Kicking the bucket...list: Day 4 - Battling it out in Yashima

 

Main hall of Yashima-ji

There once was a time when Japan was considered a smoker's paradise. While other developed countries began imposing more and more draconian laws against lighting up in businesses and in public spaces, in the Land of the Rising Sun one could easily purchase smokes from vending machines, walking away with packs featuring warning labels that only gently asked consumers not to smoke too much. For a pack-a-day smoker like myself back then (brand of choice Mild Seven) life was convenient (and occasionally there were beautiful women hired by Japan Tobacco 日本たばこ産業 handing out promotional samples outside busy train stations).  I kicked the habit around 23 years ago, and since then hadn't paid much attention to Japan's changing tobacco market. It was only when I noticed this sign on a window near my hotel in Takamatsu 高松 that it occurred to me that I hadn't seen very many smokers on the street. From that point on I would come across designated smoking areas filled with those satisfying their habits but leaving the streets largely free of cigarette smoke and butts (though I did see people surreptitiously vaping):

A positive development, no doubt. But most likely the result of getting older, I feel a certain nostalgia for a bygone Japan, where one could buy cigarettes and beer from vending machines without having to scan proof of age, and where nudity was commonplace on TV programs after 23:00. Japan overall is much more comfortable and convenient compared to when I was living in Tōkyō 東京 in the 1980s and 1990s, but much of the grittiness that made it such a fascinating place has largely fallen by the wayside in the decades since. 

Which might be why there was a feeling of nostalgia on my fourth morning in Japan (and first in Takamatsu) as I boarded the Kotoden ことでん train for the roughly 15-minute ride through what felt like backyards to Kotoden-Yashima Station 琴電屋島駅: 

On the train were posters featuring players from the Kamatamare Sanuki カマタマーレ讃岐 local soccer team (currently in the J3 League) promoting an upcoming "Battle of Yashima" 屋島の戦い: 

Yashima 屋島 is a mountainous district in Takamatsu and was my first destination of the day. The original Battle of Yashima was the penultimate contest in the Genpei War 源平合戦 between the Minamoto 源氏 and Taira 平氏 clans on March 22, 1185. The victorious Minamoto forced the Taira to flee to Dan-no-ura, where the latter were decisively defeated at sea a month later in the Battle of Dan-no-ura 壇ノ浦の戦い, bringing to an end the Heian period 平安時代 and establishing the first in a series of military dictatorships led by a shōgun 将軍:  

But what brought me to Yashima on this sunny day wasn't the echoes of a long-ago battle, but instead an open-air museum and a Buddhist temple. The first is called Shikoku-mura 四国村. Located about 500 meters north of the train station, it's a showcase of old buildings gathered from all over Shikoku. The first site I encountered after paying the admission fee was a vine bridge, a traditional type of river crossing that I would encounter a few days later in the Iya Valley 祖谷渓:

As I made my way around the museum I was surprised to discover that I wouldn't be the only gaijin 外人 onsite, as a tour group of middle-aged Australians was also present. This would be the first of several large-scale foreign forays into the heartland of Shikoku that I would witness on this trip, something almost unimaginable even just a decade ago. We all passed by this kabuki stage from the island of Shōdo-shima 小豆島 (famous for its olives) - traditional farmers' kabuki performances are still put on here: 

The Kōno Family House 河野家住宅 is considered an Important Cultural Property: 

A large kettle used for steaming kōzo 楮 (paper mulberry bark), one step in the production of traditional washi paper 和紙: 

The circular Miyazaki Family Sugar Cane Press 宮崎家砂糖しめ小屋 reminded me of traditional dwellings like those I saw in Ethiopia:

Suddenly, in the middle of the traditional buildings appeared the almost defiantly modern Shikokumura Gallery, designed by noted architect Tadao Andō 安藤忠雄 (more on him in later installments). My guidebook promised works by the likes of Rodin, Chagall and Picasso but other than the sculpture pictured below...

