Japan in the spring - Kagoshima

Kagoshima was the first city where we saw the cherry blossom in bloom on this trip.it was such a pretty sight especially after anticipating it for a week.  We saw the cherry blossoms at the Sengan-en Garden, part of the Sengan-en complex, a stately home belonging to the Shimadzu family built since the 17th century.  It is a beautifully landscaped traditional Japanese garden attached to the Shimadzu clan residence.  

Cherry blossom in the Sengan-en garden

Again the Kagoshima city administration offered us a free shuttle from the port to the city centre from where we took a taxi to the garden.  The garden could also be reached via the scenic tram loop but as it was at the far end of the loop, it would take an hour to get there via tram.  Given that the sky was threatening rain, we thought it prudent to get there as soon as possible before the rain started. 

We made the right decision because it started to rain just after we finished touring the beautiful garden and home.  Fellow passengers who took the ship's short excursion to the garden arrived just as we finished and they toured the garden in the rain.   We took the opportunity to go inside the restaurant for lunch to try the famous Kagoshima kurobuta pork (black pig initially bred from Berkshire pigs). 

The entrance gate to the complex

Rhododendrons in the garden

It seems that every Japanese garden has a bamboo grove

The landscaped garden with the essential pond

The gorgeous spring colours extended up the mountain side

Pine trees along the waterfront facing the famous volcano

The famous Sakurajima volcano was shrouded in clouds while we were there so we never saw the top

There are several shrines in the garden but this Cat shrine seems very special

Prayers and wishes left by worshippers for their cats

One of the impressive gates on the property

The layered roofs of the main mansion

Love these knots at entrances!

Inside the mansion

This room with decorative panels of birds opened out onto the garden

Exquisite!

The beauitful central courtyard with its own garden pond - note how the tree inside seemed to extend in harmony with the ones outside

The Master bedroom

The dining room - an interesting mix of Japanese and western furniture for entertaining foreign visitors.

The set menu for the kurobuta pork at the garden restaurant.  The Tankan orange drink on the right was delicious.

The other volcano nearby Kaimondake was less shy - we were able to see its clear conical shape from the ship 

I enjoyed the walk through the Sengan-en gardens very much - there were lots of different kinds of flowers, trails that took us through different levels of the garden, all the time with the lovely spring green of the trees both as backdrop as well as being an essential part of the garden.  It was a very enjoyable visit.

Next port:  Nagasaki

Japan in the spring - Kochi

Kochi, on the island of Shikoku, seems small enough that I thought we can handle ourselves without joining a shore excursion.  The city has arranged a shuttle to take us into town from where it is a short walk to the main attractions - Kochi Castle, the Museum beside it and the Obiyamachi shopping arcade that would lead us straight to the castle.  Katsurahama Beach, another atrraction, is a bit further away but it is visible from the ship.  

Katsurahama Beach

This open air Obiyamachi arcade with a skylight made with wood has lots of shops and stalls selling local products.  The perfect walkthrough for tourists heading for the castle. - knick-knacks like ceramic chopstick rests, dolls, dried fish among others.

It was a fairly steep climb to get up to the 400 year old castle after walking through the very thick walls at the entrance.  The 17th century castle is much smaller than the one in Nagoya so it did not take long to walk through it.  There is access to the tower via some very steep ladder-like wooden steps so we decided to forego the view from the top as it's not worth the risk of breaking a leg.

This is the second gate at the top of the climb to the castle

This is a side view of the gate tower

Kochi castle like other Japanese castles have some shachihoke on its roof - the protective talisman has the head of a tiger/draagon and the body of a carp.

Carvings inside the castle

The main reception rooms

The main study of the shogun.  The calligraphy on the wall is probably in Kanji which is adapted from Chinese characters.  There is a secret chamber at the back where the shogun's body guard would be stationed ready to come out at a hint of trouble from the shogun's visitors.

View from the castle 

The moat around the castle is now decorative

The History Museum at the foot of the castle yielded surprising photo ops with its spectacular architecture.

On our way back to the ship, we stopped at a local restaurant to try Kochi's most famous local food, katsuo-no-tataki.  It is a dish of skipjack tuna or bonito fish grilled over a straw flame and served seared on the outside and rare in the center.  

The sumptuous set menu complete with bonito bottom centre, salad, soup, tempurar and dessert

The visit to Kochi was pleasant - leisurely and at our own pace.  It was a reassuring start to the rest of the trip where we will be exploring most ports on our own.  

Next stop: Kagoshima