Table of Contents
Having left Kansai behind by now, but not quite yet reached Kanto, we now find ourselves in the region between the two, which means that I have now once again ended up someplace in...
This is a region which I've visited quite extensively before. I've been on the island of Sado (see Book II ~ Chapter 10 ~ Sadistic Sightseeing), the Onsen town of Yudanaka (see Book II ~ Chapter 11 ~ The Yoke of Yudanaka), the great central town of Nagano, as well as the more remote Nanao on the northern peninsula (see Book II ~ Chapter 12 ~ The Great Escape for both), and later finally the town of Numazu (see Book II ~ Chapter 22 ~ Nutty Numazu), which as a matter of fact less than 50km away across the Suruga Wan (駿河湾 "Good Horse River Bay"). As a matter of fact, Shizuoka-Ken (静岡県 "Silent Hill Prefecture") also encompasses Numazu, so this isn't even a new prefecture for me.
Within Shizuoka-Ken, we are located pretty much in the middle, which I suppose makes sense, seeing how we're now literally in the prefecture's eponymous capital. At roughly 700.000 inhabitants, it is, in fact, not the largest city in the prefecture. That title goes to nearby Hamamatsu, which admittedly has a lot more coastal flat land to spread over than Shizuoka, which has to make do with the limited space that the mountains and Suruga Wan give it.
Finally, within Shizuoka, our home base is located towards the southeast, just a few blocks away from the great Abekawa that we crossed on our way here. It's a bit far away from the station, but it has other perks which I am going to elaborate upon soon.
And with "soon" I mean "now", because it is now already time to start
talking about...
The Place
Once again, the place we're staying in is an Airbnb place, and once again it's quite authentic and special. This time, we're staying in the Miroku Sanbu Izakaya, where the owner has elected to rent out one of the upstairs rooms of his family home.
Said room is typically small for Japan, which once again is something that Bea and Brett are not quite happy with, but by the time as much became apparent (aka, 3 days ago), I had already planned out the entire trip, oh well...
For me and Robert, this is fine. There's enough room to lay out the four futons with a little room to walk...
...and there's even an adjunct little washroom, which would have also featured a washing machine.
It is in that little space that I find a place to set up Liete. Once again, it's not much, but it's definitely enough for these few days.
Also, the room has an AC unit, which is quite the necessity, because it makes the difference between an indoor temperature of 30°C or 24°C.
Now, back to the Izakaya part that is the downstairs. It's only a little place with a bunch of chairs and a very homely feel to it. In typical Izakaya fashion, the menu is plastered on the walls on sheets of paper, which makes it a bit hard for us to read (and even of the things that I can read, I barely know half the dishes they describe). At least the prices are written in roman numerals, because I've also been too some places where the prices are written in Kanji too.
The immediate benefit is that we've literally got a little food place downstairs, and while Izakaya are mostly known for drinks, they typically also offer some snacks. Fortunately, there's an English menu too, and our host eagerly gives us some recommendations. I for my pat try out the Shizuoka Oden, which is something really special, because normally Oden is a soup dish that is served in winter. However, here in Shizuoka, they have a soup-less variety that they also serve in summer, and it's quite tasty! Basically, it contains of boiled meat, vegetables and fish on sticks. It also comes with some spicy wasabi mustard, but I only try a small bit of that before deciding that that's too much for me.
Directly adjunct to the Izakaya, there's also rental music studio, completely outfitted with musical instruments and available for rent on a hourly basis. No one should use it during the hours while we're there, but it's still an interesting place to see. At least I didn't stay in any place that featured a music studio during all of my travels up until just now.
And on top of all these exciting features, this place also features a cattery...
...complete with a pair of cute cats that guests are encouraged to interact with. One is a 16-year old very friendly and still quite active Abyssinian by the name of Aka, and the other is a considerably more fluffy and less active 1-year old with black and white fur who is called Ban.
Over the course of our stay ere, I should every now and then sneak in some petting time with Aka...
...while also watching Ban, who apparently likes to live on the edge. I hope my cats back home are doing alright.
The cattery also serves as the connecting room between the "guest quarters" and the family home. Bea also takes a liking to the cats, by the way, and so the cattery also ends up serving as a connection between guests and hosts.
In addition to cats, there's also a number of aquariums all over the place, including inside the cattery (safely sealed, of course), which feature tiny glittering fish adding to the ambience.
Finally, the cats also have a "spy chute" that leads from the cattery above to the Izakaya and music studio below. And while I don't see the cats make use of it while we're there, I still think it's a pretty neat idea to give them that option.
And that's it for this in my opinion considerably cool place that we ended up at. I now know that Bea and Brett would have preferred something more spacious, but at least I for my part could scarcely be happier. But anyway, for the most part, we should spend our time outside anyway. In fact, the day after our arrival should be all about...
The Municipal Magé Matsuri
17-Sep-2023
The next day begins with the next great thing about this place: Breakfast is included, which makes this the first Air Bed and Breakfast I've stayed at that actually features all three. And not only that, but the breakfast is another instance of amazing Japanese style breakfast that just barely falls short of Ryokan levels. Itadakimasu!
After that, we head out into the heat in pursuit of one of the things that Robert specifically commissioned me to make this trip about: Visiting a Matsuri! That is the reason why we're here in Shizuoka, because today, the Shimada Mage Matsuri takes place in the nearby town of Shimada (which we actually already passed through on our way here, but Shizuoka featured the closest Airbnb I could find). The entirety of our day drip today should be divided into three parts: First, we take a scenic stray to the Shizuoka station, taking the train to Shimada from there. Second, we explore Shimada and watch the Matsuri there. And third, we return to Shizuoka and wrap up the day. So much for the plan, now, let's dive right into...
