The highest castle in Japan
and my favourite Japanese Garden
The advantage of staying in Uno, about an hour south of Okayama is that it has easy access to Naoshima and Teshima islands. The downside is that it’s an hour from Okayama.
So on the day I decided to go to Bitchu Matsuyama castle, I first had to go to Okayama and then take antoher train northwest into the mountains. I was a little confused for directions though because Google maps and my Japan travel app were giving me two different routes at different costs. I wasn’t sure if I could take the limited express but hopped on at the last minute. Standing in the doorway I saw the conductor checking tickets and I knew I wasn’t suppose to be on this train. Despite being called a limited express, it runs like a shinkansen where two tickets are needed, one for the distance and once for the seat. Fortunately, I was able to hop off at the first stop and the local train that was the other option was just 20 minutes behind.
Bitchu Matsuyama castle is located near Bitchu-takahashi. The castle is famous because it is the oldest surviving castle in Japan and the only mountaintop castle among the twelve original castles which have survived the post-feudal age intact. It is also the highest at 430m. From another mountain, it’s possible to see clouds floating around the mountain, giving it the nickname as the castle in the clouds. I would have liked to see that but that requires a car to reach the viewpoint and the right conditions.
As opposed to the more famous castles like Matsumoto or Himeji on the flat plains, this castle was originally built in 1240 when castles were primarily defensive fortresses. It was only later in the 16th century when castles were built on the flat plains as a status symbol and quasi regional capital. I’d been to some old forts in Japan that were on hills but this was the first time at a true castle. It’s not very large but there are a number of scenic vantages on the climb up (it took an hour to walk from the train station) and around the small keep building. The castle itself isn’t large by any means, the keep about the size of an average Japanese house, but the fall colours were splendid and for the first part I had blue skies. Later the clouds would roll in and the colours became mutted.
It’s possible to get a ticket that includes the castle as well as two Samurai residences at the base of the mountain and a Japanese garden. The residences are the Orii Samurai Residence and the Haibara Samurai Residence. I was most interested in the kitchen and doma, earth floor. I think this is because I’ve seen a lot of tatami rooms and engawas at other villas and tea houses, though they were still nice to sit on here, but it’s increasingly rare to see kitchens from 100 or 200 years ago.
I remember staying at an airbnb in Osaka once and getting really excited because there was a genkan entrance, a narrow kitchen doma, and a courtyard in the back with the toilet tucked in the corner like an outhouse. It was truely the Kyoto matchiya townhouse typology.
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The samurai residence kitchen was different because it would have been used by servants to feed the family but it was no less interesting to see the old furniture, oven, and serving trays.
The last entrance on the combined ticket was to Raikyuji Temple. It is a Zen Buddhist temple that once served as the residence of a local feudal lord who designed castle architecture, gardens, and tea ceremony. Because of this, there is a dry rock garden at Raikyuji temple. Considered a National Place of Scenic beauty, I quite enjoyed sitting on the engawa and looking over the scene. Most striking was a circular window through which there was a narrow view of the stone pathway.
Since I was in Okayama I also wanted to see Korakuen again. This is my favourite Japanese stroll garden that also has my favourite resting pavilion. Due to the timing, I got there towards the end of the day but that meant that the lighting was quite soft. I was really excited and giddy as I went around the garden to all of my favourite spots to get photos. When I was writing my book, I wanted to include the resting pavilion but didn’t have any good photos so I tried to get as many photos as I could this time. The difference was that now there were a lot of people whereas the first time I came was early in the morning and there was barely anyone except for a couple taking wedding photos.
Korakuen is a wonderful garden because it is a stroll type, meant to be walked around. There are wide open fields and expansive vistas but also narrow areas with a high density of features. This means that as you walk around the garden you continuously feel an expansion and contraction of space as the scenery changes from one amayzing view to the next.
Traveling around Japan again I’ve been reminded of some personal projects that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. I think the idea came about during one of my earlier trips but that was when I was backpacking so I put it off. Then I went and did my master’s degree and now that I’m traveling again I’ve been reminded but now I might have time to actually complete these projects once I start a job again. Essentially I’ve started to accumulate a list of projects to undertake on my return and that should keep me busy for a long time.
It seemed that right now there was some kind of art display using umbrellas in the fields. They looked pretty awesome and it was much more interesting than when it was just grass. All too soon the sun had set and the garden closed, but I felt content that I’d gotten some good photos and enjoyed my breif time in the garden again. The first time I visited was very memorable and this time I think will be long remembered too.
