Kicking the bucket...list: Day 16 - Plum rained out

 

Bridge over the River Shimanto

Anyone who has spent time in Japan will soon become aware of the importance of the four seasons in Japanese culture. In much of the country there is a clear and obvious distinction between 春, 夏, 秋 and 冬, and in fact many Japanese genuinely believe theirs is the only place on this planet to have four distinct seasons! But to the well-established quartet I would venture to argue there are two more - the typhoon season running between late summer and early autumn, and the "plum rains" 梅雨 that mark the ending of spring before the onset of the hot, humid summer. 

Now, I would also maintain that it can and does rain year-round in most of Japan regardless of the season, but there is a distinct month-long period when precipitation is more likely to occur. And while it depends on where you are (the rain front moves from south to north), for me the rainy season unofficially started on the sixteenth day of my trip to Japan. Despite the rain coming down, after checking out of the Richmond Hotel リッチモンドホテル I drove up to the Godaisan Observatory 五台山展望台 to try to enjoy something of the view of Kōchi 高知 below from the temporary viewing spot: 

The main reason for driving up to Godaisan was not to try to make out Kochi in the mist and rain, but to visit Temple 31 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, Chikurin-ji Temple 竹林寺. There was a large tour group of wet Westerners unprepared for the rain showing up at the same time I arrived, but I would not see any other obvious foreigners for the rest of this day:

The temple's history dates back to 724, making it one of the oldest temples in Kōchi Prefecture 高知県. The five-storied, 31 meter/102-foot high pagoda 五重塔 isn't quite so old, having been rebuilt in 1980, but claims to hold a bone of the Buddha from Bodh Gaya in India. There's no way to confirm this, however, as the tower is closed to the public:

The main hall is somewhat older, dating back to the Muromachi period 室町時代:

A separate ticket gives you entry into the small Treasure Hall, which has an impressive collection of Buddhist sculptures from the Heian 平安時代 and Kamakura 鎌倉時代 periods (photography not permitted); and the Kamakura-period temple garden 名勝庭園, which is overlooked by an Edo period 江戸時代 villa erected in the 17th century in the Shoin 書院 architectural style of the Muromachi era: 

In one of the villa's drawing rooms was a portrait of Kūkai 空海:

From Chikurin-ji it was back in the car, and time to head off to my next destination, roughly a 2½-hour drive from Kochi. The rain never let up as made my way past picturesque inlets and small fishing villages:

Not all the rural scenery was of the idyllic type:

Lunch that day was at a Sukiya すき家:

The route I took (a longer one meant to avoid having to pay tolls) alternated between going inland (this view was taken next to a roadside station 駅の道)...:

...and returning to the coast:

After 3 hours + driving (including stops) I reached my destination - a starting point for boating excursions along the Shimanto-gawa River 四万十川, the longest in Shikoku 四国 at 196 kilometers/122 miles and one of the few remaining free-flowing waterways in Japan (most of the country's rivers are dammed). I made it with a little time to spare before the departure of the next boat, but the small parking lot was crowded, with two giant tour buses taking up most of the space. With the rain still coming down, I reluctantly decided to give up on the idea of riding in a sightseeing cruise. Instead, I retraced my steps down the road to the Takase Chinkabashi 高瀬沈下橋, one of the Shimanto-gawa's 22 "submersible bridges" (there are a further 26 crossing its tributaries), where I walked across to the other side. These bridges are designed to allow debris and water to flow unimpeded when the river level rises:

There was a sign warning against swimming but saying nothing about driving. I wouldn't have risked it, but as I was walking down to the bridge from where I'd parked, I was passed by a car that had done just that!:

I waited for a while but didn't see any boats coming downstream, so eventually I gave up and drove to my home for that night, the Hotel Sun River Shimanto ホテルサンバリー四万十, a short walk from Nakamura Station 中村駅 on the Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Line 中村線. The room was on the smaller side, but parking was easy in the large lot out front (no more vertical high-rise parking towers):

The covered complex next to the hotel included one of the largest souvenir stores I'd ever seen in Japan, in addition to Ichimonya いちもん屋, where I had tonkatsu 豚カツ for dinner. High in volume, reasonably low in price:

For a nightcap I relaxed with a Tosa Beer Shimanto Shimanto Bushukan Ale 四万十ぶしゅかん, purchased from the souvenir shop:

Frankly speaking, Day 16 was probably the least interesting (excluding arrival and departure) of the entire Japanese jaunt, largely due to the rain putting a damper on things. But the weather would improve somewhat the following day, and so would the activities of which I partook. 