The Sunpu Station Stray
Distance: 6.4kmAscents: 50m
Duration: 1.75h
6⛩ (3🦊)
Our route should end up being a divided one. While I end up zig-zagging through the backroads in search of shrines, Robert, Bea and Brett collectively decide that they'd rather spend more time in Sunpujo Kouen (駿府城公園 "Good Horse Borough Castle Park") - our planned main event for the morning in Shizuoka - and as such make a beeline for it. Meanwhile, my route - while mostly parallel to theirs', should include considerably more corners and shrines. Near the end, I walk into a closed path once and have to backtrack, but soon thereafter I make it to the park where I rendezvous with my companions once again, and we spend some time exploring the park before subsequently making our way to the station.
We depart around 9:00 in the morning, and already it's hot and humid outside. For the time being, the sky is covered in clouds, but sadly, that alone does not make it any cooler.
Anyway, before long we take a turn and find ourselves on the main street, which the others would follow all the way to the park.
Straight does not equal boring, though. For example, set into the flagstone pavement of the sidewalk there's a painted stone informing us that apparently Shizuoka's mascot bird is the Himeama Tsubame ( 姫雨燕 "Princess Rain Swallow" = "House Swift").
As mentioned before, I soon make my way into the more narrow side street, where there are no sidewalks...
...but instead shrines to be found. Half of the shrines that I come across even feature foxes!
Apart from those expected curiosities, there's also quite a number of unexpected curiosities, such as this Hebel Haus ("Lever House") featuring distinct Bavarian colors...
...or this little plot of masonry, featuring everything including a tombstone, a mailbox and a hello kitty statue.
Eventually, I manage to zig-zag all the way to the next main street over...
...where I come across another expected curiosity: Colorful manhole covers. What is unexpected, however, is the amazing variety: Whereas most places I've been to have only one, two or three at most different designs (sometimes including pallet swaps), during my time in Shizuoka I should encounter a total of six highly unique designs, colored more often than not, and one pallet swap on top. Featuring in most of those is Mt. Fuji in the background, which I hope we will yet get to see on one of these days.
Near the end, I come across the Nakachou Chikadou (中町地下道 "Middle Town Underground Walkway"), which wins the prize for the most excessively labeled place I've been to ever. It's basically only a set of tunnels beneath a single, medium-sized crossroads with a paltry 8 exits, and yet it not only features a map above each of those exits, but also another four maps in the walkway, along with huge numbers and pointers at literally every single intersection. Of course, none of this excessive signage is going to help in the least if you can't read advanced Japanese.
After navigating the labyrinthine dungeons of that treacherous underpass, I eventually reach the corner of Sunpujo Kouen, where the white edifice of the Hitsujisaru Yagura (坤櫓 "Divination Sign Watchtower") beyond the moat presents a beautiful view against the sky that by now is mostly - but not entirely - free of clouds.
Good thing I brought and put on plenty of sunscreen. Meanwhile, something that I typically don't carry in Japan is something to drink, being able to trust the local infrastructure on that. And sure enough, there's a public fountain on which to quench my thirst at right here.
Shortly thereafter, I cross the bridge and enter the park through a gap in the massive walls which I figure must have once been spanned by a great gate.
A map awaits right inside, giving me an overview of the park. As the name suggests, it was once the castle grounds of the Sunpu castle. A site rich with history, this was from where Shogun Tokugawa Ieasu ruled from in the 17th century. However the castle was eventually demolished in 1896, leaving only the park behind.
Historic records speak of the castle as a magnificent seven-story structure with a view of Mt. Fuji, and there's even some ongoing restoration work in progress, so maybe one day visitors from all over the world will be able to marvel at the restored castle once again.
For now, however, there's not much to see as far as the old castle is concerned. Apart from aforementioned Hitsujisaru Yagura, there's also Higashigomon (東御門 "East Honorable Gate"), near which I also run into Robert, Bea and Brett, who made it to the park only a short while before me.
While Brett takes a break on a bench, Robert, Bea and I proceed to stroll through the park, coming across a statue of Tokugawa Ieasu holding a falcon...
...as well as a big excavation at the site of the former castle, which may or may not be related to a possible reconstruction effort.
After that, we soon leave the castle park behind, noting the numerous carps in the water under the bridge as we cross over the moat again.
As we make our way towards the station, we come across another oddity: A life-sized version of a Tokugawa Ieasu armor kit plastic sprue.
Moving deeper into the city, the sudden emergence of convenient shaded walkways just makes me go "WOW"...
...just like this fantastic mural on the side of a building that we happen to walk by.
Eventually, we arrive at the station of Shizuoka...
...and soon thereafter are aboard the next train to Shimada. With this being the Tokaido main line, the trains run roughly once every 10 minutes, so we don't even have to wait long.
With Shimada being literally in the next valley over, the train ride there barely lasts 30 minutes, taking us through the separating mountain range by means of a tunnel, and then across the plains of that particular valley.
Thus, we arrive in Shimada, where it's once again a little bit cloudy, but still quite hot.
Naturally, I did my best to get my hands on the schedule of the Matsuri here ahead of time (not an easy thing when it's a very local Matsuri and the pages on it are all in Japanese), so I'm reasonably certain that we've managed to arrive in time for...
The Shimada Shuffle
Distance: 14.5kmAscents: 250m
Duration: 5.75h
15⛩ (5🦊); 8卍; 1/3🎁︎
Our route through Shimada should consist of multiple parts. First, we should follow the Matsuri around in the inner part of the city, which involves a lot of back and forth. Bea and Brett eventually leave us there, after which we have lunch, and then proceed to the final Matsuri location, which is located at a temple all the way to the hills in the north. After that, Robert and I do a little roundabout stray through the countryside there, and eventually head back to the station, finding many shrines as well as a single Geocache along the way.
But one thing after the other. For now, we're still at the station, and it does look like we're in the right city too. At least, there's that big flag with the name of the festival, and part of the station square is cordoned off in a medium-sized stage area.
However, I actually have no idea whatsoever what to expect of today's Matsuri, nor do I know the exact schedule of where what will take place. Fortunately, they do have handy maps laying around, and even more fortunately, my Japanese is actually good enough by now that I can make reasonable sense of them. Most importantly, I can read that the first performance of the 65th Shimada Mage Matsuri (島田髷まつり "Pompadour Hair Style Festival") will commence at 12:00 in front of the Shimada City Hall.
