< Shimonoseki | Japan (Autumn2005)
Takamatsu
2005.Sep.21 - 2005.Sep.24
For me this was the first time to come to Shikoku. Hey, this means I have now been on all four main islands (but there are still so many places and small islands I'd like to visit). Since I arrived in Takamatsu at night, I didn't really see when we crossed the bridge going over the ocean; it had been pitch dark. That would have to wait until leaving again for Honshu.
Takamatsu is not such a busy place either, but still has more to offer for tourists than Shimonoseki. I took my time here. Ritsurin-koen is a nice park and not crowded. I couldn't find Shikoku-mura when I went there and unfortunately I also missed Yashima; the cable train going up there has been out of operation since October 2004, which is not yet well known. By the time I arrived there it was too late to walk up.
A very nice trip from Takamatsu was to go to Megi-jima, also called Onigashima. This is the island where Momotaro, the peach boy has fought the daemons (oni). The caves of the daemons can actually be visited. From the pier there is a bus service up to the place. The thing I didn't like about this bus service, however, was their almost getting angry when I asked them how far it was and whether it was possible to walk. It was very obvious they disliked me buying only a one-way ticket.
Travelling by train between Honshu and Shikoku by daylight was quite impressive for me. Not only the connection between these two main islands by bridge, also the many small islands between.
Momotaro is not only present at Megi-jima, he is also omnipresent at Okayama. Okayama-jo, also called the 'crow castle' because of its black colour, is a beautiful castle from the outside. The inside, all being rather new and modern, was less appealing to me. Surely one of the most famous sites of Okayama is Koraku-en, which is officially one of the top three gardens in Japan. Having already been disappointed by another of the top three, Kenroku-en in Kanazawa, and having seen part of it from the top of Okayama-jo just besides it, I actually didn't visit the garden. But the concept is interesting, just like in Kanazawa the famous garden and a rather recently rebuilt castle are right next to each other.