Sightings of a world traveler: Sunset

Thursday, 26 July 2018

Matsuyama (松山市)

I hitchhiked from Takamatsu to Matsuyama (松山市). It was actually quite easy to get a ride this time because I was not attempting it during rush hour when roads are busy and cars can't stop. After about 10-20 minutes of waiting I first got a ride from Ritsurin Garden area to a spot closer to the highway going to Matsuyama. He wasn't going all the way but even this little step helped a lot and from there I got a ride within a minute by someone going all the way to Matsuyama. They dropped me off right at the castle in the middle of the city.

I was visiting Matsuyama to see a friend there on a biology conference so I stayed near the castle to be close to Ehime University where the conference was being held. Despite already visiting Matsuyama I still enjoyed sight seeing again. I just wandered around my first day and ended up at the Dogo Onsen Main Building (道後温泉本館).

Dogo Onsen Main Building (道後温泉本館)

The area around Dogo Onsen has many restaurants that serve local beer including one right beside the onsen so you can have a drink after your bath.

I found the free foot bath - Hojoen (放生園) just outside the shopping area close to Dogo Onsen. It was really hot water but it was still nice to soak in it for a while under an umbrella and relax.

Hojoen (放生園)

Dogo Park (道後公園) is a mix of historic site and city park. It is a lovely park with manicured gardens, but it is also the previous site of a very old castle and you can still see the remains of the moat and the mounds they created from digging it. There are signs in multiple languages that explain what you are looking at to make it more interesting and they talk about both what it was and about the excavation process and what they found.

Dogo Park (道後公園)

The park has a lookout tower at the highest point and it has a very nice view of the city. Again I wish I had thought to visit it at night since the city lights would have been quite a sight.

Dogo Park (道後公園)

Okaido (大街道) is a long shopping street with a covered area as well. When I visited here I was mostly just enjoying the shade and window shopping to see Japanese clothing styles. I still do not think they suit me very well but they really do look lovely on Japanese women. In Okaido there are also shops where you can buy or rent kimono or yukata (summer cotton kimono). I went into a lovely shop that sold kimono just to look around and possibly buy a kimono jacket since these silk jackets are very comfortable and you can probably still wear them on a regular basis even in another country without looking to odd. Real kimonos are incredibly beautiful and I did try a few on just because they were so gorgeous. If you can't imagine buying one I would at least try a place that rents one just to experience walking around for a bit in Japanese dress for one of the festivals.

Japanese Kimono with Japamese Camelia design dyed silk with embroided edges

Japanese Kimono Shop in Okaido, Matsuyama - ひとむかし

Japanese Kimono Shop in Okaido, Matsuyama -ひとむかし

Matsuyama Castle (松山城) sits atop a large hill in the center of the city and as well as being a nice castle with a museum the view of the surrounding city is very nice. I visited during the day to hike some of the dirt trails through the forest but there was some landslide damage blocking a few of the trails. I did get to see a Narcissus Flycatcher (Ficedula narcissina, which was a new species for me in Japan and quite pretty.

Matsuyama Castle (松山城)

Matsuyama Castle (松山城) is a nice place to view sunset but the cloudy weather meant it wasn't a great sunset. The crows were coming in to roost all over the castle and flocked in amazing numbers.

Matsuyama Castle (松山城)

Sunset from Matsuyama Castle (松山城)

Despite the disappointing sunset they were having a Summer Light Festival with statues created from light wires. Although they were incredibly random figures they were still quite interesting and seeing the castle lit up at night was beautiful.

Summer Light Festival at Matsuyama Castle (松山城)

There were dinosaurs, whales, air balloons, unicorns, dragons, oranges, arches and flowers as well as many of the tree trunks being covered in lights.

Summer Light Festival at Matsuyama Castle (松山城)

Even on a normal day the castle is lit up at night and looks very nice against a cloudy background at night.

Matsuyama Castle (松山城)

At night when it cools down the insects come out around the castle grounds and many of them specifically find old oak trees and eat the sap. The most noticable are the Rhinoceros Beetle. These large beetles are famous in Japan and are frequently kept as pets. The males have large horns for fighting and the females don't.