So off we go, making our way towards the city hall, and as we do, we pass by a Karaoke place called Manekineko ("Beckoning Cat").
Also, despite being only one town over, there's again a whole new set of manhole covers to be found here. I only find one that's colored, but even in monochrome, the designs are still quite amazing.
Eventually, we reach the city hall, where quite a big crowd of people has gathered already in anticipation of the commencement of the event.
While Robert, Bea and Brett make their way to the front, I for my part decide to hang back and wait in the shade, along with some Japanese people chauffeuring their dogs around in a cute little cart. After all, it is the zenith hour right now, and with the sun out in full I figure it's better to wait out the actual beginning of the Matsuri here in the shade.
Eventually, the Matsuri commences. Turns out it's only a single troupe of female dancers, and the traditional Japanese music comes from a stereo, but the outfits are nice and authentic, as is the dance itself. The main part, however, is the very elaborate traditional Japanese hairstyles which the dancers wear, and which is the core element of this particular Matsuri. Every dancer has her own unique hair style, featuring clips, ribbons, hairpins and other elements the names of which I'm not familiar with.
(Click here to view the video if the website fails to load it)
After the initial performance in front of the town hall, the Matsuri troupe proceeds to venture towards the station square. It is at this point that it really digs home how small this Matsuri is: They didn't even get to close off the entire road. Instead, the dancers and attendants walk down one half of the road while road wardens route the traffic from both directions around them on the other lane.
(Click here to view the video if the website fails to load it)
The second performance takes place on aforementioned medium-sized stage at the station square. This time I manage to get myself a place at the front so the dancers pass right by me. That's how I can see that there's also a number of young girls participating in the rounds, diligently waving their fans to the sound of the music.
(Click here to view the video if the website fails to load it)
Seeing how the dances are not very varied and partially repeat between each stage, the four of us decide to abandon the procession after this stage and instead set out roaming the streets in search of a place to eat.
At one point, we thought we found a Gyoza place, only to find out after entering that this is actually jsut a very sophisticated vending station the size of a small restaurant.
After looking around for a little bit more, we finally find a road lined with stalls selling Matsuri food...
...or at least something like Matsuri food. Normally, you'd expect Yakisoba and Takoyaki stalls and such, but the best I can find is a rather unsatisfying cup of mixed fries.
We also run into the Matsuri dancers again at that point, who are giving another performance here, and while I'm not exactly thrilled to see them repeat the same dance for the third time now, I've got to admire how bravely they are performing in the face of the actually pretty intense heat today.
Still in search of a nice place to eat, we head north the pedestrians' road, past the point where the Matsuri stalls end, following a little fountain-stream in the middle as we do.
At the end of the road awaits a shady little fox shrine - Gojinya Inari Jinja (御陣屋稲荷神社 "Honorable Encampment Inari Shrine"), where two sculpted white foxes sit on the roof, and another few wait inside. It is here that our group decides to split up again, with Bea and Brett setting sights on returning to Shizuoka soon-ish, while Robert and I intend to proceed with exploring Shimada and also visiting the final performance later on.
But before that, Robert and I are still looking for a place to eat. Since it's just the two of us now, the requirements for an adequate food place are suddenly easier to match, and so we walk south the pedestrians' street once again, passing the dancers as we do so...
...and eventually decide to enter an inconspicuous little establishment. With this not even looking like a restaurant, there's still a number of factors that encourage me to try it:
- I can read "Unagi" (うなぎ "Eel") on the outside
- ...as well as the sign saying "Eigyouchuu" (営業中 "Open for business")
- By now, we're both quite hungry...
- ...and it's already 14:00, and the final event for the Matsuri is scheduled for 15:30 at a temple over a kilometer north of here
Nondescript though it might look from the outside, on the inside it's actually quite cozy, and fortunately they still have a table available for the two of us. Not a given at the day of the local Matsuri.
Aware that these places tend to do best on the food that they specialize in, I happily home in on the Unagi Teishoku, which is really tasty. Robert meanwhile goes for one of the other dishes on the menu and is also quite satisfied. Also, the tow of us burn through, like, really many glasses of complimentary chilled water on this really hot day.
Appetizing though it was, our lunch was a long time in the making, so by the time we leave the restaurant, it's already 15:00, and we only have half an hour left to make our way north to a temple the whereabouts of which we only have a rough idea of, so we more or less scramble to get there in time, taking the direct route with no detours or distractions.
...aside from maybe taking a quick look at the cute sign of that woodchopper shop, that is.
Accelerating our steps, the two of us manage to arrive at Udaji (鵜田寺 "Cormorant Field Temple") in time, with many other people already being on premise.
Arriving shortly thereafter are the dancers, who perform a final round of dances, marking the conclusion of this Matsuri. Well, it certainly was nothing so fancy as the Yosakoi Souran Matsuri of Sapporo (see Book II ~ Chapter 7 ~ The Sapporo Strawberry Stay), but it was still an interesting little local event to attend.
(Click here to view the video if the website fails to load it)
Allocating the time of remaining daylight after the festival, I decide to set out in search of some shrines, and Robert decides to follow me around. This search should quickly result in the two of us scaling the side of a nearby hill in pursuit of an Inari shrine up there. It's almost 16:00 by now, which means the sun is already starting to set behind said hill, but on top we do find a few tiny foxes in a little shrine.
Also, we do get a bit of a view of the town below, even if we're not quite high enough here to see all the way to the ocean.
And then, there's this interesting hill monorail system that is probably used to transport materials and produce up and down these hills.
After that, we traverse the little valley that we're in crosswise, approaching the hills on the far side...
...as well as passing over the cute little Ootsuyagawa (大津谷川 "Great Harbor Valley River") as we do.
A typically Japanese thing that we see along the way are rice fields that are protected by bird-of-prey kites. Taking the place of scarecrows, these are quite commonplace around Japan and function on 100% renewable wind power: As long as there's at least a light breeze, these lightweight kites will dance and whip around quite eclectically, giving the impression of a hunting and perpetually diving bird, and since you can find those pretty much all over the place in Japan, I imagine they must be at least reasonably effective at fooling mice and other critters.
