Finally! After being here for 17 days, it didn't rain/snow, I have a bicycle and I didn't have to work so I was finally able to explore a little bit. I left at about 9:30 and started up the main road. There are restaurants, shops, and apartments along the road which is called Bell Road. I crossed two (very) small bridges - one just behind my apartment. I'm not sure if that one crosses a man-made canal or if it's actually a small, natural river (not terribly clean) but there seem to be some sakura (cherry trees) lining it on the other side so it should be pretty in a few weeks. The paths along it on the other side of Bell Rd. are lined on both sides with sakura. The 2nd bridge definitely crossed a river, a small one, but nice, and there are some cobblestone like paths lined with trees (not sakura) that make me think it will be a nice place to walk or ride in the summer.
I found my way to the castle 'compound'. There are 3 moats around Hikone Castle and there are some municipal buildings, shrines, a museum and parking lots within the walls of the outer moat. I was looking for a monthly farmer's market that I had read was on the Castle Road. After asking a few people I found it around the other other side of the castle. There were about 10 or 12 tables with people selling vegetables, pickles, little fried fish, dried shaved squid, baked goods, Japanese sweets, some homemade crafts and tofu products. I bought some vegetables, soft tofu, thick soy milk (wasn't crazy about that) and a sort of tofu patty, some little fried fish and a Japanese sweet.
I happened upon the International Lounge that I have been wanting to go to but it was closed. So I headed towards the station so I could pick up a map at the tourist center. Almost all the shops along the road were closed, I'm not sure if that was because it was a Sunday morning or because most of them are out of business... I got a map - in English!!!, an explanation of how to get across the train tracks with a bicycle (you have to put the bike in an elevator), and where the station bike parking is located.
Then I started to wander. I was trying to find some temples or shrines and not too far away I did. It happened that the monk there had gone to college in Seattle and then lived at a Zen Center in Springfield, MA for 9 months so his English is very good and he was able to clear up many things I've been wondering about. The biggest mystery was the story behind the 'jizo' one sees everywhere, usually with baby bib like things around their necks. It turns out that it is very bad if a child dies before the parent (of course) and the child will go to hell. The Jizo are gods who go down to hell to help comfort, cheer up and care for the children. 'Children' can be a person of any age, as long as they die before both parents... So everyone prays to Jizo.
The temple building is 400 years old, has suffered some damage from earthquakes but is still the original building. The daimyo (lord) of Hikone Castles' family redirected a river that ran through the property and built the temple in honor of the daimyo after he died. After a great tour of the temple and lots of explanations, I asked about a good place for lunch and the monk directed me to a place right across the little street. It looked a little questionable from the outside but it was beautiful inside (as many little Japanese places are).
It was a Japanese style restaurant with beautiful wood floors, cushions to sit on and a place for your feet below the tables. Kind of like a big kotatsu - and warm - which was good because I was really cold from wandering around that temple! I didn't have my long underwear on today because it was supposed to be around 60 F. I don't know if it ever got that warm, but around noon the clouds covered the sun and it started to get chilly again. Back to the restaurant. They have a very small menu with a few different 'sets' bento boxes and today they also had Okinawan noodles. It's not an Okinawan restaurant but there must be a connection - maybe that's where the chef is from - and ingredients from Okinawa are sent and used occasionally. The main part of the sets (like the fish or meat) change each day and the 'sides' pretty much stay the same. I was very tempted by the sets, but I was so cold that I went with the noodles which are always a good way to warm up from the inside!
I will definitely go back, although I don't know exactly how I'll find it again...
It was still fairly early, around 1:30 or 2 but it was getting colder and looking like rain (which didn't materialize) and since I had no idea where I was in relation to home, I decided to start back. I stopped in some shops, went down some nice streets (and back again since I found I was going in the opposite direction from my apt....) and then I came upon a plaza where there were cafes, shops, people playing music outside, etc. There were also speakers everywhere playing bird songs - no idea why... Down the street in back of that place there were some nice temples that I will explore in a few weeks when their plum or cherry trees are blooming.
It turns out that plaza and the temples are only about 10 minutes ride from my place and I think I know how to get back there. Home, put away the groceries, did another wash, warmed up while watching TV, made miso soup with some of the vegetables I bought today and ate that with the tofu products and little fried fish that I bought at the farmer's market. It's still pretty early so maybe it's a good night to fill up the tub.
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