Japan 2010, Day 11 - Hikone
Today we set out for Hikone on Lake Biwako! I was really excited because after touring Hikone castle, Grandma would take me to my great-grandparents' hometown in Hikone's southern province! … or so that was the plan, but things didn't quite work out. XD;;
A little history of Shiga prefecture and Hikone. Shiga prefecture was once called Omi no Kuni (近江の国) and considered one of the most strategically important areas due to:
1) being located right next to the capital
2) being located at the apex of the routes between Kyoto and Edo.
3) economic importance in both agriculture, game, and trade.
In ancient times, Omi was a frequent abode of the nobility. Genji Monogatari by Murasaki Shikibu traces its origins in Omi. The Hojo clan also had claims to this area during the Kamakura period. The Koka (Koga) ninja can trace their origins in Omi's southern provinces. Oda Nobunaga built Azuchi castle upon the shores of Lake Biwa because of its strategic location with Kyoto and the natural protection from the lake, Ishida Mitsunari was also the ruler of northern Omi during his reign, and following his fall the Ii clan ruled Hikone until the Meiji period.
Omi has a long history of breathtaking scenery, resulting in what's come to be known as the infamous Omi Hakkei - the 8 Views of Omi. Another popular type of beef, Omi-gyu,also comes from this region. :)
In short, this place has a hell of a lot of historical importance to it. It's a shame we weren't here longer. There's was just too much to explore.
Getting to Hikone is fairly easy. It's a 20-40 minute ride from Kyoto Station on the JR Biwako line. If you take the commuter train then be prepared for every stop through Otsu and Omi-Hachiman (40 min), versus taking the rapid (20 min). Both stop at Hikone on the way to Maibara.
Outside the station was a statue honoring Ii Naomasa, one of the 4 Tokugawa generals, and first Lord of Hikone. Naomasa's red ogre helmet is very famous.
Below his statue was a miniature of Hikone castle.
On the way to the castle we spotted Gokoku shrine, dedicated to Shiga prefecture's war dead.
Some Tanuki statues… with the giant testicles. Oh my.
Memorial dedicated to the Tairo Ii Naosuke. He was the one responsible for ending Japan's isolationist policy. Despite being assassinated by pro-Joi samurai, many of his policies were in line with the views of the later Meiji Government.
Just a little further was Hikone Castle.
Hikone castle is one of the last few original castles still standing in Japan. These days most of them are concrete replicas, or like Himeji, are recreated using original materials. Emperor Meiji was so awestruck by the beauty of this castle, he ordered it to be preserved. Along with 4 other castles, Hikone is designated as a national treasure.
IMO, it's a lot prettier than Himeji despite not being as grand. ;)
Beautiful moat!
Entryway
Hikone's famous mascot Hikonyan! For those that don't get the name:
Hikone = Hikone
Nyan-nyan = Cat meowing
Hiko + Nyan = Hikonyan! Hikonyan-nyan!
Before heading up to the castle, we went to the castle museum, where a collection of Noh masks and other Ii family treasures were on display. As my mom put it, "This is one RICH family." XD;; The amount of treasures they had was simply staggering, and this family is still around today! They even had Ii Naosuke's tea ceremony tools. He was quite the practitioner of Chado.
There were also several furnished rooms, and a beautiful view of the castle gardens.
After about an hour or so of the museum, we headed up to the keep. Grandma groaned at all the stairs.
Mid-way there was a place to buy merchandise. I bought a Hikonyan keychain and fan.
At the top was a crowd waiting for something. At first we thought it was the line to get into the keep, but we soon found the real answer…
HIKONYAN! JYAAAANN!!
And the crowd went wild…
Despite Hikonyan hogging my memory storage, there were several other sites outside the keep that were picture-worthy.
Finally we entered the keep. In order to preserve the flooring, everyone had to take off their shoes and carry them in disposable plastic bags.
Some of the stairs were really steep, and kinda scary at times. You really had to lean into the stairs.
Some beautiful views of Hikone from the top.
After exiting, we headed westwards to the plum fields. We also spotted some storks nesting in the trees.
The path down was relatively straight forward. I even got a beautiful shot of Lake Biwa. At the bottom we got a little lost and encountered these two women (who were also lost) looking for the keep entrance. Mom kept thinking they were giving us directions and kept interrupting to ask questions on how to get out, prompting me to shush her so I could explain to the women how to get to the keep. -_-;
It wasn't hard to get out, we just followed the road straight through the plum fields, and it dumped us at the Yume Kyobashi castle road.
This area was redesigned to evoke the atmosphere of the former castle town, with lots of architecture reminiscent of the Edo period. We weren't too hungry, so we snacked on some takoyaki. There was a tea shop nearby that had maccha soft cream. X3~
lawl YMCA
Around 1:00 we headed back to the station to grab a train south to Inae, so Grandma could visit her friend Yoshiko. Inae is a little south of Hikone, but requires a regular train stop. It's a reaaaaaally small station.
Outside of the station, a little down the road, is a patisserie. They've been here for a long time, but just recently remodeled.
After grabbing a taxi, we headed to Yoshiko's house. Tip about taxis - if you know the person's name and location, they can usually dial and find the place… most of the time. I won't go into the whole fiasco that taught me this. XD;;
Yoshiko wasn't home yet, so we waited about 20 minutes on the steps. These country houses were roomier compared to houses I had stayed at in Nagoya and Tokyo.
After praying at the obutsudan, Yoshiko-san gave us nummy takikomi gohan to eat! >w<
We were running a bit late, so Yoshiko drove us to Omi-Hachiman station so we could catch the train back to Kyoto.
Dinner that night was with Sachiko and her father Tomofumi. The place was right across from our hotel.