Anyway, the thing I'm looking for is shrines and temples, and of the latter I should find my fill on the east end of this valley: There's a whole bunch of Buddhist temples over here, complete with Jizou, cemeteries in hills, and a Mizuko Bodhisattva where prayers for the souls of miscarried and aborted children may be offered up.
Advancing further up the valley from there we run into a local who recommends we visit the nearby Tataishi Inari (立石稲荷 "Standing Stone Inari") shrine. Naturally, that was my plan all along, but it's still nice to know we're on the right track since the area is now getting quite rural. Even so, there's still little signs along the way for those with sufficient proficiency in the Japanese writing system.
Approaching the shrine, however, I can't help but wonder if that jolly old man was not trying to have a little fun at our expense. He made it sound like there'd be a grand, majestic shrine waiting for us in the woods, yet what we find are only a bunch of fox statues beneath a small overhanging rock ledge. Well, if he did, he was at best half successful, since for me the presence of the foxes up here is enough to warrant the ascent. Robert seems a little bit underwhelmed, however.
Aligning our route into the direction of the slowly setting sun, we subsequently stray past a number of idyllic fields...
...along the side of which a hillside shrine complex of moderate size is located. This is Shinmeigu (神明宮 "Deity Hall"), which is dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. It also features a divine tree, which is something that can be found at some, but by far not all shrines.
Another crossing of the mighty Ootsuyagawa is inevitable as we head west towards our next waypoint, and the creeping shadow of the hills covering almost the entire width of this valley by now is a constant reminder that our time is limited.
Alas, for now there's still daylight left, and we make good use of that as we walk through Shimadashi Chuuou Kouen (島田市中央公園 "Shimada City Central Park") with its lakes and model railway. However, the name is quite misleading, since it's neither in the city, nor central, so maybe Shimada Kita Kouen (島田北公園 "Shimada North Park") would be a more fitting name.
Ascending the saddle between two hills here should be our final climb for the day, and with little sunlight left we now proceed straight south back into the city, following the roads.
At the Komogawabashi (菰川橋 "Reed River Bridge") across Itatanigawa (伊太谷川 "That One Fat Valley River"), Radian finally bids us his final farewells for the day, sending us off with a nice sunset. Fortunately, the twilight of dusk should still provide us with sufficient light for the remainder of our way back to the station.
Actually, however, I'm still not quite done yet. First, there's the D51-101 steam locomotive to see at the Chuuou Shoukouen (中央小公園 "Central Small Park"). Manufactured in 1930, it served for a whopping 40 years on the local railway lines, and during that time accumulated a mileage of 2.65 million kilometres, which is 66 times around the globe. Not bad, eh? Just try getting that sort of mileage on a car!
Awaiting roughly half a kilometer south and east from there is our final shrine complex for the day: Ooi Jinja (大井神社 "Great Well Shrine") With the sky gradually growing darker and this being a bigger shrine, this actually makes for quite a nice sight, since the shrine's lamps are all lit, giving the place a warm and welcoming charm of its own.
Although the remaining light is rapidly waning by now, there's still one last curiosity that we come across on our way back to the station: The Bihada Jizou ("Beautiful Skin Jizou"), hidden between two rows of buildings, and next to an Inari Shrine that caused me to home in on it. I suppose vanity isn't high up in the Buddhist list of vices.
Around 18:00, we finally arrive back at Shimada station, at which point it's already pretty dark over here, what with the autumn equinox approaching and Japan not having daylight saving time. And with the regular train schedule of the Tokaido main line, we don't have to wait long for a train that takes us back to Shizuoka.
Akin to the train to Shimada earlier today, this train is a little busy, but not so much that people have to stand if they don't want to. There's also a few people who use the ride to sneak in a nap.
Alighting in Shizuoka a short time later, however, does not mark the end
of our adventures today. Sure, the main event is over, but getting back to
our Airbnb place should still involve some...
Nighttime Navigation
Distance: 2.7kmAscents: 10m
Duration: 0.75h
Our stray back to the Airbnb should be pretty straightforward, with the one added goal of finding a place to have dinner at. As such, we first zig-zag a little through the roads of downtown Shizuoka, and after having found a place to eat at and concluded dinner we more or less make a beeline back to the Airbnb, following a line of parks for the first half and then converging back on the long straight road that Robert, Bea and Brett already walked up to the castle earlier today.
Dark though the sky may be by now, it's actually not even 19:00 yet. As such, even with Japan usually calling early nights, the streets are still reasonably busy.
On our way through downtown Shizuoka, we pass by several interesting establishments, such as this freaky store...
...or this place where you can go in case you forgot your head at home.
Passing a games store, we have a bit of a reverse moment. Back home, we're used to seeing famous Japanese video games in German games stores. But right here, right now, we're seeing famous German and American board games in a Japanese games store.
Eventually, we come across a food place that picks both of our interests: The Menpan Shokudou (麺飯食堂 "Noodle Rice Canteen"), which we subsequently enter.
This place features a variety of different noodle soup options and rice options and is not limited to Japanese cuisine. As such, it happens that I go for something Chinese tonight, specifically a tasty bowl of shrimp Wantan, which is very satisfying after a long day of walking around in the heat.
After we have both eaten our fill, we depart for our stay place, walking most of the length of the nearby Aoba Shinboru Roodo (青葉シンボルロード "Blue Leaf Symbol Road") for the first part of the way.
Though I'm sure this pedestrian park road is more fascinating during daylight, coming here at night means that the light displays on some of its blocks stand out all the more: At times it can be hard to tell which lights are part of the display, and which are part of traffic.
And then, there's also this nice little water mosaic park lagoon which I'm sure invites kids to jump all over it during the day.
Eventually, we're back on that same straight road that we walked the other way this morning, and guess who we're running in right there and then? It's Bea and Brett who're out for a nighttime stroll!