Male and FemaleRhinoceros Beetle

Rhinoceros Beetle

Stag Beetles also have large pinchers that the females lack but most of these that we found were a lot smaller in size than the Rhinoceros Beetles.

Stag Beetle

Male and Female Stag Beetle

We also found a young bat that had potentially fallen of it's mother or was learning to fly. It was on the road but we managed to get it safely to a tree.

Bat

Tuesday, 24 July 2018

Takamatsu (高松市) and Megijima (女木島)

Takamatsu (高松市) is a small city on Shikoku Island, Japan. I attempted to hitchhike there from Kobe City but in the heat and after hiking down from Mount Maya I ended up giving up after a few hours of trying to find a good spot and failing. I met with my very very patient couchsurfing host at a convenience store just near Ritsurin Garden. From there we visited a restaurant her friend had just opened. It was in a lovely traditional Japanese house that they had restored. The old wood looked really nice and it had a very cozy and friendly atmosphere.

I rented a bike from near Ritsurin Garden Station and biked/walked along the shopping street to Takamatsu Castle Ruin, Historic Site (玉藻公園). I just walked around the castle area, which had a scenic view of the moat and some watchtowers. My goal was actually to visit Megijima so I didn't stop in.

Takamatsu (高松市)

Takamatsu Castle Ruin, Historic Site (玉藻公園)

The port area of Takamatsu is decorated with art exhibitions and is very open and hot but is still lovely to walk around.

Takamatsu (高松市)

Megijima (女木島) is an island just off the coast of Takamatsu in the Seto Inland Sea between Shikoku and the mainland. Two small villages occur here while the majority of the island is taken up by two forested (but small) mountains. The island has man-made beaches and beach houses close to the ferry port. The port has a fair number of birds at it although these are restricted to Gulls, Black-eared Kites, Cormorants and Swallows.

Takamatsu (高松市) ferry to Megijima (女木島)

Black-eared Kite

Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris)

Megijima (女木島)

Sights on the island to visit include a lighthouse, campground, a few shrines and an Onigashima Cave. I walked up from the beaches through the town. There is a large stone wall to block the town from wind and the town has many traditional style wood houses with narrow lanes. The town is a bit rundown and many houses appear to be abandoned with their dirt and grass insulation falling out through the walls or their roofs caving in. I imagine that many small towns on the inner sea islands are in a similar state with the current generations wanting to live in larger cities. Despite that there are still a few guesthouses and bead and breakfasts (Minshuku) in the village and you can get food at one of the beachhouses.

Megijima (女木島)

The road through town takes you up to Sumiyoshidai Shrine (住吉大神宮). There were many Black-eared Kites flying above on the thermals and in the heat cicadas were deafening.

Megijima (女木島)

Sumiyoshidai Shrine (住吉大神宮)

At the top of the mountain there is a lookout with a small sakura garden (not in season currently but would be a very scenic spot during the spring. The lookout has a spectacular 360 degrees view of the surrounding area seen through the typical Japanese haze.

Megijima (女木島)

The Onigashima Cave (鬼ヶ島大洞窟) is also on this peak, which is the highest on the island. The cave is quite altered and has many statues in it and at the entrances. This is because Megijima is the Ogre Island from the popular Momotaro legend in which a small boy visited the island in order to fight its resident ogres. The cave is said to have once served as the ogres' fortress. Inside the cave there are a series of interconnected chambers, which display large cartoon ogre statues depicting scenes from the Momotaro story.

Onigashima Cave (鬼ヶ島大洞窟)

Coming back to the port for sunset is lovely. The sky lights up over the ocean and fades behind the mountains in the distance. There are many places to sit and relax while the sun goes down. I didn't get to see the full sunset because I would have been late for dinner plans but I plan to find an excuse to visit again just to see it fully.

Sunset from Takamatsu (高松市)

Sightings of a world traveler

Thursday, 26 July 2018

Matsuyama (松山市)

Japanese Kimono Shop in Okaido, Matsuyama - ひとむかし

Japanese Kimono Shop in Okaido, Matsuyama -ひとむかし

Tuesday, 24 July 2018

Takamatsu (高松市) and Megijima (女木島)

Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris)

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