Kicking the bucket...list: Day 20 - Clear as mist

 

Two women sitting in my seat at Bokke

The twentieth day in Japan started off on a foggy note. Matsuyama Castle 松山城 could not be seen from the window of my room on the 10th floor of the Hotel Mystays Matsuyama ホテルマイステイズ松山: 

My initial itinerary called for a day trip to Ishizuchi-san 石鎚山, the highest mountain in Shikoku 四国 at 1982 meters/6503 feet. However, the weather forecast was indicating rain during each day of my stay in Matsuyama, so I concluded a hike on exposed terrain at high altitudes might not be the best of ideas. However, I didn't want to spend all my time in Shikoku's largest city (population: 506,000), so I decided to head out to Iwaya-ji 岩屋寺, Temple 45 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage 四国遍路. The fog became thicker the further I drove into the mountains, to the point I decided I would turn back if it became the density of pea soup. However, after driving through a long tunnel, the conditions of the other side turned out to be clearer, so I pressed on: 

Iwaya-ji was reached after a 20 minute-plus walk across the road and uphill from where I parked. The main gate:

With its cliffside structures hanging over the valley, and a long trail lined with old statues, Iwaya-ji was one of the more atmospheric pilgrimage temples that I visited in Shikoku:

Looking into a small cave before reaching the main complex:

The Daishi Hall 大師堂. These buildings serve as places of remembrance and worship of the great monk Kūkai 空海:

Examples of senjafuda 千社札. These strips of paper bear the names of pilgrims, and can be seen plastered on shrine and temple ceilings and walls, placed there as a sort of calling card:

The main hall 本堂 of the temple: 

This ladder led up to a small grotto:

Standingn on the platform in the cliff indentation where pilgrims pray after ascending via the ladder:

After descending from the grotto, I groped my way in near total darkness to reach the end of a cave. My phone makes it look lighter than it actually was:

On the way down from the temple:

If reincarnation turns out to be a reality I would like to return as a spoiled cat in Japan:

Stopping briefly to admire the view on the drive back to Matsuyama:

Lunch at the Tenkuunosato Sansan rest area 道の駅天空の郷さんさん. The Chūka Soba 中華そば ("Chinese noodles") looked more like the instant variety:

Afterward, I treated myself to some dango 団子 (glutinous rice flour dumplings) and a Matcha Latte 抹茶ラッテ:

Rice polishing machines 精米機 like this one at the rest area are a common sight in rural areas, and I came across many examples during my driving tour around Shikoku:

From Iwaya-ji it was about an hour's drive back to Matsuyama (not counting the aforementioned lunch break). Raigō-ji 来迎寺, in Matsuyama's Yamagoe 山越 district, was not a particularly interesting Buddhist temple from an architectural point of view, but it was what was located behind it, up a steep incline, that made the drive through some very narrow lanes worth the effort to get there:

During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 日露戦争 around 6000 Russian servicemen were held at a prisoner of war camp in the area. Unlike Allied POW's during World War II, these Russian internees were generally well-treated and given a relatively fair amout of freedom (where would a Russian man in early 20th-century Japan have hidden had he tried to escape?). Still, 98 prisoners died of natural causes during their captivity, and the cemetery ロシア人の墓地 holding their graves has been maintained up to the present day:

The view from the cemetary:

Taking a break back in my hotel room and enjoying the fact that the Sun had finally made an appearance:

The rest of that day was spent wandering around. At PLUS TOKAGEYA プラストカゲヤ, a clothing store in the Gintengai 銀天街 shopping arcade, I looked for some merchandise rerlated to the local soccer club, Ehime FC 愛媛FC (currently in the J2 League, the second division of the Japan Professional Football League 日本プロサッカーリーグ). It took a few to try on, but I eventually worked out that my size in Japanese football jerseys (at least in this particular case) was a 4L! The middle-aged clerk was very friendly and genuinely interested in what I was doing in his city, and ended up tossing in a couple of posters, plus roster lists of the men's and women's clubs. It really helps to know a few words and expressions in Japanese:

Kitty-Corner from my hotel was a small corner bar called Bokke that advertised craft beer 地ビール ("local beer"). I headed down to grab a pint, though I had to sit outside as all the interior spaces were either taken or reserved. It turned out to be good spot for people watching: 

For sustenance I had the tandoori chicken:

I couldn't leave without trying their latest brew: 

I spent the remainder of the evening leisurely strolling around central Matsuyama, including the sprawling Ōkaidō shopping arcade 大街道商店街:

The next day would arguably be the most physicallty challenging of my journey in Shikoku. Please stay tuned for all the sticky details.

Highlights from Ehime FC's most recent match at the time of writing:

Kicking the bucket...list: Day 19 - Surviving the night

 

A small shrine hiding in a small garden 

Those of you who've read the previous post in this entry may remember that I was the only guest staying at Ted's Guest House & Cycle Activity Center in the small Ehime Prefecture 愛媛県 city of Uchiko 内子. You may also recall that the staff went home for the evening, leaving me alone in the now-deserted three-story building. This post would probably be a much more interesting read if I lied and wrote about the eerie events that took place that night, but in truth nothing at all out of the ordinary happened. No strange sounds, no movements out of the corner of my eye, no sudden coldness in the air, nothing. Like the presenters in those ghost hunters shows on TV, I would have to fake everything to make the night more interesting than it actually was.