I promise. Really. 

Kicking the bucket...list: Day 15 - Things to do in Kochi when you're not dead but your time is limited

 

高知城

The island of Shikoku 四国 is administratively divided into four prefectures - Tokushima-ken 徳島県, Kagawa-ken 香川県, Ehime-ken 愛媛県 and Kōchi-ken 高知県, with their capitals being the cities of Tokushima 徳島市, Takamatsu 高松市, Matsuyama 松山市 and Kōchi 高知市, respectively. I would stay for four nights each in the first three cities, but for Kochi, only two were set aside, for reasons that aren't all that clear to me after the fact, though I would end up spending quite a bit of time in the prefecture.

Whatever the reason, my one full day in Kochi began with breakfast at the Richmond Hotel リッチモンドホテル, during which I spread what I assumed to be butter on my French toast, only to discover that it was actually ice cream. It was a mistake that wouldn't be repeated the next morning: 

Though my time in Kochi would be limited it was fortuitous that this day was a Sunday. This is because the city is home to the historic (300 years+ of history) Kochi Sunday Market 日曜市, featuring more than 400 stalls lining a 1.3 kilometer/4265 foot stretch of Ōtesuji-dōri 追手筋通り leading up to the castle. I passed by vendors selling fresh produce, knives, gardening implements, wooden crafts and so many other items too numerous to mention while talking to my sister via WeChat:

At the end of the market (and before visiting the castle) I went inside the Kochi Castle Museum of History 高知城歴史博物館 to both get some background on the city's most noted historical sight, and to escape the rain that was starting to fall. The latter would only be an annoyance; the next day, however, would see the onset of the rainy season 梅雨 (more on that in the next post):

Edicts on Compassion for Living Things 生類憐みの令, issued by the so-called "dog Shōgun" 犬公方, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi 徳川綱吉:

A woodblock print from a series called Famous Products of the Provinces with Women's Postures. In this image the meibutsu 名物 is "Bonito of Tosa" 土佐鰹節. The Tosa domain 土佐藩 was the feudal domain in the Edo period 江戸時代 that later became Kochi Prefecture. The leaders of the domain were one of the driving forces in the Meiji Restoration 明治維新, which ushered in Japan's modern age:

No castle museum would be complete without examples of samurai armor and weaponry, such as this suit owned by the 12th daimyō of the Tosa domain, Yamauchi Toyosuke 山内豊資:

An 18th-century fox 狐 mask used in kyōgen 狂言 comedic plays: 

A 17th century helmet shaped like a rabbit, owned by the 4th daimyo, Yamauchi Toyomasa 山内豊昌:

An illustrated Tale of Genji 源氏物語 from the 18th-19th centuries:

There was a cafe on the second floor where I ordered a yuzu juice, and took it out onto the terrace to admire the view:

Then it was time to cross the street and visit the castle. Kōchi-jō 高知城 is one of only twelve castles in Japan to have an intact keep 天守閣. The castle was built in the early 17th century by Yamanouchi Katsutoyo 山内一豊, who became a daimyo after fighting on the side of Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康 in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara 関ヶ原の戦い in 1600. Most of the original structure burned down in 1727; what stands today in a reconstruction that took place over a five-year period starting in 1748. The castle was never attacked, and served more as a residence fit for a lord than as a military fortification. 

The main approach to Kochi-jo is the Ōte-mon 大手門 main gate:

The Yamauchi family crest, known as the "Three Oak Leaves":

A common sight on castle roofs is the Shachihoko 鯱, a mythical creature that served as a roof ornament, and as a talisman to protect against fire: 

The view from the top of the three-story donjon:

A diaorama showing traditional whaling techiniques:

A statue of Japanese politician Itagaki Taisuke 板垣退助, complete with two pigeons using him as a place to roost. "Itagaki may die, but liberty is forever!":

After finishing up at the castle and its surrounding grounds (a public park, as many former castles have been repurposed as), I headed over to the Hirome Ichiba ひろめ市場, a lively indoor market with over sixty food stalls. Competition for a table in the central area was intense, so I retreated to a side stall near the entrance to have lunch:

I had the Special donburi スペシャル丼, which included bonito カツオ, fatty tuna マグロト, whitebait ロしらす and salmon サーモン:

After lunch it was back to the Obiyamachi shopping arcade 帯屋町一丁目商店街 (where my hotel was also located) to seek out some suggestions from the local tourist information center:

