The Traveling Blogcrastinator: Momotarō, Schmomotarō

Friday, April 19, 2024

Momotarō

Okayama Prefecture is famous for the luscious white peaches grown here. Therefore, it is, perhaps, not surprising that there is a local folk hero known as Peach Boy. Peach Boy’s real name was Momotarō, and he was born out of a peach. He had three faithful friends who followed him everywhere - a talking Shiba Inu dog, monkey, and pheasant. When Momotarō grows up, he vanquishes some ogres. The Momotarō story teaches children values such as bravery, teamwork, and the power of good over evil. He also models kind-heartedness and care for his parents.

We will meet Momotarō again.

Momatarō and friends in front of Okayama Station

Miscellaneous

At the railroad station we saw this display promoting eggplants. They are now in season.

The following sign is an example of the excellent wayfinding that is provided in many parts of Japan.

Signs like this with “You are here” markings and lots of detail can be found on every block in Tokyo. This one is in Kurashiki.

When you park here, the green bar pops up, making it impossible to back out until you have paid.

One of the many beautiful manhole covers in Kurashiki - wisteria

Kurashiki

Kurashiki is 17 minutes from Okayama by train, and is a must-do excursion. A 10 to 15-minute walk from the train station brings you to Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter (KBHQ). This section of the city was once a famous merchant district, full of white-walled warehouses. A graceful canal, lined with willow trees, flows past traditional buildings that now house shops, restaurants, and museums.

Kurashiki’s warehouses served as a distribution center for rice during the Edo Period (1603-1867). Rice from the warehouses was brought by canal to ocean-going vessels which conveyed the rice to Tokyo and other cities.

This area has been designated an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. It was fascinating to see what Japan was like in the Edo Period. We all know about the Samurai, but the lives of merchants are less familiar to me.

The shops at KBHQ are fun to browse through. Rather than the usual tourist traps, the shops here sell locally made crafts such as the prized Bizen ware pottery from the nearby town of Imbe. I also learned that the region is a hotspot for high-end indigo-dyed denims and similar fabric. And washi tape was invented here!

There are a number of small museums in the KBHQ. We visited the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft where we saw everyday items created by anonymous artists, including ceramics, lacquer, wood, and metal works. Pictures were not allowed inside.

The Toy Museum was a lot of fun.

These dolls are daruma. They have weighted bottoms so they always pop up after being pushed over.

Time for lunch and udon was on the menu.

Okay, now. Here’s where it gets weird. We went to the Momotarō Karakuri Museum. Peach Boy!

The Museum had several optical illusion displays. Most of them used mirrors, and most of them were not very original and not very new.

We had to walk through a rinky-dink “fun house” where there were black lights and blasts of air and spooky noises. Then we went through several rooms full of Momotarō memorabilia - toys, books, art, and more. Even a WWII propaganda film about Peach Boy. The museum was poorly maintained and needed some repairs and a new carpet. We couldn’t wait to get out. This had to be one of the Three Cheesiest Museums in Japan.

White-walled buildings that used to be granaries lined the canal.

Katsu

We went back to Okayama and decided to go to a Katsu restaurant for dinner. Katsu is a breaded, fried cutlet, usually pork. The breading is panko. It traditionally comes with a bottomless bowl of finely sliced cabbage.