Shikoku and Kansai Part 1

Day 1:
In the early morning hours of March 26, 2005, I began a grand adventure that would take me through a large part of Japan. Though I have lived in Japan for about 8 months, I have not had the opportunity to really explore the country outside of Kyushu. Since I am returning to America in August, this would be one of the only chances to see the country. If I returned home without seeing the ancient cities of Kyoto and Nara, the modern metropolises of Kobe and Osaka, or the breathtaking natural beauty of Shikoku, I would have been regretful. At 4:30 a.m., Tsukamoto-sensei, my friend and a co-teacher at Ukiha junior high school, arrived at my apartment. The sun had not yet risen and we were both tired and excited to begin our trip. Our original plan was to leave Friday afternoon but he had unforeseen work obligations (a common feature of the Japanese workplace) so we opted for an early morning departure. The drive to Beppu, a town in the neighboring Oita prefecture, took about two hours. This area of Kyushu is beautiful. The landscape features small mountains and rivers that dominate the thin valleys. Upon arriving in Beppu, we boarded a ferry bound for Shikoku.

Shikoku is the least populated of the four main islands of Japan. It is located south of Honshu and east of Kyushu. Shikoku has always been on the periphery of Japan. In pre-modern times, travel across the narrow Seto Inland Sea that separates Honshu and Shikoku was difficult. Shikoku is effectively separated into 4 distinct regions by a pair of high elevation mountain ranges that cross and meet near the center of the island. It was not until modern times that passes were cleared and travel between the regions became possible overland. Throughout the history of Japan, parts of the island remained secluded and the only effective method of travel between the 4 regions was by boat. The name, Shikoku, means “four lands” in Japanese. Shikoku is unique in Japan for several reasons, unlike most of the country, Shikoku is relatively un-urbanized. Most of the population of Shikoku lives in small valleys surrounded by tall mountains. Though the island is small. The terrain has contributed to a great variety of climatic patterns and cultural expression. My Japanese friends always rave about the natural beauty and traditional cultural lifestyles that can be found in Shikoku. I was determined to find both.

Our ferry landed in Misaki, a small port town on the northwestern tip of Shikoku. My first impressions of Shikoku were that the land seemed more rugged and much more forested than the areas of Kyushu familiar to me. We navigated along a road along the sea for a few hours before arriving in Matsuyama, the capital of Ehime prefecture and largest city in eastern Shikoku. The main reason for stopping in Matsuyama was to see the castle that the town was famous for. A brief explanation of Japanese castles is in order. Japanese castles are very different than the castles that can be found all over Europe. When I think of castles, I usually envision an old weathered stone fortress sitting gracefully on a large open plain in Scotland, England, France, or Germany. Japanese castles, though built for essentially the same purpose as their European counterparts, as the home and forts of local lords governing peasant farmers, the appearance of Japanese castles is substantially different. Japanese castles were usually built during the feudal period of Japan, the 15th -17th centuries. Depending on the power of the lord, the samurai class in Japan, the castle could be very large and elaborate or small and modest.

The most famous castles of Japan are those that were built by leaders of powerful clans. Some were built by men that carried the title of “Shogun”, the military leader of Japan. Japanese castles are thus variable. Some features stand out as consistent. Most were built in high areas, such as hilltops or mountain sides and many have elaborate moat systems. The reasons for this are obvious, castles were built to protect important people and wealth. Most Japanese castles have a steep stone foundation that supports a collection of wood buildings, most important of which is the Castle keep, usually the largest building and surrounded by a large open courtyard. Japanese Castles often dominate the city, in some cases towns, where they are located. Despite being built of wood, many castles remain standing in good condition, others have been restored or rebuilt after being destroyed by fire, lightning, or marauders.

Unfortunately, at the time of my visit to Matsuyama castle, there was a large preservation effort being done that involved covering the entire exterior of most of the buildings, including the main keep. This castle is located in the center of Matsuyama on the highest hill in the area. You can pay 1000 Yen to take a lift (similar to those found at ski resorts) up but Tsukamoto and I are frugal so we decided to hike up. It was a very steep climb and when we reached the top, we were both tired. While the exterior was covered, we were allowed to go inside. I was delighted because the castle, like many I have seen in Japan, currently served as a museum of sorts. Inside was a fantastic collection of Samurai clothing, swords, scrolls with painting and calligraphy, and descriptions of how the castle was built. The interior of Japanese castles is usually bare except for small glass cases. There is no furniture or gratuitous ornament. While the exterior of castles are sometimes very elaborate, the interior reveals the strength of the buildings as huge wooden beams are fully exposed and the castles' frames are observable. Matsuyama Castle had the best collection of Samurai uniforms that I have seen in Japan.

The day was early so we decided to look for some of the lesser castles of the area. About an 1 ½ hours west of Matsuyama, we found a very small castle named Sankai-jo (“jo” is Japanese for castle). This castle was the smallest I have seen, it was about the size of an average American 2 bedroom duplex home. Though the castle itself was less than impressive, it was located on a mountain that featured a fantastic view of the area. From the castle, I could see many miles to the Seto Inland Sea and faintly see the mountains of Honshu across the sea.

Nearby was the town of Imabari. Imabari Castle is one of my favorite castles of Japan. Though much smaller than the more well know castles, Imabari-jo is almost totally original (never renovated in modern times) and very beautiful. It stands much taller than any other building in the town and has a great moat that surrounds the castle complex. It is evident that the local people take much pride in the castle because it the whole area was well maintained and clean. Though we arrived too late to enter the castle, we walked around the courtyard and admired the manicured grounds and colorful Shinto shrine within the castle grounds. Unlike most Japanese castles, Imabari-jo isn’t a frequent tourist destination. When I was there with Tsukamoto, we saw only a few other people there admiring the majesty of the castle. We stayed in the area and watched the sunset over the mountains before heading back to Matsuyama for our first night in Matsuyama.

Before retiring to our hotel rooms for the night, we went to a local restaurant and ate some delicious okonomiyaki. This is one of my favorite Japanese dishes but it is difficult to explain. Sometimes called “Japanese pancakes”, okonomiyaki is made from mixing rice meal, and bean sprouts with beef, fish, and squid into a batter like substance and grilled in cakes at your table. When the cooks are good and the ingredients fresh, okonomiyaki is delicious and filling. The restaurant that we went to in Matsuyama was excellent and I washed down the cakes with several glasses of draft beer. Since we started the day early, we were both tired and I was asleep by 10:00 pm.