Friday afternoon stroll in Imaike

Nagoya Station towers viewed from a lonely street in Imaike.

With 59 floors, the 245 meter tall complex is roughly two times taller than Tampere's landmark Näsineula.

How to switch to vacation mode?

Be free from any schedule.

Go for a ride without a map or destination.

Rest your eyes on a vivid blue sky.

Feel a gentle afternoon breeze touch your skin.

Close your eyes and take a deep breath.

Immerse yourself in a novel. 

Yoshinoya, a fast food restaurant Japanese way

Three plus one justified arguments why choose Yoshinoya for your lunch or dinner or what ever meal: healthy, cheap and awesomely quick plus delicious (if you happen to like beef)!

A visit to Yoshinoya makes me think why other restaurants make you wait.

When we sit down the waiter arrives next to us at an instant to take an order. Yumiko ordered the normal set below: beef on rice, miso soup and coleslaw. Delivery time after order 1 min 15 sec.

My order below: Yakiniku-don, otherwise same as the normal set but the beef is seasoned differently and fried - apparently a seasonal campaign... Delivery time 2 min 10 sec.

Both sets consumed in 15 minutes.

In a fancy restaurant you wait for what... 45 minutes? And as the dish is so gorgeously tiny, it's gone in 10 mins. Well, that leaves plenty of time for blabbering, which is special merit for a date.

Conclusion: don't take your beloved to a dinner in Yoshinoya. Your date will be over in a flash and moreover, you'll give the impression that whom you're with is not worth more.

Our total bill was 1060 yen / 10 e.

Oh, and one more thing: in Yoshinoya, you'll never spend too long looking at the menu. Out of the handful of options, point the photo you like most and choose bowl size. Eat. Pay. Exit.

Checking out Thumbs Up climbing gym in Nagya

Arrived to Japan yesterday tired but safe!

While Yumiko was on her habitual 4 hour hairdresser visit, I took a visit to Thumbs Up climbing gym, a new  wall gym near the city center, Sakae. Like there was nothing else to do in Nagoya...

Important: if you're looking for people to climb with, don't drag your self to the gym before evening. Hardly anyone comes there at day time.

Above first view of the bouldering area. A colorful sight as usual in Japan.

Best quality gym I've visited in Japan so far. Clean holds, clearly marked routes, well maintained free areas. How many other places I've visited? One.

Specialty: a 17 m outdoor wall with both top rope and lead climbing possibility built on an apartment wall. 

Routes were graded by the Japanese grading system, Dankyu. 9 (purple) is the easiest and 1 the most difficult Kyu-grade. The black color is for Dan grades, which are a class more difficult than Kyu grades. Yes, same coloring is used in Japanese martial arts.

The gym had a narrow but extensive selection climbing magazines: Every publication of Rock and Ice from 1958 to today. The one on the photo was out on the same year I was born.

Routes are coded with color symbols. One hold may be a part of multiple routes. I prefer same color holds color for one route but ways both have their arguments...

いってきま～す！

またまたしばらくブログをご無沙汰してしまいました…！

タンペレは紅葉真っ盛り。
気温もぐんと下がり、寒い日が続いています。
そして毎日毎日雨ばかり…。
そんな中、昨日は珍しく青空を見ることができたので、思わず散歩に出かけてしまいました☆

ところで明日から、日本に１ヶ月間帰ります！
１年ぶりの日本！！
とっても楽しみです♪♪
今回のメインは沖縄☆☆
今年は、フィンランドに夏らしい気候はなかったので、沖縄でちょっと遅れた夏を楽しんできたいと思っています！