2015-05-06, Hikone - What's Down That Road?

My last day of vacation so I had to get out and do something.  I decided to head north and look for the swimming area (for the summer) that some people say you can swim at and some say you can't...  I rode north along the lake and came to Hikone Port, I hadn't been that far north before.

There's a little marina and there were some people on jet skis and sailboats.  There is also a ferry that goes to a couple of the (uninhabited) little islands in the lake - which both seem to have shrines on them.  It's a rather expensive ride so I'll wait for a hot day in the summer, of Naoko and Haruto...

After I left the harbor area my adventures began.  I noticed a sign that said 'parking ahead' and ?? to the right... hmm, I couldn't read it - it didn't say temple or shrine, but it seemed like something interesting so I followed it.  It led to what used to be the Lord of Hikone's 'vacation home' and then his private residence (I guess when he 'retired' and his some took over).  The shells of the buildings are mostly intact (they were built in 1810 during the Edo period) but evidently the insides aren't.  You can't go in but you can look around and go into the 'garden' in the back.  Evidently the place is only open twice a year - now, Golden Week, and in the fall when the maples turn colors.

I turned the corner and the green almost knocked me over!

I continued on and noticed a wind surfing place and some cafes facing the lake so I guess there are a lot of people there in the summer.  I found the swimming area, there seemed to be a lifeguard seat, so I'll go back in the summer and see if people really swim there.

As I was riding I noticed a lot of color around a bend - azealas - so when I followed that road and had a little picnic between these fisherman.

The water here actually looked much cleaner.

I wasn't ready to go back yet, so I continued north and found this lake/mountain shrine complete with a bamboo forest.  I don't usually feel this way, but it was kind of creepy for some reason.  Beautiful, but I wasn't terribly comfortable there by myself.  Don't know why...  But still I had to wander a little.

This was along the road across from the shrine.

At the end of the bamboo forest.

The main area.

There were stairways branching this way and that and at the top of each was a little shring or stone lanterns or something.

Looking up - two hawks.

And the little road behind my house that was lined with sakura now has beautiful white azealas!