Okayama momotaro potholes, chrysantemums and Kōraku-en

After 2 nights in Hiroshima, we moved on to Okayama, still in Chugoku region  but in Okayama prefecture. It is a short train trip north of Hiroshima and has an international airport deserving South Korea and neighbour countries. We met lots of cabin crews at breakfast. Okayama would be our base for a few days as well while we explore the prefecture and even Shikoku island.

Okayama is famous for several things that cannot be avoided while in town: The famous story of Momotaro (short video here), and one the top 3 landscape gardens of Japan (Kōraku-en) across from Okayama castle.

The walk from the hotel was quite nice, going through some residential areas, coming up to a river and flooding zone that kind of acted like a moat to the castle and garden area. So the garden was on this huge mount of ground that looked like a green  island on the river. I don't know if one can walk around on the edges of it. There was a combined ticket with the castle but we only took the ticket for the garden (about $4).

It is a large garden with huge lawns, but also areas with tea plantation, rice paddies, cherry, plums, and of course fun stone bridges and lots of autumn leaves.

 

The views were fairly modern and diverse with different moods, to think it was done in the 17th century...

 

As most gardens, people use the different viewpoints and we came across our first wedding from afar. The bride was wearing her white kimono (uchikake and headdress) and the party was in full formal sober kimono.

There was a building with a stage and we happened to see a story told, probably of Momotaro

Besides Momotaro is everywhere when you look where you walk. He impersonates every here in town.

 

We also checked out the restaurant next to the castle after taking pictures with a ginko tree in its full yellow autumn leaves.  We spent some time exploring around the hotel for a quiet stroll, discovering the malls, bars and shopping areas. Not being far from the train station, the area was modern but not too hectic. As a matter of fact it felt like a Sunday though it was a weekday, maybe because people live mainly outside the centre of town.

For diner, mom and I had the local specialty: A fantastic dinner of bara sushi set. You cannot be on a diet on a trip to Japan.

 

And shortly after dinner I got a Skype interview for a possible job with Medecin sans frontieres.