Matsumoto

Feeling refreshed, I woke up extra early to pack, check out and head to the old district with Jeff as he hoped to sketch and I desperately needed to catch up on my blog.

The group met in the hotel at 9 for a tour of Matsumoto Castle. The castle is one of the four wonders of Japan and has survived 400 years, remaining completely in tact. Built in 1593, it is the oldest five-story tenshu (dojon tower) in Japan.

Although the tenshu appears to have five floors, there is a hidden sixth story inside. The tower was not occupied and was entirely dedicated to fighting. Samurai occupied the building and their families in the grounds surrounding the castle.

The first floor was used for storage of food, weapons, and ammunition. The second floor has rooms for samurai to gather and sleep. The third floor is a dark room without windows and was the secret room hidden from enemies. Warriors stayed on the third floor during war times. The fourth floor are goza-no-ma, private residence, where the lord stayed during emergencies. If the castle falls to the enemies, it is in this room that the lord is expected to hari-kari (ritual suicide by eviscerating oneself with a blade). The fifth floor was used for tactical meetings. The sixth floor was used as a bourou, a watchtower.

In the ceiling of the tenshu is a dedication  to Nijuroku-ya-shin, the god of 26 nights, who protects the castle. Legend has it that on the night of the 26th of January 1618, in a vision, one of the young vassals on duty saw a woman dressed in a beautiful white kimono. Handing him a baroque bag, she said "If the castle enshrines me with 500kg of rice on the 26th of every month, I will protect the castle from fire and enemy." The castle is still standing and the oldest castle in its original form.

Every floor is outfitted with teppozama and yazama, holes for shooting guns and arrows respectively. The second floor has ishiotoshi, shelves for dropping stones on the enemy. The castle houses a large collection of guns and bullet making equipment. We leaned that making bullets was the job of samurai wives.

The roof of the three towers are adorned with a Chinese spirit called satchi. They have the face of a tiger and body of a fish. They spit water at their enemies and are therefore thought to protect against fire.

In the adjoining tower (built in a time of peace 40 years after the main tower), there's a moon-viewing wing. The room is aptly described as there are three walls of windows meant for observing the moon and allowing the samurai a breezy area to enjoy sake. Our local guide, Yokoyama, explained you could view the moon in three ways here: the sky, the moat surrounding the castle, and in your full glass of sake.

We left the castle to check out the shops of Nawate Street, an older part of the city. Indulging in a taiyaki, a fish shaped waffle-like pastry filled with a variety of sweet options, we browsed the delightful shops.

There were frogs everywhere along Nawate!

Because the street abuts a river and is an approach to the Yohashira shrine, carriages and vehicles were not allowed to pass through. Shop owners on the street said visitors can shop (kaeru) safely. Since then, people began calling the street Kaeru (frog) street. So shop keepers all have frogs on the street to watch over us and keep us safe.

We also saw a number of paper representations of a summer folk tale.

The Star Festival originates from the Chinese legend of Altair and Vega. Altair was a cow heard and Vega a weaving girl. They loved one another so much, they neglected their work. The king got angry at their lack of productivity and separated them with the Milky Way. They are allowed to see one another one night a year, July 7. On that day people decorate bamboo branches with paper strips and ornaments to celebrate their reunion. If you write a wish on the paper and hang it, your wish will come true.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped in a Animate shop, a popular chain of manga and anime stores. After the serenity of the castle and market street, it was something else.

Next we picked up some famous local buns and zipped off to catch the bus to Takayama. The short ride through the mountains was amazingly beautiful. And soon we arrived in Takayama.

For the next two nights we are staying in a ryokan with hot baths attached. We were supposed to be at the actual hot springs but this is an incredibly busy holiday time here in Japan too and many hotels are booked up. It's delightfully tacky though! It's 1970s style. The bath was great too. We had a traditional multi-course meal tonight.

Afterwards, a few of us hit the streets for a walk to digest. Stopping briefly in a pub, we were soon befriended by a drunk Japanese business man who after a series of odd events, felt inclined to buy our table a special treat. Children, avert your eyes.

Yes, it is a wiener shaped wiener. We thought it wise to head out before his associates arrived and things got out of control. 

Tonight we sleep on traditional tatami mats on the floor. Wish me luck and a restful nights' sleep!