to ¥800 (about $8 US).

I also bought one of these large Japanese spools called itomaki (糸巻き). I have several already and love using them as stands to display items in my house.

My final purchase was a small flat handwoven basket that I thought would be cute for the house.

Overall, I am super happy with my Osu Kannon purchases and can't wait to find homes for my new treasures.

Although my favorite flea market in Japan, the To-ji Flea Market (held in Kyoto on the first Sunday of each month), is much bigger, if you are in Nagoya on the 18th or 28th of the month I would definitely recommend a trip to the Osu Kannon flea market.

To get to the flea market take the subway to the Osu Kannon station (on the Tsuramsi line). Leave out of Exit 2 and continue walking on the street, turning left at the Seven Eleven convenience store. The flea market is on the temple grounds right ahead.