The two of them are still out looking for a place to get drinks. Meanwhile Robert and I are pretty beat after this long day and are happy to head home. Shortly thereafter we arrive back at our stay place, where we subsequently wrap up the day.
This concludes our first day in the Shizuoka area, and we've already seen quite a bit. However, there's still more to see, and though not everyone in our groups should share this sentiment, I for my part am still looking forward to some serious...
Shizuoka Sightseeing
18-Sep-2023
The next day again begins with a serving of amazing Japanese style breakfast, and since I mentioned how I actually like Natto yesterday, our host this time even has a serving of Natto prepared to go with my rice. How awesome is this? Sadly, however, Brett isn't feeling quite well today, so he decided to skip out on breakfast. It might also be that his seafood allergy is giving him trouble, although our host made sure to be very accommodating to our respective dietary requirements.
Today should also see another breaking of the fellowship. Not satisfied with what Shizuoka has to offer (and also our admittedly kinda tight accommodation), Bea and Brett have once again decided to skip town early, this time heading onwards to our next and final stop of Tokyo. Meanwhile, Robert and I plan out a partly joined, partly divided day trip for today: While I want to hike across the hills of Shizuoka, Robert wants to go to the seashore. As such, we compromise on another three-segment day: First, we will walk to a local archeological site together, at which point we'll go separate ways, each exploring to his own preferences, and finally we're going to meet up in front of Sunpujo Kouen and wrap up the day together. As such, we're saying our temporary goodbyes to Bea and Brett after breakfast, and then prepare to spend the first part of the day...
Touring to Toro
Distance: 4.8kmAscents: 10m
Duration: 1.25h
2⛩ (1🦊)
Our joint goal for the morning is an archeological site known as the Toro Iseki (登呂遺跡 "Climbing Spine Archeological Site"). In fact, Robert first tried navigating to there on the evening of our arrival, but managed to get lost in the grid like roads and only found his way back to the Airbnb by following the run of the river. So today the two of us are approaching this with map-apps at the ready, which is probably for the best since a written description of our route reads like a recipe for disaster:
- Start southeast down Shizuoka Kanjousen (静岡環状線 "Silent Hill Loop Line")
- Continue straight along Intaa-Doori (インター通り "Inter Road")
- Turn left onto Minami Kansen (南幹線 "South Main Line")
- Turn right at the third opportunity onto a nameless street
- Turn left at the sixth opportunity onto another nameless street
- Follow that road to the end, then turn right onto Ohama Kaidou (大浜街道 "Great Beach Water Way")
- Turn left at the third opportunity onto yet another nameless street
- Turn right at the... uhh... 13th opportunity? You know, onto the road that has the half its width taken up by separate cyclist- and pedestrians paths. Naturally that's unnamed too
- Turn left at the ninth opportunity onto one more nameless street
- If you got that all right, the Toro Iseki should now be to your right after another two junctions
- If you got that wrong, congratulations, you are now stranded somewhere in the middle of a huge grid of roads
Anyway, it's another sunny day in Shizuoka, which means lots of sunscreen and coping with 30+°C heat. By now, we're somewhat used to it, but that does not mean we're enjoying it. Maybe a good way to put it is that we're determined to go out despite the hostile temperatures since we know our time here is limited, and we want to make the most of it.
Following the main roads is more of a trudge that is in no way interesting or noteworthy, which is why we're quite happy when we reach the point where we can turn off into the side roads. Not only are there fewer cars about, but the narrow roads also offer more opportunities to stick to the somewhat cooler shadows.
Also, there's definitely more interesting stuff to be found in the back roads, such as this dadaist restaurant...
...as well as shrines, or more accurately, one shrine with an adjunct Inari shrine about halfway to the Toro Iseki.
Eventually, we reach aforementioned road half of which is taken up by cyclist and pedestrian paths. Now that's what I call a healthy balance, and I think it would be great if all the roads in cities looked like this.
The final stretch of the way takes us down a side street that is sadly angled in such a way that there's barely and shade whatsoever...
...and then, after a hike that took us a little longer than an hour, we find ourselves standing in front of the Toro Iseki, which is located within the Toro Park.
The Toro Iseki is an archeological site where remnants of a Yayoi settlement from the 1st century AD were found, with the Yayoi being the first tentative agricultural societies of Japan, following the more primitive hunter-gatherer societies of the Joumon. In that regard, the Toro Iseki is particularly noteworthy since it was the first excavation in which evidence of wet rice paddies was found, and the discovery of which directly led to the foundation of the Nihon Koukogaku Kyoukai (日本考古学協会 "Japanese Archeological Association"). Today, the main attraction of Toro Iseki is a publicly accessible reconstruction of half a dozen huts from that time.
Said huts come in two distinct types: First, there's the pit dwellings which probably served as shelter for people...
...and then, there's the elevated houses, the legs of which feature cross guards. Those ostensibly were storehouses, with the cross guards intended to keep vermin away.
There's also a guided tour or demonstration of sorts presently ongoing. Unfortunately, it's all in Japanese, so I can only catch bits of meaning, while Robert is totally lost. So instead we look around on our own.
Once we've had our fill of Yayoi huts, we decide it's time to go our separate ways for the next few hours. From here, Robert should head south, first to the nearby Toro museum and then to the coast, while I would embark on...
A Hilltop Hike
Distance: 17.2kmAscents: 360m
Duration: 7.5h
51⛩ (3🦊); 34卍; 0/1🎁︎
This stray should not only be my single longest stray during this entire Japan trip, but also the one with the most shrines and temples ever since the Twin Toyo Tour connecting Toyokawa to Toyohashi (see Book II ~ Chapter 21 ~ The Twofold Toyo Thuggery), which comes as a bit of a surprise, especially since it takes me some time to run into the heavily shrined and templed areas. For starters, I zig-zag my way north until I run into the first and smallest of four hills that I should scale today. It is at this point that the shrines and temples start. A second hill soon joins the first, after which I stop for some lunch and then continue further north towards and onto the fourth and by far biggest hill. After I spend quite some time on that hill, I descend near its northern end and subsequently head southwest towards Sunpujo Kouen, where Robert and I decided to meet up. However, since I arrive there ahead of the scheduled time, I subsequently stray around the vicinity for a bit, which causes me to run into yet another hill before I finally loop back around to the meeting point in front of Sunpujo Kouen.
