Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Summer In Hiroshima

Rooftop beer gardens, night runs, non-stop fanning, yukata, homemade sangria, coffee Frappucinos, cold showers, sweaty bike rides, watermelon popsiclessticky bars.

3 comments:

Saku said...

Hi Jeanettela,

Found your blog this evening, and decided to send you a mail.

My name is Barry, and I'm coming to Tokuyama for Work in about 5 weeks.
I'm going to be moving up there on my lone some so any info you have on the
area will be lovingly read, put in a scrap book and coveted like Smigal and his ring.


I have heard that most of us Gaijin drink in a Bar Called Ell's Ditch.
I cant find it on the map. :( I need to know where it is when is best to drink there,
the places to avoid so i can go there for some fun.

Please help me out, I am seeing all sorts of real bad reviews about the area from haters on the net.
The place cant be that bad... Can it?

Please and thank you Very much ;)

-Barry

sakurowayn@googlemail.com

Jeannetto said...

Hey Barry, tried to write you back but your email didnt work. Here's a copy+paste.

Ignore the haters! Tokuyama is a great place! I lived there 3 years and dont regret it at all. Hate to tell you but Ell's Ditch closed about 2 years ago. Everyone was sad to see it go. But, there are some places you can still hang out. 2 kind of "nice" bars are Oriental and Switch (or Stitch?) Theyre near each other, close to the station on foot. No seat charge or anything.

Lots of izakaya to go to if you're with people (sit down restaurants with booze and fried food). But, my favorite place in Tokuyama is yatai. It's a ramen stall on the street that serves beer and sake, too. The one I go to is run by Antonio-san, an avid classic movie fan. It's the middle yatai outside Shidax (karaoke). There are usually 3 yatai out there most nights. He has a bunch of framed pictures hanging in it for decoration. Tell him you talked to Jeannette and he'll be your best friend. I usually sit there til morning drinking beer and talking to people who stop by. Lots of foreigners go there, too. So that may be a good chance for you to run into one. No menu, but he has oden and ramen. He speaks a little English and likes foreigners, so he'll try and understand you and ask you where you're from.

There's a dart/pool bar called Gloss around the corner from Shidax. I like it, but they charge a "seat fee." Not much, maybe the price of a drink.

For a day trip, there's a little gem not a lot of people know about. Across from Tokuyama station, outside the Shinkansen side (near the port), there is a ferry. If you buy a 680¥ ticket you can go to Ozushima (20 minutes?). It's an interesting place where they launched kamikaze submarines during WW2. There's a campsite (4000¥/night cabins), museum, and beach. A nice day trip. You can go fishing there, too.

Anonymous said...

well its been 3 years and i see your still there. that must say something, dont ask me what. Glad to see you survived your ordeal in the beginning with losing your job right after you go there. Hiroshima is a great city hope you enjoy your time their. And yes many places all over Japan Gaijins are NOT allowed, some for very good reasons others i'm still clueless to this day.

michael dailey