This morning was another early one: 6am! Last night made sure most of my belongings were packed and ready to go, in order to make it easier to get out the door. It worked, but coincidentally, I had misread the bus schedule, and didn't even need to get to the station so early...
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| Waiting for the train to take me to the port... |
I had to change plans and take the train instead, but I made it to Wakayama Port and onto the ferry just in time. This trip took me from the largest and most populous of Japan's four main islands (Honshu) to its smallest and least populous (Shikoku). This was also the only of the four islands that I had not yet been to.
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| View from the starboard side... |
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| ...and from the port side. |
The two-hour ferry ride was smooth and allowed me time to take a 45-minute nap and make up for such an early morning, but not before I spent some time out on the deck to take pictures of the Seto Inland Sea.
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| I wasn't the only person on board who was ready for a nap. |
I arrived in Tokushima City and made my way to the city center by bus. It was still rather early in the day, and I decided to visit the grounds of the castle ruins before sitting down to lunch. Today was the perfect day for outdoor pictures: lovely blue sky (the bluest I've seen in a while) and turning leaves on the ginkgo trees.
I also stopped by the historical museum, which has its own Japanese style-garden. Though not as big--and not quite as fancy--as other gardens I've made it to, this was one of my most-enjoyed visits to a garden. The designers and landscapers have placed large stones all around for visitors to walk on without disturbing the greenery, and you can go just about everywhere in the garden--including walking over a large slab of stone right through the middle of a rock garden. This is definitely high on my list of recommendations out of the places I've seen so far this trip.
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| Over the entrance to the historical museum |
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| In the garden behind the museum |
Next was lunch. I had wanted to try local specialties while traveling, and today was my first opportunity. When I'd arrived at the station a couple of hours earlier, I'd seen a sign for a "Tokushima burger" in the restaurant of a hotel, so I decided to check it out.
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| Served with pumpkin soup and a small green salad |
It was one of the best burgers I've ever had! The bun is green because it's made with edamame. Inside the burger are all kinds of items that Tokushima Prefecture is known for: deep fried renkon (lotus root), Awa Odori poultry (a local type of chicken), Naruto kintoki (delicious sweet potatoes), and a sauce made from Sudachi (a tart citrus the color of a lime, but smaller). My mouth is watering just thinking about it again...
Full and happy, it was time for a walk.
Eventually, I made my way up the street to a building selling local souvenirs. I picked up a couple of bottles of Sudachi-flavored club soda, as well as a small cup of ice cream made with soy pulp and flavored with yamamomo (Japanese Bayberry, another local specialty).
From there I took the elevator up to the 5th floor, where I got on a ropeway that took me up Mt. Bizan ("eyebrow mountain"--so called because it supposedly resembles the arch of an eyebrow). I had done my homework ahead of time today, checking the time of sunset, so that I could be at the top of the mountain at just the right time.
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| "Eyebrow Mountain" |
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| Beware of wild boar! (I never saw any, though...) |
It was worth it! I spent 90 minutes enjoying beautiful views of the city and sea to the east, and of the mountains to the west. What a nice way to end the day (and a blog post, too, for that matter).
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| The green in the center is the castle park where I'd been earlier. The history museum is to the lower-right of the hill. |
Phew! It's only been three days of vacation, and I've already worn myself out. :) I'm spending the weekend in Takamatsu, another city on Shikoku...but I'm definitely going to let myself sleep in tomorrow.
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