The first part of the stray takes me more or less north through the narrow urban roads of Shizuoka, and it is during this fateful segment that I manage to contract a sunburn at a fairly unusual spot: The backside of my lower leg. Owing to the delightful combination of the pre-autumn sun shining from the south at an angle of only about 45° right now, my heading north, and me not having applied that much sunscreen on the back of my lower legs on account of me never having gotten a sunburn there before, Radian's ultraviolet warriors find my shanks wide open.
For better or for worse, I don't notice the damage at that time, though. Otherwise I might have considered getting some sunburn lotion from the nearby Super Drug Store, where they apparently sell all kinds of happy meds.
It is at the foot of the first hill that I come across the first temple today, this one being Shoukouji (聖光寺 "Holy Light Temple"). The first temple I come across after parting ways with Robert, and it not only contains a carving of the Shichifukujin, but also a side temple dedicated exclusively to Hotei, god of Yolo, whom Robert, Bea and Brett have taken a shine to. Figures that I should find one of his temples while none of them are around.
Directly next to that is Utou Jinja (有東神社 "Existing East Shrine"), the stairs of which already take me half the way up the side of Utoyama (有東山 "Existing East Mountain").
From there, I follow a narrow forest trail the rest of the way up the hill, until I eventually reach the summit, which at an impressive 35.4m above sea level stands almost 1% as tall as Mt. Fuji. This difference in elevation probably also explains the presence of a group of senior citizens playing a boccia-like game up here, the objective of which seems to be throwing the balls as close to the flags as possible, with bonus points being awarded if they manage to land inside the rings (anyone know the name of that game?). I imagine those are rather rare atop Mt. Fuji.
The descent on the other side of Utoyama turns out to be quite diverse. At first, I tread on a narrow forest path, which eventually ejects me onto a Buddhist cemetery build in terraces into the north face of the hill. It is also from there that I get my first good view of the roofs of Shizuoka. I notice there's a few of these bright blue roofs around here as well, so maybe they actually exist all over Japan, and I simply didn't notice until Robert pointed them out to me in Ise? I'll have to keep my eyes peeled.
Naturally, where there's a cemetery, there's a temple, and where there's a temple, there might be a fox shrine. Right here, both are the case, with the nearby temple being Kongouji (金剛寺 "Gold Sturdy Temple") and Toyokawa Kuki Amashinten (豊川吁枳尼真天 "Bountiful River Exclamation Thorn Tree Nun True Heaven").
Following that, there's only a short stretch of flat land separating me from the next hill, which is already considerably bigger and taller than the last one.
Another temple and shrine each await me en route to said hill...
...and as before it is the inner grounds of the shrine that end up taking me partway up the hill. Also, like before, shrine and hill share a name (ish), with the shrine being Hachiman Jinja (八幡神社 "Eight Flags Shrine") and the hill being Yahatayama (八幡山 "Eight Flags Mountain"). Yes, I know, they are pronounced differently, but they are written with the same Kanji and mean the same thing. Japanese is weird. Also, the hill's name is not to be confused with Yawatahama (八幡浜 "Eight Flags Beach"), which is the name of a town in Shikoku that I stayed in for a night (see Book II ~ Chapter 17 ~ Blue Destination).
Up here, there's also a bunch of these multi-shrines, divine row houses that really inflate the statistics. And yet, each of them has a name of its own written on a little plaque next to it, which is why I count them as separate.
There's also an Inari shrine up here which is unusual in two ways: First, the outer shrine building is made of concrete instead of the traditional wood, and second, instead of fox statues there's a fox mask inside, which makes me wonder about whether I should count this one as a fox shrine or not. But I think not.
After that, I proceed to the summit of Yahatayama, which features an array of stone seats and tables styled like tree trunks. With the hill being entirely forested, there's not much of a view, but on the upside I'm reasonably shielded from Radian's burning rays, and it's also a little bit cooler here in the forest. Incidentally, the summit of this hill is at 64m, which still isn't much objectively, but in this heat it feels like at least twice as much.
Descending the north face of Yahatayama, I come across an open stretch with another good view of the city, as well as another blue roof.
And it is here that I should get my only peek of Mt.Fuji on this entire trip. Hidden mostly by clouds and paled by the high humidity in the air, the tip of the mighty mountain is just barely visible in the distance, appearing like an island floating in the sky.
A long, curving staircase eventually leads me all the way to the foot of the hill...
...from where I proceed through the hot city, sticking to the slightly cooler shadows as best as I can.
By now, the zenith hour has begun, and since I'm also slowly getting hungry, I figure this is as good a time to start looking for a place to eat as any. Fortunately, I happen to chance upon a CoCo Curry House right here and then.
Part of a chain of restaurants that specialize on curry rice, every instance is still special in its own way. This one, for example, is styled like a bar where you can watch the kitchen personnel prepare the food while you wait.
They also offer interesting customization options. For one, you can choose how much or little rice you want, which increases or decreases the price respectively, and you can also choose a spiciness level that goes all the way up to 20. And by now, my Japanese is good enough that while I can't perfectly read everything, I can still deduce the meaning from looking at the Kanji that I do know.
Anyway, since today is such a hot day, I am perfectly fine with an amakuchi (甘口 "sweet flavor" = "mild") portion of super-tasty cheese curry rice. That's a dish that you have got to taste if you didn't already. It's also quite easy to make at home: Just buy or make some Japanese curry sauce, put it on some rice, and while it's still hot put your favorite melting cheese on it and mix. The taste is simply divine! Also, there's free water again, of which I should consume plenty.
As I make my way towards the next hill, I come across many more temples & shrines...
...one of which blends old and new in a curious way by having a Jidouhanbaiki set up in the temple's courtyard.
Eventually, I draw within eyeshot of the next hill that I'm going to climb, and also realize a common cultural component between here and back home: Apparently, "Cyclists please dismount" signs are ignored over here all the same.
