Japan in the spring - Nagoya

Nagoya is the first port after Yokohama.  It looks like a busy shipping hub with lots of bridges and cranes all around the port.  I was glad though that the three places we visited on our shore excursion were far from commercial.  

Our first stop was the Tōshō-gū shrine, a small shrine in the Naka area.  It is small compared tot eh Meiji Jingu in Tokyo but it has essentially the same set up - the cleansing fountains, the Tori gates, the amulets and votive tablets.  It is set in a beautiful landscaped garden.  We felt like pros after having gone through all the bows and hands clapping that are part of the shrine visiting etiquette at the Meiji shrine.  

The first tori gate entrance to the shrine

The cleansing fountains

The landscaped garden beside the shrine

A local doing his hand exercises 

I had thought Nagoya Castle would be another castle with fortification and moats.  But it turned out to have some stunning art work in the castle rooms.  The surprise was that the imposing tower that stood out in photos of Nagoya Castle is actually the dungeon.  The castle proper, like most Japanese palaces, are unimposing single level buildings.  It was such a pleasure walking through the living rooms and the reception rooms inside the castle, each decorated with gorgeous murals.

Nagoya castle

The very thick walls of the castle entrance

The main palace all on one level

The entrance to the palace

The rooms were all covered with murals

The hallway leading to the reception rooms

The stunning artwork in the reception rooms

Love this one!

The Shirotori Garden (White bird) is a peaceful Japanese-style garden with koi pond, bamboo grove, springs, streams and a beautiful tea-house.  We enjoyed seeing the different kinds of flowers and trees in the garden, including an unusual spring that creates music.

One of many huge kois in the pond

Our first plum blossom

Pieris

A musical spring - you can hear it play through the bamboo pole

Bamboo grove

Entrance to the garden beside the tea house

The teahouse entrance

Inside the tea house

I was certainly pleasantly surprised by Nagoya, knowing that we had only skimmed the surface of this city in the few hours that we visited.  This was just a foretaste of the many delights yet to come on this trip.