A Noble Garden and Castle

Thursday, April 18, 2024

We took a morning train from Tokyo to Okayama. It was a bullet train, which is called Shinkansen in Japan. Shinkansen means “new main line.” The trains are very sleek and streamlined, and they travel at about 200 mph. It is a very smooth ride that does not at all seem to the rider to be moving fast. 

Why, hello, Kitty! (Seen on the track next to our Shinkansen)

Ready to blog on the Shinkansen

I bought some onigiri (rice balls) for lunch at the train station. They were fresh and cheap and deicious. The one that was wrapped in nori seaweed was very clever. The main part was wrapped in cellophane or some kind of plastic so it wouldn’t make the seaweed soggy. Then the nori was wrapped around the plastic and another layer of plastic was wrapped around that. There was a pull tab and   If you pulled it correctly it would pull out the inner layer of plastic leaving the nori wrapped around the rice.

Pulling the plastic off

Ready to eat

After checking into our hotel, we decided to take advantage of the nice weather by exploring Koraku-en Garden. It was a short bus ride away. The Garden takes up most of what is now an island in the Asahi River.

Koraku-en Garden is considered one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. It has been designated as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty. The garden was constructed during the reign of a feudal lord named Ikeda Tsunamasa. Construction began in 1687 and was completed in 1700. The garden was intended to be a place where Ikeda could relax from his political duties. Over the years, succeeding lords added to and modified the garden. In 1884 the property was given to Okayama Prefecture and the garden was opened to the public.

The garden was designed using a principal called shakkei, or “borrowed scenery.” By incorporating mountains and other features into the views from within the garden, a greater sense of spaciousness can be achieved. 

Okayama Castle is part of the “borrowed scenery”

The garden was designed in the kaiyū, or “scenic promenade” style. Thanks to numerous paths, a visitor is presented with new views of lawns, ponds, streams, hills, and tea houses  at every turn.

Other noteworthy features of Koraku-en include fields planted with tea and rice, sakura (cherry blossoms) in the spring, plums, irises, azaleas, and an aviary for the majestic red-crowned crane. There is also an archery range in the garden, as well as a number of tea houses.

The cranes raised their bills and shrieked in unison while we watched. It was beautiful and eerie.

The most memorable feature is Yushinzan Hill. This artificial hill, 6 meters high, was built by Ikeda Tsunamasa’s son. Here are some views from the top of the hill.

From the garden we crossed a footbridge to go over to Okayama Castle. It is known as Crow castle because of its black lacquer finish. We didn’t go on but walked around the grounds to admire views of the castle from different angles. Twelve generations of the Ikeda clan were lords of this caste. The main tower saw completion in 1597. It was destroyed in 1945, but has been reconstructed based on drawings and photographs. It is smaller than Osaka Castle, and MUCH less crowded, but it is lovely.

Wow! The way the stones were pieced together to build the walls was mpressive.

We rode a vintage tram back to Okayama Station. It was full of high school kids who did not offer their seats to us or any of the other seniors who boarded at the stop near the castle. After stopping at our hotel, we wanderedover to the station to choose a dinner spot. There were so many options . . .

Dinner: Japanese-style hamburger

Today’s fabric is something that our mischievous friend Tanuki has inserted into my blog. This tanuki-themed cotton is a Japanese Indie fabric sold by modes4u.com.