I’ll admit, I’m no longer sure why I have this day off, or even why Naoko has this day off, or why Ashley suggested Monday for us to travel.
So… if it’s Monday, Ashley and I must be back together again.
We’re going to visit a castle somewhere. I have no idea where, but I’m sure it will be spectacular.
I’m up at 7:30AM, and phone Ashley and tell her she has an hour to get ready and be at my place.
Naoko comes by at 8:30, and I meet her boyfriend named… why do hey say their name so quickly? I have no idea what his name is, but he looks like a nice guy – kind of Clark Kent-ish, good-looking, and is taller than me. Screw the Japanese stereotype of them all being midgets, okay?
Ashley and I sit in the backseat. I’m quiet and don’t say much. Naoko even notices. I’m pissed off at Ashley because this morning when she saw me, she didn’t want to kiss me ‘hello’. Why, I ask her. I just don’t want to. She’s so stupid she’s probably wondering why I’m grouchy. Well, it’s her fault. (Years later, I see my role in all of this).
The ride is long. Apparently, we’re heading to a northern prefecture (province) called Fukushima to visit Tsuruga-jo (Tsuraga castle). The scenery is beautiful outside, and I wonder what the hell I am doing here – in Japan and in this car. The trees were all magnificent in their regal multi-coloured splendour. Some pine trees had even turned orange?! That can’t be good. Probably some sort of beetle infestation. The rivers cutting through the valleys of hues were beautiful, but we didn’t slow down or stop for a better look.
Keeping with the beautiful motif, the weather was also beautiful – an odd occurrence considering it always rains when I travel… maybe my mood is full of rain clouds today.
Cutting through the mountains, the car windows began to fog up as a testament to the chill around us. But, as we finally arrived at Tsuruga-jo, I’m relieved to find that my penchent for bringing the rain hasn’t left me—the sky became overcast, and with every footstep away from the dry interior of the Windy, the clouds overhead threatened to open up and spill its icy cold contents… wait for it…. Wait for it… ahhhh, a nice cold rain with winds wafting down from the north at about a thousand miles an hour.
Armed with umbrellas—the Japanese are generally pretty good at having an umbrella handy in the car, and Naoko and her boyfriend are no exception. So we begin to moodily take in the sights.
The castle is five-stories high, with two mini moats placed around it. Externally, it’s painted a nice bright white, but inside it lacked decoration. Naoko told me it was originally used as a ware castle, meaning it was more practical in design than pretty as a palace. I found the interior to be a lot like Osaka-jo (something I haven’t shared yet with you – but three weeks prior to all this I travelled to Osaka by myself to visit some friend of a friend back in Toronto and then slept with her. For those keeping track… that’s two – not that I’d ever stoop to keeping track). This castle’s interior was a museum. I walked up the five flights of stairs to look out the top, and unlike Osaka-jo where I saw a city surrounding me, here there was a more serene park. It was okay… I guess I was spoiled after seeing the view of the past immersed with the present in Osaka.
Again, the four of us head to Mosburger for lunch. I swear I should by stock in this company so I can get a discount.
Later, we visit a samurai army camp beside the castle. This is cool. The life-sized mannequins are all done up (covered) in flowers called kiku (chrysanthemums).
We leave at 3:30PM in an effort to beat the traffic, but of course, we hit the rush hour. If I was homesick, this appeased me. We didn’t get home until 7PM, which left me enough time to race to Iseya to drop off my film and go grocery shopping. By that, I mean I got dropped off at my place with Ashley who rides home.
I play with my GameBoy at home, talk to Matthew and invite him over for dinner the next night. I clean up and am in bed by 10:30, mentally and emotionally exhausted.
Oh… today the new Japanese emperor was enthroned. Some bombs went off, but it seemed like a pretty low-key event to me.
If you'd like to see some more photos... click HERE.
Somewhere grouching,
Andrew Joseph
Today's title is brought to you by Neil Young.
