nagoya, cold toes, and that one weird number i can't forget

i'm sitting in a tiny noodle shop in nagoya, japan, and the guy across from me just slid a piece of paper with *1858836 scribbled across it. i think it's a code. or maybe it's just his wifi password? either way, i've been staring at these numbers all morning like they're secret coordinates to some hidden izakaya. and then there's that other long string, 1392978695, which looks like someone's phone number but with too many digits. maybe i should call it? nah, that's how horror movies start. the weather here is doing its best to convince me to move to hawaii. it's 5.53°C outside, feels like 3.19°C, and my nose is already protesting. the humidity's at 47%, so it's that dry cold that gets into your bones. pressure's high at 1024 mb, which apparently means clear skies, but the sky looks like a dirty sheet. i guess i'll take what i can get. as a pro dancer, i'm used to sweating under stage lights, not shivering while waiting for the tram. my feet are still sore from yesterday's rehearsal-some new choreography that has us leaping like we're trying to escape a bear. i tried to warm up in my hostel room and ended up kicking a potted plant. the floor was so slick i almost performed an unscheduled solo. note to self: nagoya sidewalks in january are not your friend. i heard through the grapevine that the best tonkotsu ramen in town is at a place called 'men-ya kissa', but someone else said it's shut down because the owner retired to grow mushrooms. i'm skeptical. i found a decent spot on TripAdvisor's Nagoya food guide that has a miso katsu that'll make you question why you ever ate pork in any other form. seriously, don't skip the miso katsu. it's a must. speaking of musts, i've been trying to decode those numbers. 1858836 might be the zip+4 of a legendary okonomiyaki joint in the sakae district. i called information and they laughed. then i tried 1392978695 as a phone number-dialed it from a payphone (yes, they still exist) and got a fax machine beeping. classic japan. over a bowl of steaming miso ramen, i overheard two locals arguing about whether nagoya castle is worth the hype. one said, 'it's just a concrete reconstruction, but the views are killer.' the other muttered something about a samurai ghost that haunts the top floor, especially on foggy nights. i'm not one for ghosts, but i might go anyway. if you see a pale dude in armor, tell him i'm sorry for stepping on his ancestors' toes. if you're tired of nagoya's chill, you can hop on a shinkansen and be in osaka before your coffee gets cold. but honestly, i'm too busy hunting for that secret izakaya hinted by the numbers. maybe it's a bar with no sign? i've heard of those. i'll need a local guide-i'll ask the guy at the Nagoya backpackers forum maybe someone knows. the map below is where i'm currently freezing my toes off, according to my phone's gps. (no idea why it's marked at that spot, but it's close enough.)

now, the scenery. i took a walk to hisaya-ōdōri park and it's kinda bleak in winter, but there's something about the skeletal trees against the sky that feels like a black-and-white film. i also ventured a bit out and saw some traditional thatched roofs that look like they're from a ghibli movie. check these out:

yeah, i know those aren't exactly nagoya, but they capture the vibe i'm getting-quiet, slightly eerie, and full of hidden corners. maybe that's what this city's all about when it's not buzzing with salarymen in suits. i also tried to book a last-minute tapas place i read about on Yelp, but they were fully booked. the host suggested a izakaya crawl instead: start at kushikatsu yokocho (where you deep-fry everything on a stick), then move to a whiskey bar that only plays vinyl from the 70s, and finish at a ramen shop that's open until 5am. i didn't make it past the second stop; the whiskey was too good and i ended up talking to a retired sumo wrestler about his diet. (surprisingly, he loves kale smoothies.) oh, and the numbers? i finally figured out 1858836 might be a bus route? i checked the nagoya transit app and line 185 goes to the port, but the stop is 8836? that's a stretch. as for the other, 1392978695 could be a train departure time? 13:92 doesn't exist. maybe i'm just being paranoid. anyway, i'm heading out now to chase that misheard tip about a secret onsen* hidden in the basement of a karaoke box. because that's a thing, right? if you're ever in nagoya and you see a guy in dance tights muttering about numbers, say hi. and maybe bring hand warmers.

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