But just because the night there was ho-hum doesn't mean Ted's wasn't worth the stay. Quite the contrary, in fact. Though my room was small (it was a guesthouse, after all), everything (including the shower room and the toilet) was clean. More importantly, the couple running the establishment was very welcoming (a common trait shared at the other two guesthouses where I stayed on this trip). I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Ted's to any traveler planning an overnight stay in Uchiko. 

Ponzu, the resident 5-year-old Shiba Inu 柴犬, was also very friendly, and a welcoming sight as I made my way downstairs in the morning:

And that 朝食 was a delicious way to start off the day!:

Uchiko first came to prominence as a major center for the production of Japanese wax 木蝋, which was (or is, as the wax is still used in the production of candles, computer disks, cosmetics, crayons, food and polishes) made from crushed sumac berries. The wealth derived from this wax industry in the Edo- 江戸時代 and Meiji- 明治時代 periods is the reason why Uchiko today has many picturesque houses preserved in the town's Yōkaichi 八日市 Historic District, which in turn are attracting a growning number of domestic and international tourists.

My first stop of the day was at the Museum of Commerce and Domestic Life 商いと暮らし博物館, located in a converted merchant's house. Mechanical wax dummies demonstrate the daily life of a shopkeeper in the Taishō era 大正時代. The mannequins speak in Japanese, but an English pamphlet provides a translation what they are saying (often in the form of complaints):

The guidebooks all agree on the traditional kabuki 歌舞伎 theater Uchiko-za 内子座 (built in 1916, and restored, including with a revolving stage, in 1985) as being a highight of any exploration of the town. Unfortunately for me, the theater was undergoing extensive renovations at the time of my visit. This is what the Uchiko-za should look like: 

And this is how it appeared on the morning when I showed up:

Still, I was able to see some of the theater's interior, with a guide providing a detailed tour (in Japanese) on the establishment's history, as well as the functions of some of its rooms, such as this dressing room:

Here she instructed me to strike a kabuki prose. I couldn't refuse: 

Back outside and wandering the picturesque streets of Yokaichi:

The Hon-Haga Residence 本芳我家, home to the main family behind Uchiko's wax industry, was closed to the public, but the attractive garden could be entered: 

From there it was on to the Kamihaga Residence 上芳我低 and Wax Museum 木蝋資料館. The Kamihaga family is one line of the Honhaga family lineage. The main building was constructed in 1894, and visitors can experience the lifestyle of a wealthy merchant during that time:

The ceiling in the main building was never finished due to the sudden death of the head of the Kamihaga family, so the interior of the roof can be clearly seen: 

In the center of the complex is a garden with a small shrine (see photo at the start of this post):

The hanare-zashiki 離座敷, a detached bedroom used by guests:

The toilet. If you can zoom in on the sign, you will notice it states the commode is part of the exhibition and is not intended for the use of visitors. Which leads one to think something may have occurred in the past:

Entry to the informative Japanese Wax Museum is included in the admission (I'm including the captions out of nothing more than laziness):

A sumac tree stands in the courtyard. Sumac berries were used in the production of wax: 

Walking past the Ōmura Family Residence 大村家, the Edo period home of a dye-house merchant that can only be viewed from the outside: 

By this time I had worked up an appetite, so I stopped at Kanade, a small cafe/bar, to have some carbonara for lunch, washed down with a Calpis Soda カルピスソーダ (no beer, as I would be driving later that afternoon):

After lunch I made a short detour to have a gander at the Takahashi Residence 高橋邸. The two-story building was the birthplace of Takahashi Ryūtarō 高橋龍太郎, a former Minister of International Trade and Industry (his grandson Yoshitaka 高橋吉隆 was a former chairman of Asahi Breweries アサヒビール株式会社). In the ground floor reception room were some German steins and a baseball uniform of the Takahashi Unions 高橋ユニオンズ:

The house is a combination of Japanese and Western styles, a common feature of the homes of the wealthy elite during the early part of the 20th century:

The view from upstairs. The Takahashi Residence can be booked as a minshuku 民宿 for a single group of up to ten people:

And with that, I was done with Uchiko, which turned out to be an enjoyable destination. From there I drove in my rented Toyota Corolla for a little over an hour to Matsuyama 松山, Shikoku's 四国 largest city and the capital of Ehime-ken. I had a view of Matsuyama Castle 松山城 from my room on the 10th floor of the Hotel Mystays Matsuyama ホテルマイステイズ松山, which would be my home away from home for the next four nights: 

After checking in and dropping off my things, I walked over to the Iyotetsu Takashimaya Department Store, where I purchased a book and some local beers. Feeling tired and not very hungry, I contented myself with a quick meal at Lotteria ロッテリア:

Strolling through the Gintengai 銀天街 shopping arcade:

For me the evening concluded back at the hotel with an Umenishiki Aromatic Ale Ehime Craft Beer (8.5%), while doing some laundry and watching the Hanshin Tigers 阪神タイガース- 埼玉西武ライオンズ Saitama Seibu Lions game on TV:

From my room I also had a view of the Ferris Wheel Kururin 大観覧車くるりん:

Out of the four main cities on Shikoku, Matsuyama would turn out to be my favorite*. That would be in spite of the brutally humid and rainy weather, which would make at least one of the following days an ordeal at times. Please read the next installment and feel free to sweat in sympathy with your humble scribe.

*Could it be due in some small part to the fact that Matsuyama is a sister city of Sacramento, the place I consider the closest to being a hometown?