After some consultations it was decided the best course of action would be to purchase a one-day pass for the My-Yū MY遊バス tourist bus*. While waiting for the bus to arrive I photographed a couple of Kochi's Tosaden とさでん交通 streetcars on their rounds:

My destination on the tourist bus was the Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum 高知県立坂本龍馬記念館, dedicated to a local hero. Sakamoto Ryōma 坂本龍馬 was a visionary who wanted to see Japan move away from its feudal past and adopt American and British ideals of democratic governance as the country transistioned away from the Edo period and into the Meiji era 明治時代. He was assassinated in 1867 at the age of 31, however, an act which transformed him into a romanticized figure in Japanese popular culture:

Before immersing myself in the life and times of Sakamoto, there was a small exhibition on John Mung 中浜万次郎, an arguably even more fascinating (at least for me) historical figure. I would visit a museum devoted to him a couple of days later, so I won't delve into his story here: 

In the main exhibit hall on Sakamoto. Below are depictions of some of the American officers in the Perry Exhibition, which forcibly pried open the doors of Japan to the Western powers after some 220 years of relative seclusion, leading to the end of the Tokugawa shōgunate 徳川幕府:

Go 囲碁 and shōgi 将棋 boards "likely" used by Sakamoto:

Sakamoto's wakizashi 脇差 sword: 

A hanging scroll portrait of the eternally young Sakamoto:

Some of the key figures connected with Sakamoto in the events leading to the overthrow of the bakufu, and the Meiji Restoration. From left to right are Prince Sanjō Sanetomi 三条実美; Nakaoka Shintarō 中岡慎太郎; Kido Takayoshi 木戸孝允; Saigō Takamori 西郷隆盛; and Komatsu Tatewaki 小松帯刀:

A .32 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol that belonged to Sakamoto. It wasn't of much help to him on the night of December 10, 1867:

A book on international law and an English language textbook:

A hanging scroll and folding screen stained with Sakamoto's blood. Sakamoto was staying in an inn in Kyōto 京都 when he was assassinated:

There was an air of solemnity in the main exhibition hall. Displays in an adjacent wing on life in Tosa during Sakamoto's time were more lighthearted: 

Though the building is architecturally stunning, and there are QR codes for English captions, overall the Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum is probably of more interest for those familiar with Japanese history, especially with the events and figures involved in the Meiji Restoration. 

I was hoping to walk out onto the top of the building for what I'd read were spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately it was closed due to bad weather. So instead, while waiting for the bus, I walked to Ryōū Point 龍王岬, passing this small shrine en route:

Alas, I didn't have time to make it down to the beach and the large statue of Sakamoto there:

https://visitkochijapan.com/en/highlights/ryoma

Speaking of beaches, I didn't have time to explore Katsurahama 桂浜, Kochi's famed seaside setting. My guidebook was less than enthused about it, however, so I probably didn't miss much. Instead, I caught the last My-Yu bus of the day and returned to central Kochi. Back in the shopping arcade I noticed this sign promoting travel to Taiwan:

After dropping things off in my hotel room, I ventured back out to look for a bar that supposedly offered local craft beers, but try as I might I couldn't find it:

Instead, I ended up at an Irish pub with a Spanish name, Amontillado アモンティラード. In my haste to order a pizza, I failed to notice that further in the menu there were dishes like Irish cottage pie. Always time your time when ordering, folks:

After dinner I stopped by the local Mister Donut ミスタードーナツ for dessert:

In an effort to burn off some of those calories from the pub and ミスド I took a walk to Kochi Station 高知駅. This being Pride Month, I was pleasantly surprised to see a gay bar, Tanuki Palace 狸御殿, being advertised as such (ゲイバー). Gay marriage is still not recognized in Japan, but attitudes toward homosexuality have improved over the years. Gay people in Japan haven't faced the same threats to their physical safety compared to their American counterparts (I visited a bar in Shinjuku Ni-chōme 新宿二丁目, Tōkyō's 東京 well-known gay district, on my first visit in the late 1980s), but the attitude has generally been one of "don't ask, don't tell": 

In front of the station: 

The sun was largely absent on this Sunday, but the next day would be the worst weather-wise of my entire trip. Prepare to get wet as the series continues...

https://bilingualanchan.wordpress.com/2019/06/14/quirks-and-charms-of-kochi-prefecture-japan/

*I could've driven, but my rental car was parked in one of those high-rise vertical parking towers common in urban Japan, and it didn't seem worth the trouble to retrieve the Toyota for just a couple of hours.