Now, as for said hill - Yatsuyama (谷津山 "Valley Harbor Mountain") - planning a route across this one turned out to be quite tricky, since neither Google Maps nor Open Street Map feature the paths on that hill (...yet, I did submit a first rough draft, and maybe someone will improve on that). Fortunately, I was able to find one online, and from that was able to plan a rough route across it.
Arriving at the place where the trail is supposed to start, I come across something that looks promising already: A Torii, and a stairwell up the hill beyond. Here we go!
However, just because the Torii marks the outer border of the sacred domain at the foot of the hill doesn't mean the shrine has to follow anytime soon. Instead, the longest ascent of today awaits me, taking me through blissfully shady forests of bamboo and other trees, up up all the way until I have crossed the 100m altitude mark.
It is only near the very summit that I finally reach the shrine heralded by the Torii. This one is Yuzuki Sengen Jinja (柚木浅間神社 "Citron Tree Shallow Space Shrine"), and it is definitely the highest-up shrine that I should visit today.
Incidentally, there's also a collection of curios here on the summit. For one, there's a DVD that apparently was mistaken for an UFO at one point...
...and then, there's thermometer that informs me that I am presently
suffering a lovely 31°C at 65% humidity even all the way up here, which
according to the thermometer is definitely above the Kaiteki Ondo
(快適温度 "Pleasant Temperature"), and is approaching Shokuchuudoku Chuui
(食中毒注意 "Food Poisoning Warning"). While that might seem odd at first, it
is actually intended as a warning for hikers who bring their own food,
since hot and humid conditions can at worst lead to packed lunches
spoiling "along the way", leaving one with a very upset stomach on the way
back home.
Anyway, from here, I continue along the hilltop along a path that takes me right through the middle of the greenery.
Occasionally, I get a view of the city of Shizuoka below...
...but for the most part the path takes me through the relative cool
shade of the surrounding forest.
While up here, I also visit the mighty Lion Fort, which turns out to be a children's playground...
...and come across a small site of worship known as the Kannondouseki (観音堂跡 "Kannon Temple Site"). Based on what I know that means this was the former site of a Temple to Kannon, Buddhist deity of compassion.
The path forward eventually becomes more and more overgrown, which is a bit of a problem since I'm wearing short pants. Here's hoping that whatever plants they've got growing up here are less irritating than stinging nettles. Well, at least I had the foresight to wear socks, though I primarily did that because the skin on my feet got mildly irritated after I spent the last few days walking around in my toe shoes for way longer than intended.
A little further along the way, I come across Tamanegi Ishi (たまねぎ石 "Onion Stone")... Yes! THE Tamanegi Ishi!!! ...just kidding. Apparently, this is how in Japanese stones where natural weathering has caused the top layer to break off in a way that resembles a half-peeled onion are called.
Eventually, I reach a well-paved stairwell running perpendicular to the path that I came from. At first, I start heading down, but then, my vulpine curiosity gets the better of me and I head back up again. A short climb later, I find myself in front of Atago Jinja (愛宕神社 "Love Cave Shrine"). Incidentally, did I mention how windy it is up here? On a hot day like this, the breeze is quite pleasant.
And even all the way up here, there's a water fountain! The water pressure is not high up here, but it's enough, and since I didn't run into any Jidouhanbaiki ever since coming up here, I am quite grateful for every little trickle.
Subsequently, I make my way down the long stone staircase...
...which incidentally is not only flanked, but occasionally even crossed by another hill monorail the likes of which we already saw yesterday in Shimada. The crossings consist of roughly 2m-long detachable segments that simply lie next to the path on the forest floor while the rail is not in active use.
Some time later, I reach the point where the staircase terminates at a small street, next to small Jizou and a small shrine.
From there, it doesn't take long for me to find myself next to a main road, heading in the direction of the afternoon sun with little shade in sight.
This makes the many shrines and temples that I come across down here all the more welcome, since many of them offer at least some degree of shade.
Also, I come across these weird mini-Shimenawa charms that we last saw in Ise again. I suppose they really are a seasonal thing.
And then, there's this Jidouhanbaiki selling snacks. Now, in other countries those might be the norm, but in Japan, where at least 95% of all Jidouhanbaiki sell drinks and nothing else, those are actually something of a rarity.
Walking further down the road, I come across a super-cute billboard advertising a food place which I think reads "Eburiimamu Shokudou" (えぶりぃまむ食堂 "Eburiimamu Canteen"). I literally have no idea what the first part of the name could mean, or what the significance of the small "ぃ" hiragana is, since I haven't seen that anywhere else before.
By the way, if you're familiar with the "Where's Wally" puzzle books, you'll run into this figure quite regularly in Japan since the Japanese mobile phone company Docomo has apparently adopted Wally as their mascot. As such, finding Wally is actually quite easy if you're in Japan.
But if you rather prefer dramatic communication, maybe the Apaman Shop Network is more for you.
All in all, this walk down the road turns out to be quite interesting, and before long I also walk past a laundry shop that is thankfully closed, thus allowing me to have a look at the artfully painted shutters, depicting a fox and a Tanuki chasing off a bear at a lake.
Incidentally, one of the temples that I visit also features a full set of zodiac animal stone statues, arranged to the left and right of the steps. Right now, we have the year of the rabbit, but even so the rabbit statue does not occupy a special place.
My next stop is a Konbini, where I not only make use of the restroom facilities, but also buy myself some tasty, tasty Melon Soda. And knowing that public waste bins are pretty much nonexistent in Japan I also finish it right there and then and dump it into the wastebasket outside. Jidouhanbaiki and Konbinis are pretty much the only places where you can find dumpsters.
While walking the grounds of Kumano Jinja (熊野神社 "Bear Field Shrine"), an elderly Japanese man starts talking to me, and we have a bit of a chat where I tell him of my travels. My Japanese is far from perfect, but for a little chat like this, it's good enough.
Eventually, my way leads me to the north edge of the outer moat of Sunpujo Kouen, where I observe a pair of cormorants perching near the water's edge.
