Heres a couple shots of the road on the way. Bamboo! You can see a they are up on a hill. There was an old staircase leading up there too, which Naomi said we can't go up as the whole hill is probably private property. Maybe a small shrine in there or something. It looked creepy. Didn't get a picture of said staircase sadly.
Back near town we found this nice little tomb stone store. How would you not want these great characters resting over you after you pass on? I would probably go for the pikachu. I had to sneak these pics as it is rude to just walk up and take pics. Boo-urns. However they turned out good.
(Btw the way nathan this is my answer to your giant crab. Sometimes its not the size, its the weirdness factor!)
After leaving city hall we took a stroll through an older part of town on the way to the train station. We find a slew of temples, some private some not, and shrines. So here is a few pics of them!
The first one is just a cool looking dude near a temple actually.
This one shows a road leading to a temple, but it seemed like it was on private property as through the gate there were a couple of houses. As we got closer a dog started barking a lot so we didn't go in.
A little history note here. The buildings and temples here are all very old. As you know, or should know, many large cities in Japan were badly damaged or sometimes almost totally destroyed during American bombings, mostly fire bombings, during WW2. Sadly because of that many cities lost this touch you can find around here as many old temples, shrines neighborhoods and even castles were burned to the ground.
The reason this area, mostly the large city of Kyoto and the small cities around it, were spared the fate that most others suffered, was because of a man named Langdon Warner. He was an Asian art historian and a close friend of president Roosevelt. He felt this city, and another named Nara should be spared by the bombings to help preserve Japans culture. There are a few monuments around dedicated to him in these cities too. Another note on this guy, the Chinese government is not a fan of him, saying he stole a bunch of their artifacts. He saves he saved them.
1 more note, he was one of the main inspirations for the character Indian Jones.
Next we strolled down a main road, that was at one time the main road to the city of Kyoto. It has many old shops on it, lots of snack and food places. We stopped by one place and I got some traditional sweets..of which at the time of writing I have still yet to eat (to sidetracked!).
Next we found a rather old hotel turned museum. This was a hotel the Emperor himself would stay at on his long road to Kyoto city. You couldn't take any pictures inside sadly, however it was very nice. Very big too. They had a bunch of old hotel reservation books showing various famous people who stayed there (famous in the 1800's and earlier anyway) as well as signs that you would hang up outside saying who is here now. Here is a shot of the front gate.
A bit down the road found this odd statue. Naomi said it was of a time traveler. I think it was outside an artsy place. Pretty cool actually.
On the way to the station we went for lunch at a small ramen shop. My first ramen in Japan, and 2nd in my life so I was very excited. I got the pork stock ramen (soup made from pork bones) which also came with a bowl of rice with just cooked egg and pork on it Naomi got the miso soup stock ramen. We also got Gyoza (dumplings). It was delicious! Everything I thought it would be.
If your not sure what ramen is, its basically Mr Noodles..but the real deal.
Next was on the train to head to our destination. We bought some snacks for the trip which you can see here. First is..like a cotton candy and poprocks mix. The poprocks kind of hurt actually, pretty intense. Next was like...a very soft version of taffy..and very sugary and sweet.
And here is a cool poster you see on a lot of trains here.
Pretty soon we were at the city of Hikone. Right off the train and into the station you see your first look into what is to come. Here is a repo of the armour Ii Naozumi, the great grandson of Ii Naomasa who was a famous general.
And here a statue of a turtle, with a big message. Turtles are a symbol for goodluck, so you see them a lot. The big message on his back is from a book over a thousand years old, explaining why turtles are good luck.
A 5 min walk from the station and we arrived at the outskirts of the castle. First you go through some temple grounds. The first statue is for the soldiers of WW2, the second statues are for the people from Hikone that have died in all wars. Last is a shot of the temple itself.
A quick walk up the road and the castle walls are there to greet you. Surrounded by a moat as usual too. There was some black swans hanging out below the wall.
Once inside we headed into the turret you see on the first pic. They have some displays of which you can't take pictures of. I didn't notice that in the first room so I took some. I then saw the sign on the way out. Oops. Nobody noticed, so thats fine. First pic has an old letter. The second shows a bunch of every day dishes. Needless to say very old. Last picture showing a big battle involving many different armies in 1600. It had over 160,000 participants. Ii Naomasa was one of the leaders in this battle.
After I left that room there is a lego model of the castle. After that its a picture of me beside the castle mascot, Hikonyan. This guy is everywhere.
We went to the other rooms in the turret, which mostly just had info on the castle and its history and construction etc. After that it was out and back on the road to the castle. Heres a the view from outside the turret looking towards the direction of the castle. You can see another part of the castle wall up higher, and the building closest is a stable. The stable is the only castle stable left in Japan so is pretty important to them. Inside you can see a model of a Japanese horse. They are quite different than western horses. Very thick and a bit shorter.
Next was into the museum! I think the building used to be for government stuff back when the castle was still in use. You could, thankfully, take pictures inside! And you didn't have to wear shoes (a fact I love about most important buildings in Japan. Nothing better than walking around in socks when your dieing from the heat..so comfy).
First pictures are of some old Chinese pieces, gifts or items the castle got from trade in the old days. First up is some wall hangings, and next is different containers for tea.
Next up is a helmet from the 1500's. Used by the average soldier.
Next up is the actual armour of Ii Naomasa. You can see those great horns too. I imagine that must been a tad annoying to ride around with. After that is his sons armour, Ii Naokatsu. These are the real suits, not repos!
A note on the colour. Naomasa began painting his armour red for a physiological effect. Him and his warriors were known as the "Red Devils" (a cookie for those who know a certain other military unit who used that name..).
Next is some of the first of many swords. The second is more of a display sword you would wear for special occasions.
Next is some blades, almost all are from earlier than the 18th century. Very old, and very nice.
Into the next room you can see a collection of masks used for Noh. A kind of traditional Japanese play. Most of the masks are from the 1800's. And here are some special Kimonos used for the same plays.
Next you walked through an area that was left mostly the same as it used to be. Lots of neat little rooms and a great garden outside too. Heres some various shots.
Back inside you can see some traditional Japanese instruments, and after that a painting by a Japanese artist showing famous Chinese warriors. After that you can see some letters (talking about making new laws and other things) from various important people from the castle and lastly a good ol room divider.
After this it was out and on the road to the castle.
In the next update I will show you the actual castle itself!
So don't forget to bring cookies home for Dave's answer. 1st SSF. Der Tauffel Brigade
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