We visit Nagoya Castle and then start our ride to Osaka
After yesterday’s unrelenting heavy rain, we awoke today to blue skies. We have three more days of riding ahead of us before reaching Osaka, the final stop on our trip. We will have come full circle.
It will be hot again today but we are hoping for lower humidity. We want to visit Nagoya Castle before we head out today to Ogaki.
Barry doing some last minute tweaks to our trikes and pumping up our tires. And then, we are ready to ride.
After years of struggling to find the right small pump for travelling, we bought this mini pump at a bike shop in Japan. We love it. It is fast, incredibly small and has an accurate read out.
A brief downpour this morning and then the weather improved. This fellow with the umbrella was most intrigued by our trikes and what we are doing. Google translate came to the rescue once again.
Nagoya Castle was constructed in 1612 and was in use until 1945. It was demolished May 14 1945 in an air raid. Reconstruction and repair of the castle has been ongoing since that time.
We love seeing the distinctive roofline and turrets of Japanese castles.
The Honmaru Palace was the primary residential palace of the Awori Lords. It was destroyed during aerial bombardments in 1945 and was rebuilt using original methods and materials. It was reopened to the public in 2018. it is a one storey building made completely of Hinoki cypress wood. Using original Edo period architectural plans, the Palace was rebuilt using only traditional building techniques. It took 10 years to complete the construction. There are over 30 rooms in the Palace.
The photos will show the attention to detail given in the reconstruction of the palace with the use of quality wood, mostly Hinoki cypress. As well, the screen paintings are the work of painters patronized by the Tokugawa shogunate. The restoration work replicates, to the extent possible, the construction methods and materials of the original.
The photos show the beautiful painted screens that were featured in the Palace and the Hinoki cypress wood used.
The tigers on this screen are an interesting detail. As tigers are not native to Japan, the artist relied on written or verbal descriptions. As you can see they are not an accurate portrayal.
Touring the Hommaru Palace is lovely, but the heat and humidity are intense. The absence of fans or air conditioning made it a challenge, but it was worthwhile.
This 300-400 year old pine tree is being used in the reconstruction of the Castle. The wood is from Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture and as a result Shohei Otami,the baseball legend who was born in Oshu City, has provided his autograph..
We are so hot from touring the palace. It feels like we have been in a sauna. It is typical to find shoe lockers when visiting museums and castles as outdoor footwear is not allowed.
This fellow was roaming the castle grounds and was like an ambassador. He spoke Japanese and English and was happy to share information about the castle.
This gold detail on the castle roof is a Kinshachi. There are two of them on either sides of the roof. They are mythical figures who are half fish and half tiger. They are 6 feet tall, plated with real gold and are thought to have control over water. This is why they are decorating the Keep as protectors from fire. The Kinshachi is so popular that it has become the symbol of Nagoya Castle and the city of Nagoya. It is not possible to visit the inside of the Keep as there is concern that it would not withstand an earthquake.
This photo shows ongoing reconstruction of the Castle. There are two sets of walls that surround the Castle…an outer and inner wall. The Daimyo regional Samurai rulers in charge of the original construction would mark the stones pith their family crest to show their contribution to the construction of the walls. The carvings of their family crests are still evident today.
One day this castle will reopen for tours inside. The Keep (castle) is still undergoing reconstruction work to improve its safety and for earthquake preparedness.
Just when we thought we could head out and continue our ride to Ogika, we saw the Kirin brewery. We made a short stop.
We have grown to really like Japanese beer. Sapporo from Hokkaido is one of our favourites, but we do enjoy Kirin beer as well. Note the gold Shishachi, the mythical tiger headed carp.
Konbinis are known for having no fear in introducing new and original ideas in the food they create. They are constantly adding new products and the popular ones survive. The chocolate, mint and whipped cream sandwich is delightful.
This impressive solar installation has over 5,000 solar panels. It produces approximately 530,000 kilowatt hours annually. Constructed by Sanyo Electric Company, it spans 1,033 feet in length and is over 100 feettall. Wow, the photo can’t translate the sheer enormity of this solar panel.
We have arrived in Ogaki where we will stay tonight. This little girl saw me on my trike and she ran up to me. Before I knew it I was chatting with her mom and her friends too.