I also pass by a café that seems just fiiiine...
...as well as the odd shrine next to what appears to be a fire extinguisher storage facility. Or maybe the shrine is just that prone to burning down, who knows?
By now, I am at the point where I'm doing my little detour on account of still being well ahead of our appointed meeting time, which is how I end up running into the Great One.
That is Shizuoka Sengen Jinja (静岡浅間神社 "Silent Hill Shallow Space Shrine"), and I honestly had no idea there was such a big shrine here until I more ore less homed in on it just now. Maybe I really am a biological shrine radar or something.
Dating back as a place of worship all the way to prehistoric times, Sengen Jinja has been standing here at least since 901AD and was rebuilt several times during its history, most notably by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Extensive use of lacquer gives the shrine its vibrant colors, and many highly detailed woodcarvings decorate the facades of the many shrine buildings in this complex. Part of the is presently undergoing renovations and is obscured by scaffolds, but there's still plenty of impressive sights to go around.
Also, there's stairs, which consequently result in my fourth and final hill climb for today. I only climb for about 25m, at which point I reach the upstairs shrine of Hayama Jinja (麓山神社 "Foot-of-mountain Mountain Shrine"), but I could have gone so much further from here, if I had the time. As the name suggests, this is actually only the southernmost tail of a long ridge that goes all the way up into the mountains proper to the north of town.
Walking back down the stairs and subsequently leaving the shrine grounds behind, I come across an animated road sign encouraging people to wear their seat belts.
By now, the time is approaching sunset, and with it the time at which I wanted to meet up with Robert again is not far off now...
...which doesn't mean there's no time to visit a few temples and shrines along the way back though, mind you.
Also, it pays to watch your step. That way I learn literally on the way that the Shizuoka's city tree is the Keyaki (欅 "Zelkova Tree"), and it's city flower is the Tachiaoi (立葵 "Common Hollyhock"). And since Shizuoka is both the name of the city and the prefecture, there's also sidewalk tiles defining those two on a prefectural level: The prefecture's flower is the Tsutsuji (躑躅 "Squat Ruins" = "Rhododendron"), and the city tree is the Mokusei (木犀 "Tree Rhinoceros" = "Fragrant Olive").
Eventually, I make my way through my favorite underpass once again...
...and soon thereafter reach our meeting spot in front of Sunpujo Kouen. I barely have time to sit down before Robert arrives as well. Talk about perfect timing!
Apparently, he had a reasonably nice day at what passes as a beach here,
and now we're both ready for...
The Reunited Return
Distance: 4.8kmAscents: 10m
Duration: 1.25h
Unlike my hilltop hike, this stray should be pretty straightforward. First, we go get something to eat. Second, I show Robert the great Sengen Shrine that I ran in just before. And third, we make as much of a beeline back home as the city's road grid allows. In our case, that means first heading southwest until we hit a point where the grid aligns with our destination, and then head south from there.
The fact that we're headed in the direction of Sengen Jinja is blatantly obvious by the huge Torii standing at the entrance of the road. At that point, however, the entrance of the actual shrine is still roughly 600m away at the other end of the road.
But first things first, or in our case: Food things first. On Robert's request, I have looked up another Okonomiyaki place by the name of Mikami (which lacks a legible kanji writing, so I can only speculate about the meaning behind the name; my best guess would be 三神 "Three Gods").
On the inside, it is a bright and friendly little place with artful recipes for Okonomiyaki and Negiyaki ("Scallion Fry", basically a variant of Okonomiyaki with lots of scallions), as well as autographs of local celebrities who visited the place.
As it happens, those two dishes are also exactly what Robert and I order between the two of us (though there's still many varieties to both of those). Robert orders the Negiyaki, while I go for a cheese Okonomiyaki, which is served with little "leaves" of fried cheese that are both crunchy and tasty, fried to perfection, and not burnt in a single spot.
By the time we finish our delightful dinner, it's already dark outside, even though it's only just past 19:00, as this weird alarm clock device by the roadside informs us.
The darkness sadly also makes our subsequently visit to Sengen Jinja a bit less spectacular than my first visit there earlier today, although the illumination also gives the place a sort of mystic flair. However, all the fancy and colorful woodcarvings are lost to the dark.
Afterwards, we head southwest along one long dark road...
...passing by a cram school, inside of which we can see rows of students diligently studying even at this late hour.
Eventually, we reach the crossroads where we turn onto the main road south...
...however, since that's a big and kinda busy road, we eventually swerve one road to the east, and proceed south through that parallel side road...
...which is how we end up running into a family lighting fireworks in the middle of the road, just like that. How random! Maybe it's someone's birthday?
Waiting until the display burned out, we proceed unimpeded and eventually arrive back at the Airbnb.
With Bea and Brett already having departed for Tokyo, it's only the two of us in the little room tonight. And tomorrow, we're going to follow them, thus bringing our time in Shizuoka to a close. Thus, it is now time for...
The Retrospective
I know Bea and Brett did not like it here, but as for me, I quite enjoyed my stay in this little Izakaya-Airbnb. We had a single room that was maybe a bit cramped but still okay, with a functioning AC, and WiFi that worked at least most of the time. The futons were okay, and we had a shared bathroom outside of our room. The tasty Japanese-Style breakfast was an amazing commodity that I won't soon forget, and the atmosphere was nice and welcoming, especially with the cats. The place was also reasonably close to everything, and featured its own dining option on account of it being an Izakaya. And on top of all that, it was also quite inexpensive, the cheapest of all our stay places on this entire Japan trip, and yet somehow also the best (at least in my book). So yes, I'm definitely glad that I came here, no matter what my companions may feel. And if you're ever in the area yourself, keep this place in mind (if you're okay with cozy accommodations).
And with that, all that's left now is...
The Road Ahead
Our next and final stop in Japan will be the Radiant Metropolis of Tokyo.
The trip there should be pretty straightforward, but since this chapter is
already quite long, I'm gonna write about it in the next chapter, so look
forward to the next chapter of the Travelling Fox Blog!
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