Why did we go to Hikone? Well, I guess the answer to that is... because we could. We were looking to make full use of our Shinkansen tickets, and because we had booked our lodging in Tokyo for the full 10 days of our trip, day-trip destinations was the way to go.
To go to Hikone, one takes the Hikari line of the JR Tokaido Shinkansen to Maibara. And from here, one stop on the local JR line brings one to Hikone. From the train station, it was a lovely 15 minute walk to the castle.
But before going to the castle, because it was almost lunch time, we decided to accomplish the other reason for our trip to Hikone. That was to find the Hinai Jidori Hokkoriya, a restaurant serving Hikone's must eat Oyako-don. Finding the restaurant would not be a problem, we were told, "just follow the line". Unfortunately, being a weekday, there were very few people in Hikone, so there was no line to follow. But with some help, we found the place, along a road lined with traditional Japanese shops and houses.
There were only 3 choices on the menu: large Oyako-don, large Hikone Ramen, and their special, small Oyako-don with small Hikone Ramen. We, my hubby, my brother and my two sisters chose the latter.
 |
| The Special |
The ramen was good, but I guess you won't find a "bad" ramen in Japan. The oyako-don, a Japanes rice bowl dish where chicken, scalions and egg (the visible ingredients at least) are simmered in a sauce and served on a bowl of white rice was....marvelous! The rice topping was runny, gooey and absolutely delicious! And what is Oyako-don in English? .... Parent-Child Donburi!
The meal was accompanied by ice cold Japanese draft beer! To say we were sated would not be an exaggeration! It took a lot of will power for us not to just return to the train and sleep our way back to Tokyo.
We forced ourselves to proceed to the castle. Upon reaching the base of the castle, we almost turned around to walk back to the train station! We didn't realize how much climbing we had to do!
The photo above was taken after I climbed the first set of steps! Notice how winded I was? And there were many more steps to go! Finally getting to the base of the Castle, we looked back to where we had come from, congratulating ourselves on a hundred calories lost!
Hikone Castle is one of the oldest original-construction castles in Japan and has the distinction of being one of four castles listed as national treasures. This castle was built during the Tokugawa Shogunate and followed the Edo period of Japanese architecture characterized by simple lines and the use of wood in its natural state.
In the castle's main keep, symmetry, simplicity, purposeful planning, patterning and regularity, a reflection of Japanese character is on striking display.
Climbing up to the castle keep shows how secure and easily defensible the Castle was. In addition, if somehow a horse and rider or a foot soldier survived the climb (as arrows and rocks would undoubtedly have rained down from above), the foundation of the castle itself would have been difficult to bring down.
Inside, everything is of wood, the beams, the floors, the pillars. Wood that has been polished to a high gloss through the centuries. Smoking is strictly prohibited in this all wooden structure and so is picture taking.
At the base of the Castle, lies the Genkyuen Gardens, a Japanese landscape garden with a huge pond in the middle surrounded by walking trails.
There are little rest areas, where one can enjoy a cup of tea.
On the way back to Tokyo, I remembered that I was suppose to prepare dinner that evening. Thank God for Japanese groceries! In Maibara before boarding the Shinkansen, we bought freshly cooked tonkatsu which accompanied by sashimi and sushi bought in the grocery near our apartment made an excellent, satisfying meal!
And by the way, tongkatsu in Japan (even the grocery bought ones) is very good! No fancy cooking, no tedious preparation (cooking it myself a couple of times testifies to the ease of preparation and cooking). But why does it taste so much better here in Japan? My husband says, "it's the meat!" Oh yes....the meat, the secret ingredient!
We forced ourselves to proceed to the castle. Upon reaching the base of the castle, we almost turned around to walk back to the train station! We didn't realize how much climbing we had to do!
The photo above was taken after I climbed the first set of steps! Notice how winded I was? And there were many more steps to go! Finally getting to the base of the Castle, we looked back to where we had come from, congratulating ourselves on a hundred calories lost!
 |
| view from the castle |
Hikone Castle is one of the oldest original-construction castles in Japan and has the distinction of being one of four castles listed as national treasures. This castle was built during the Tokugawa Shogunate and followed the Edo period of Japanese architecture characterized by simple lines and the use of wood in its natural state.
In the castle's main keep, symmetry, simplicity, purposeful planning, patterning and regularity, a reflection of Japanese character is on striking display.
Climbing up to the castle keep shows how secure and easily defensible the Castle was. In addition, if somehow a horse and rider or a foot soldier survived the climb (as arrows and rocks would undoubtedly have rained down from above), the foundation of the castle itself would have been difficult to bring down.
 |
| Original foundation of main keep |
Inside, everything is of wood, the beams, the floors, the pillars. Wood that has been polished to a high gloss through the centuries. Smoking is strictly prohibited in this all wooden structure and so is picture taking.
At the base of the Castle, lies the Genkyuen Gardens, a Japanese landscape garden with a huge pond in the middle surrounded by walking trails.
There are little rest areas, where one can enjoy a cup of tea.
On the way back to Tokyo, I remembered that I was suppose to prepare dinner that evening. Thank God for Japanese groceries! In Maibara before boarding the Shinkansen, we bought freshly cooked tonkatsu which accompanied by sashimi and sushi bought in the grocery near our apartment made an excellent, satisfying meal!
And by the way, tongkatsu in Japan (even the grocery bought ones) is very good! No fancy cooking, no tedious preparation (cooking it myself a couple of times testifies to the ease of preparation and cooking). But why does it taste so much better here in Japan? My husband says, "it's the meat!" Oh yes....the meat, the secret ingredient!
No comments:
Post a Comment