Winter Japan Holiday - Back to Nagoya for 3 nights

We're back to Nagoya, and we checked into a different hotel - The Nagoya JR Gate Tower Hotel for a 3 night's stay.

The room was comfortable, clean and was of a decent size even though it was a Japanese Hotel, which are notorious for having small compact rooms. Furthermore, the breakfast buffet was splendid too!

We made our trip to Mitsui Outlet Park Jazz Dream Nagashima for outlet shopping, and before we started on our shopping spree, we had an early lunch in order to beat the crowds. The eatery at the outlet is similar to a food court, but it had restaurant vibes and you needed to place your order up front from the menu at the cashier upon entering. The food was then delivered to our seats efficiently!

We spent the entire afternoon at the outlet, and I only managed to pick up a bag from BLUE LABEL CRESTBRIDGE.

There are many winter illumination events in Japan. However, Nabana no Sato Winter Illumination is recognised as one of the largest ones in Japan. The illumination display held at Nabana no Sato Flower Park in Kuwana is SPECTACULAR!

We purchased the bus tickets to Nabana no Sato from the outlet, and each ticket cost us ¥500. The entry fee to Nabana no Sato may seem as being a little pricey at ¥2300 per person. However, the entry fee included ¥1000 worth of vouchers which can be used at any restaurants and souvenir shops within the park.

We arrived in the late afternoon, which gave me some time to enjoy the flower park and to have our meal while waiting for the light show event to begin.

As the sky in Japan turns dark at 5pm during the winter period, the park got busier when the light show started. The light tunnel was the most crowded as it led to the main illumination area.

The light show was pretty simple, yet beautiful. The changing colors and the chapel seemed beautiful in the background. The music was so calming and soothing.

I was mesmerized by the long tunnel of lights, which is another signature display of the Nabana no Sato Winter Illumination.

Once we exited the tunnel, we were greeted by another attraction of the Nabana no Sato Winter illumination - The Animated Light Show! This was awesome as it was a light show detailing Egypt, the Pyramids, Pharoahs, and even Aladdin and the Genie!

As we made our way back into the main area of the park, we walked through another gorgeous tunnel of lights. The lights gradually changed colors which added a surprise factor!

The coolest attraction at the premises was the ‘Mirror Pond’. The water was so still that it cast a magnificent mirror image reflection that I’d ever seen. Absolutely stunning!

Millions of LED bulbs transformed the garden into a twinkling wonderland, and I loved the vibrant light tunnels, as well as the animated light show, and stunning water reflections. Do visit Mie Prefecture for one of the finest and most famed Winter Illuminations in Japan!

Before leaving Nabana no Sato, we ate our favorite hot Red Bean dessert which was being sold at the 'Omiyage' shop area! Our bodies felt warmer after the hot dessert. 

The next day, after our brekkie in the hotel, we took the train and visited Nagoya's Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER, and this tower is a symbol of Nagoya! It was built for tourism and for TV broadcasting. We didn’t want to go up to the observatory deck, so we just took some random photos against the tower!

After that, we went to Osu Shopping Street again for lunch, and Baby suggested to go to 'Sugakiya', a well-known ramen chain in Aichi Prefecture. It is known as a ‘Soul Food of Nagoya’. Sugakiya is famous for one thing worldwide, it’s their gloriously dorky-looking spoon-fork innovation: The Ramen Spork.

Eating ramen with a Sugakiya's spork is much like eating spaghetti soup, and the appeal lies in their cheap prices as I only paid ¥580 for this large hot bowl of Tonkotsu ramen. Now, if I come across any shop selling a Spork, I will buy it instantly and never use chopsticks again!

Eating at Sugakiya is a truly novelty experience for us as we had a sporking good time! However we also ate here in order to feel a bit of 'Nagoyan' authenticity in enjoying a beloved regional fast food chain.

Apart from our lunch, we also picked up some snacks such as Beef Coquettes and Onigiri(s) for our afternoon tea! Who cares, we are on holiday!

After some shopping at Osu Shopping Street, we headed to Sakae for dinner at our favorite place for Japanese ramen - Ichiran Ramen! This is a mandatory eat at any parts of Japan we visit!

The soup broth tasted awesome, and the noodles were firm and chewy too. This eatery place is highly recommended to people who are looking for a fast and tasty, yet affordable ramen meal.

We headed straight back to the Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER for the light-up event, and we took many random photos against it!

Before we ended our Nagoya trip, we went to try our luck with the claw machines again. Yay! We were lucky to catch an assortment of big plushies, and this added space to our luggage, nevertheless thanks for coming home with me!

At one of the random arcades in Sakae, there were 3-4 machines which indicated ‘Super Clearance Sale’. Just simply insert ¥500, and the toy will automatically drop into the prize slot! I was so tempted to do some to bring back those huggable size plushies such as the Blue Slime from the Dragon Quest, Anya from SPYxFAMILY and Cinnamoroll, but I was warned that we had no more luggage space left after our previous catch (2 large Kuromi(s), 1 medium size Hangyodon and 2 small hanging toy charms).

Upon seeing me being sad for not able to bring them home, Baby used his last ¥100 coin to catch a small Hangyodon for me, and guess what, he caught it with only one try! Lucky him!

We headed back to our hotel to do our final packing. Before that we went to Starbucks which is located within the hotel we stayed!

The next morning, after a quick breakfast at the hotel, we proceeded to the airport! We redeemed our KrisFlyer miles for one-way business class tickets from Nagoya back to Singapore. Upon clearing the customs, we were invited to the lounge to enjoy some refreshments before boarding.

Priority boarding was a breeze, despite the flight being almost full. As we were walking down the aerobridge, I got a nudge from my Baby, as I was heading towards the Economy entrance out of habit!

This was going to be my first business flight, and with a mid-haul flight time (approx 6hrs 55mins). I was excited for the offerings and service. 

On mid haul flights, Singapore Airlines does not provide amenity kits and all extras are provided on demand. I think it is to reduce waste. I did get a pair of slippers & eye masks for this flight upon boarding, while on the other hand, I requested for an amenities kit which consists of a lip balm, face mist and hand cream. The kit is from Penhaligon. Not to forget the noise cancelling headphones offered by the airlines too. 

Once we boarded and found our seats, we were served pre-takeoff ‘apéritifs’, unfortunately not Champagne or Bellini but a glass of orange juice instead. Oh well, the stewardess then took our post take-off drink orders which I got myself a cup of hot tea from TWG!

Soon after that was the highly-anticipated Satay Service - three chunky and juicy sticks of chicken satay, served with raw onion, cucumber and peanut sauce. We loved the welcome canapés even though we obviously could not expect that fresh taste, or the grill smokiness, nevertheless it was still a treat to have it 30,000 feet in the air!

This flight didn’t have the ‘Book the Cook’ option, so we pre-selected our lunch via the SingaporeAir app. Both of us chose the ‘HANAKOIREKI’ option - a simplified Kaiseki exclusively curated by Chef Yoshihiro Murata of Kikunoi, Kyoto.

The Cabin Crew of SQ671 surprised us by preparing a mini cake, SQ Bear and paper-crafted bouquet. So sweet of them; Appreciated much!

The SQ Business class food and service contributed an overall positive experience, and I’m already looking forward to booking the next flight with our KrisFlyer miles.

I have come to the last and final post of my Japan holiday. Thanks so much for reading up on my experiences during my winter Japan trip. Time really flies, as it has been almost 4 months since I returned from Japan, but I still find myself missing it very much. We will meet soon, Japan!