...the art being exhibited within on this day were by an obscure (to me) Japanese artist, whose name I neglected to note:

The waterscape garden was attractive, and as no separate admission was being charged to enter the gallery, I couldn't really gripe about the current exhibition:

Leaving the gallery and returning to the regular route, there was this lighthouse from Ōkunoshima Island 大久野島灯台, a small Inland Sea 瀬戸内海 island with some notoriety attached to it - poison gas was manufactured there up until the end of the Second World War. Today, however, it's more well-known for its population of feral rabbits, whose ancestors were brought to the island to test the effectiveness of the gas being produced there: 

The Lighthouse Keeper's Residence from Nabeshima Island 鍋島灯台退息所, designed by a British engineer who created a hybrid Japanese-Western style building:

The Shimoki Family House 下木家住宅 is another Important Cultural Property, a village farmhouse originally located on the northern slope of Mount Tsurugi 剣山, a mountain I would climb (sort of) later on in my trip (stay tuned):

A water-powered rice mill 添水唐臼:

The residence of Kume Tsuken 久米通賢, a leading Edo period 江戸時代 scientist who developed the Sakaide salt fields 坂出塩田 into a large-scale (and doubtless profitable) operation. Here visitors could take off their shoes and go inside:

The Nakaishi Family House Main Building 中石家住宅主屋:

Standing in front of the Somegataki Waterfall 染が滝, a work by sculptor Masayuki Nagare 流政之 from granite foundation stones that once supported the pillars of private homes: 

Part of a recreated soy sauce brewery 醤油蔵, one of three buildings and 5577 pieces of equipment designated as Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties by the national government: 

This Kompira Lantern 金毘羅灯篭 once stood along the Konpira Highway, a pilgrimage route leading to Konpira Shrine 金比羅宮: 

I ended up spending the entire morning at Shikoku-mura, which serves as an excellent introduction to the kind of buildings that used to stand proud across Shikoku and neighboring islands. Naturally, I had worked up an appetite in the process, and so decided to see what all the fuss over Sanuki-udon 讃岐うどん was all about. I ordered a bowl with tempura 天ぷら, but erred on opting for the biggest size, which proved to be too much. By the time I managed to finish it all, I was so sick and tired of the dish that I didn't even want to think about it, which was virtually impossible as udon restaurants seemingly line all the roads in Shikoku, a constant reminder that I overdid it in Yashima.  

After lunch I briefly chatted with a trio visiting from Hiroshima 広島 who complained their hometown was dull, and expressed jealously that I once lived in Tokyo. I actually think Hiroshima would be a great place to live based on the couple of times I've stayed there but who am I to argue with the locals?: 

I had more than an hour to wait for the shuttle bus that would take me to the top of Yashima, and on this very warm afternoon I didn't have the energy to hike up. So I somehow managed to find space in my stomach for an ice cream at the Shikokumura Cafe 四国村カフェ. This foreign-style house from Kōbe 神戸 was built in 1905 as a residence for a Briton and his Japanese wife, before later being used as a dormitory for employees of Nippon Yūsen 日本郵船, a Japanese shipping company . It was moved to its present location in 1965 and converted into a cafe: 

Shikoku is arguably most famous for its pilgrimage 四国八十八箇所, 88 temples strung out in a roughly circular route around the island. The pilgrimage was supposedly laid out by Kūkai 空海, the founder of the esoteric Shingon school 真言宗 of Buddhism (and posthumously known as Kōbō Daishi 弘法大師), though legend frequently blurs with historical fact. The temples are numbered, and most pilgrims do start at Number 1, Ryōzen-ji 霊山寺 in Tokushima Preferecture 徳島県 (technically, after visiting Number 88, Ōkubo-ji 大窪寺 in Kagawa Prefecture 香川県, the pilgrim needs to return to Ryozen-ji to complete the loop), but the pilgrimage can be started at any of the temples. There are no fixed rules on how long to complete the pilgrimage (many people do it stages over a period of years), nor on how to do the journey - the traditional method is by walking, but most pilgrims these days travel by car or tour bus, and some do it on bikes. 

At one time I gave some thought to doing the pilgrimage on foot (it would take approximately four to six weeks to complete) but age and reality have since changed my mind, especially as my focus shifted to experiencing Shikoku itself, and many of the temples are off the secular beaten track. I would, however, visit 14 of the 88 temples during my journey, beginning with Number 84, aka Yashima-ji 屋島寺, the site of the aforementioned decisive battle between the Genji (Minamoto) and Heike (Taira) clans. 

