tōkai vibes and the weird stuff i found
so i'm sitting in this little cafe in tōkai right now, sipping something that might actually be coffee, and i just checked and it's 16.19°c out there, feels like 14.54°c, hope you like that kind of thing. the sky's that weird blue you only see in japan sometimes, like someone dialed the saturation up just a bit too high.
anyway, i got here after hearing some drunk advice from a guy in kyoto who said "if you want weird, go to tōkai." so i did. and yeah, it's weird. in the best way.
first thing i noticed? the humidity is 26%. like, that's nothing. my skin's not even mad. pressure's 1018, so i guess that means i'm not gonna float away today. small wins.
i wandered down this alley near the station and found this tiny shop selling vintage bus tickets. no idea why anyone would collect those, but the owner, a woman named mika, told me they're like "time capsules." i bought one from 1972 just to be polite. it's now in my back pocket, crumpled next to a receipt for ramen i can't pronounce.
"you gotta see the old post office," mika said. "it's haunted by paperwork."
not sure if she was joking. i went anyway. it's not haunted. just dusty and full of old mailboxes that look like they belong in a museum. still cool though.
if you get bored, nagoya and gifu are just a short train ride away. but honestly? stay here. the streets are quieter. the vending machines have weirder drinks. i saw one that sold hot corn soup. i didn't try it. i regret that.
food tip: there's a place called *ramen tatsu near the river. someone told me that the broth is "like a hug from a bearded fisherman." i don't know what that means, but i ordered it. it was salty. i loved it.
"don't trust the map apps here," a guy named kenji said while fixing his bike outside a convenience store. "they lie like politicians."
he was right. i walked in circles for 20 minutes trying to find a park that was right behind me the whole time. classic.
anyway, here's a map so you don't end up like me:
and because i'm trying to remember what this place looks like, here are some random unsplash images that kinda match the vibe:
if you're into weird little towns with big personality, tōkai's your spot. just bring a jacket. and maybe a translator app. and low expectations. they'll be exceeded.
more sleepy travel nonsense at tripadvisor or yelp* if you're into that.
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