Takamatsu

This morning we packed our bags and strolled down to the station enjoying the clear bright morning and the relaxed pace of Okayama. We stopped to take a photo of  the statue of "Peach Boy", Momotaro, who is an important hero for the city - the main street is named after him, man hole covers depict his exploits, and ladies in shops will song his song with the slightest prompting.

 

There was a mum with a tiny child in a pram sitting nearby and she was pleased to see us taking the photo. The little one waved to us and said 'bye' as we headed off into the station, a lovely farewell from a really nice city. We enjoyed our stay in Okayama.

The train ride over to the island of Shikoku takes less than an hour but you really feel like you are somewhere else. The train trip itself is spectacular, crossing over the inland sea hopping from Island to Island, and the whole feel of the place is different. It seems cooler and fresher, thanks to the proximity of the ocean. We had a coffee and a bun sitting in the sun, then headed off to find our hotel, which was a bit of a challenge, as the girl in the tourist info centre spoke no English so could give us no directions, and Google maps directed us to a different hotel, which was a bit confusing for a while. But we worked it out in the end, dropped our bags, had some lunch, then headed off to have a look at Ritsurin Koen. We went without any expectation whatsoever which was good perhaps, as the garden was simply extraordinary, one of the best things we have seen in any of our travels. We were lucky to get a volunteer guide, a lovely older gentleman who had learned his English by listening to the radio, and who had a deep knowledge of and passion for the garden. There were moments today when the hair honestly stood up on the back of my neck, where I felt like I was somehow in a living blue willow china scene. I don't know who decides the ranking of gardens in Japan, but for my money Ritsurin has to be right up there at the top of the list.

 

Our guide told us there are 1600 pines, of which most are allowed to grow naturally, but several hundred have been carefully pruned over hundreds of years to form special shapes. There is a team of 16 special pine gardeners, and an elite team of three who work on the most celebrated pines.

We caught a train back to our neighbourhood, then stumbled off towards our hotel, more than a little tired. We'd seen a "Spanish Italian Grill" restaurant our way out, and it was open, and we were tired, so we thought we'd try some Japanese Tapas and a glass of wine to give the energy to get home. It turned out to be a great choice, cool young chefs wearing T shirts with "low and slow" on the back - no idea what that means, but they were good, the sound Track was mellow, and we stayed on for dinner, finished off with an excellent crème Catalana
So we are very pleased we have come to Shikoku and we are looking forward to tomorrow.