My guidebook suggested this figure might be of an elephant, but I wasn't so sure:

The Seven Lucky Gods 七福神 were represented on the temple grounds:

A pair of anatomically correct tanuki 狸:

I exited the temple momentarily to see the view over Takamatsu from the Shishi-no-Reigan Observatory 獅子の霊巌展望台:

Visitors to the lookout point can buy clay discs called kawarake-nage. Throwing them through the circles in the photo below is said to bring good luck, and according to my Lonely Planet guide symbolizes the Genji warriors throwing their headpieces in celebration of their victory back in the 12th century. I wanted to give it a try, but the discs could only be purchased from honesty boxes, and I didn't have the exact change to put inside them:

The islands of Megijima 女木島...:

...and Ogijima 男木島 featured prominently in the view. People actually live on both of them: 

Heading back into the temple from the observatory:

There is a small but interesting museum on the temple grounds containing religious artefacts as well as items related to the battle, including a seated wooden thousand-armed Kannon statue. Photography isn't permitted inside, however:

Those who undertake the pilgrimage are known as Henro 遍路, easily identifiable by the their conical hats, white robes and long staffs. I spotted my first one as I was leaving the temple. This pilgrim was a young woman from the Czech Republic who told me she planned to complete the journey the next day after having walked for seven weeks. The Shikoku Pilgrimage has become popular with foreign visitors in recent years (there's at least one dedicated Facebook group that I'm aware of), but it isn't clear as to what motivates them for doing so. For many Japanese it's a connection to their cultural heritage as well as a spiritual journey. How many of the gaijin お遍路さん know much about the cultural, historical and spiritual legacy of Kobo Daishi?

Before getting on the bus I took a walk around the Blood Pond, where the victorious Minamoto supposedly washed the blood off their swords following the end of the Battle of Yashima. The blood has long since been diluted:

I purchased some amulets at the temple, but forgot what this one was for. Then later I remembered it was to prevent memory loss:

The view from the bus window on the ride back to Kotoden-Yashima Station:

Back in town I had a hankering for some bubble tea, so I located a shop called Black Sheep ブラックシープ that wasn't too far from the station. Sitting down with my 珍珠奶茶 I overheard the lone worker speaking in Mandarin with two customers. After they left I asked her where she was from and learned (to my disappointment*) that she was a Chinese student studying at a university in Takamatsu:

Back in my hotel room I tried this craft cola that I bought from the Shikoku-mura gift shop, but it proved to be too sweet to finish, even for my Mister Donut-loving taste buds:

For dinner that evening I returned to the Hyōgomachi arcade 兵庫町商店街 in search of a bite to eat. A sign for okonomiyaki お好み焼き led me to an upstairs restaurant where the proprietor was clearly a fan of the Hanshin Tigers baseball club:

I ordered the pork okonomiyaki and watched the game on TV, a contest that would see Hanshin edge the Yokohama DeNA BayStars 1-0:

Not quite ready to call it a night, following dinner I found a bar called Amazon. At the time I entered there were no other customers present (a couple would come in later). I ordered a beer, but the owner also gave me some shots of Hakushū 白州 whiskey, so it didn't take long to develop a bit of a buzz (something that hasn't happened in a long while!). Which is probably why that night I would sleep the soundest of the 26 I had while in country:

Walking (or staggering) through the Konpira-kaidō 金毘羅街道 arcade on my back to the hotel:

While at Amazon the owner asked if I liked Japanese rock. When I mentioned the following groups he thought I was strange**. His tastes were more of the 1990's so I suppose I was too old school. Perhaps I should have name dropped the Pillows or Maximum the Hormone (two bands I also like)? Oh well, better a 変な人 than a 変な外人, am I right? 

Sadistic Mika Band サディスティック・ミカ・バンド Time Machine ni Onegai タイムマシンにおねがい:

The Roosters ルースターズ Leather Boots:

Kinniku Shōjo Tai 筋肉少女帯 Takagi Boo Densetsu (The Legend of Takagi Boo) 元祖高木ブー伝説:

The Pillows ザ・ピロウズ Little Busters:

Maximum the Hormone マキシマムザホルモン maximum the hormone:

*I was kind of hoping she would be from Taiwan, like the two couples I chatted with at Sumiyoshi Taisha 住吉大社 in Ōsaka 大阪 the previous day

**Now that I think about it, listening to Kinniku Shojo Tai can make one appear a little strange...