Sawa looking as adorable as ever. XD
Tomofumi-san kept ordering tons of alcoholic beverages. And apparently really loves Bic and Yodobashi Camera. XDDDD;;
Yayy! Family time!
A little history of Shiga prefecture and Hikone. Shiga prefecture was once called Omi no Kuni (近江の国) and considered one of the most strategically important areas due to:
1) being located right next to the capital
2) being located at the apex of the routes between Kyoto and Edo.
3) economic importance in both agriculture, game, and trade.
In ancient times, Omi was a frequent abode of the nobility. Genji Monogatari by Murasaki Shikibu traces its origins in Omi. The Hojo clan also had claims to this area during the Kamakura period. The Koka (Koga) ninja can trace their origins in Omi's southern provinces. Oda Nobunaga built Azuchi castle upon the shores of Lake Biwa because of its strategic location with Kyoto and the natural protection from the lake, Ishida Mitsunari was also the ruler of northern Omi during his reign, and following his fall the Ii clan ruled Hikone until the Meiji period.
Omi has a long history of breathtaking scenery, resulting in what's come to be known as the infamous Omi Hakkei - the 8 Views of Omi. Another popular type of beef, Omi-gyu,also comes from this region. :)
In short, this place has a hell of a lot of historical importance to it. It's a shame we weren't here longer. There's was just too much to explore.
Getting to Hikone is fairly easy. It's a 20-40 minute ride from Kyoto Station on the JR Biwako line. If you take the commuter train then be prepared for every stop through Otsu and Omi-Hachiman (40 min), versus taking the rapid (20 min). Both stop at Hikone on the way to Maibara.
Outside the station was a statue honoring Ii Naomasa, one of the 4 Tokugawa generals, and first Lord of Hikone. Naomasa's red ogre helmet is very famous.
Below his statue was a miniature of Hikone castle.
On the way to the castle we spotted Gokoku shrine, dedicated to Shiga prefecture's war dead.
Some Tanuki statues… with the giant testicles. Oh my.
Memorial dedicated to the Tairo Ii Naosuke. He was the one responsible for ending Japan's isolationist policy. Despite being assassinated by pro-Joi samurai, many of his policies were in line with the views of the later Meiji Government.
Just a little further was Hikone Castle.
Hikone castle is one of the last few original castles still standing in Japan. These days most of them are concrete replicas, or like Himeji, are recreated using original materials. Emperor Meiji was so awestruck by the beauty of this castle, he ordered it to be preserved. Along with 4 other castles, Hikone is designated as a national treasure.
IMO, it's a lot prettier than Himeji despite not being as grand. ;)
Beautiful moat!
Entryway
Hikone's famous mascot Hikonyan! For those that don't get the name:
Hikone = Hikone
Nyan-nyan = Cat meowing
Hiko + Nyan = Hikonyan! Hikonyan-nyan!
Before heading up to the castle, we went to the castle museum, where a collection of Noh masks and other Ii family treasures were on display. As my mom put it, "This is one RICH family." XD;; The amount of treasures they had was simply staggering, and this family is still around today! They even had Ii Naosuke's tea ceremony tools. He was quite the practitioner of Chado.
There were also several furnished rooms, and a beautiful view of the castle gardens.
After about an hour or so of the museum, we headed up to the keep. Grandma groaned at all the stairs.
Mid-way there was a place to buy merchandise. I bought a Hikonyan keychain and fan.
At the top was a crowd waiting for something. At first we thought it was the line to get into the keep, but we soon found the real answer…
HIKONYAN! JYAAAANN!!
Click to viewAnd the crowd went wild…
Despite Hikonyan hogging my memory storage, there were several other sites outside the keep that were picture-worthy.
Finally we entered the keep. In order to preserve the flooring, everyone had to take off their shoes and carry them in disposable plastic bags.
Some of the stairs were really steep, and kinda scary at times. You really had to lean into the stairs.
Some beautiful views of Hikone from the top.
After exiting, we headed westwards to the plum fields. We also spotted some storks nesting in the trees.
The path down was relatively straight forward. I even got a beautiful shot of Lake Biwa. At the bottom we got a little lost and encountered these two women (who were also lost) looking for the keep entrance. Mom kept thinking they were giving us directions and kept interrupting to ask questions on how to get out, prompting me to shush her so I could explain to the women how to get to the keep. -_-;
It wasn't hard to get out, we just followed the road straight through the plum fields, and it dumped us at the Yume Kyobashi castle road.
This area was redesigned to evoke the atmosphere of the former castle town, with lots of architecture reminiscent of the Edo period. We weren't too hungry, so we snacked on some takoyaki. There was a tea shop nearby that had maccha soft cream. X3~
lawl YMCA
Around 1:00 we headed back to the station to grab a train south to Inae, so Grandma could visit her friend Yoshiko. Inae is a little south of Hikone, but requires a regular train stop. It's a reaaaaaally small station.
Outside of the station, a little down the road, is a patisserie. They've been here for a long time, but just recently remodeled.
After grabbing a taxi, we headed to Yoshiko's house. Tip about taxis - if you know the person's name and location, they can usually dial and find the place… most of the time. I won't go into the whole fiasco that taught me this. XD;;
Yoshiko wasn't home yet, so we waited about 20 minutes on the steps. These country houses were roomier compared to houses I had stayed at in Nagoya and Tokyo.
After praying at the obutsudan, Yoshiko-san gave us nummy takikomi gohan to eat! >w<
We were running a bit late, so Yoshiko drove us to Omi-Hachiman station so we could catch the train back to Kyoto.
Dinner that night was with Sachiko and her father Tomofumi. The place was right across from our hotel.
Sawa looking as adorable as ever. XD
Tomofumi-san kept ordering tons of alcoholic beverages. And apparently really loves Bic and Yodobashi Camera. XDDDD;;
Yayy! Family time!