Nagoya

Chinese Spring Festival 2015!  Onions and I decided, based simply on our love of Japanese food, to visit Japan.  We flew into Nagoya.  We spent the first half of our first full day in Japan walking around Nagoya.  Above is the Nagoya Tower, which looks like a mini-Eiffel Tower.

Stop 2....Nagoya Castle

The original castle and associated buildings were constructed in 1610. What is seen on the grounds today are the reconstructions built in the 1950's

Spring was juuuusssttt around the corner in Japan.  In some places, the famed Cherry Blossoms were in bloom.

The view of downtown Nagoya from the top of Nagoya Castle

Looking east with the Japanese Alps in the distance.

The final stop in Nagoya was a visit to the train history museum. They museum displayed all the different types of train cars Japan Rail has used through the years.

These sleek trains are the most modern trains which are used on the Shinkansen, the high speed rail.

The museum ran a lottery to win the opportunity to drive the Shinkansen simulator.  I didn't win.

Japan also is manufacturing MAGLEV trains!

The MAGLEV trains have been clocked at up to 581 km/hr.  The museum had displays that explain how the shape of the train minimizes drag and maximizes stability.  Unfortunately, most of the written displays were in Japanese.

I took this last photo because in one shot, I got a traditional church, a more modern church, a large container ship and in the far background the port of Nagoya.