Tuesday the 12th, Part I: A Castle and A Cut
A popular day trip from Nagoya is the nearby castle town of Inuyama. Inuyama-Jo is the oldest standing castle in Japan, and was declared a national treasure. That sounded interesting enough to justify a ¥1000 round trip.
I arrived at Inuyama-Yuen station and already ventured off the tourist trail by walking to a rather large cemetery I spotted on a nearby hillside bordering the town. While ascending, I came across a few hidden shrines, temples and statues. Once reaching the summit I was rewarded a giant copper Buddha and very idyllic teahouse, which possessed a stunning view of Inuyama-Jo and the Kiso River. It wasn’t until returning to town that I realized I had not seen another person in the last couple hours of exploring.
Eventually I made it over to the castle. Through another cluster of shrines, torri, and statues I found the winding stone path up the steep wooded hill. Past a few stone-walled guard towers and even more shrines, I came across the main gate where the aroma of burning incense lingered. Inside a stately courtyard sat a magnificently stylish building. But to be honest, it wasn’t exactly what I expected. The donjon (main keep) was much smaller than imagined, and there wasn’t too much to explore.
I made my way to the top through mostly empty, spacious rooms and a few steep staircases. There was a simple elegance in the design as well as a small collection of historical artifacts to appreciate. On the fourth story I was treated to a perfect panoramic view of the town and Kiso river.
Thanks to a pamphlet in English and an mp3 audio guide, I was able to learn about the castle and medieval Japanese history. One of the most interesting bits of information was that the building was constructed without the use of nails. They only used fitted wood beams to help with the durability and protection against earthquakes.
I left, feeling a little upset about wasting a day trip for this short experience when Nagoya castle was much closer. I decided to check out the two small museums on the way back to the station in hopes that it would add some more flavor to the day. Inside the Karakuri Exhibition Room were a small collection of marionette dolls used in the annual festival. In addition to a set of armor and few pieces of artwork, the Artifacts Museum encompassed two tall floats, also used in the festival. Ahhh… another hour wasted when I could be back enjoying the friendly city of Nagoya.
I began to make my way back to the station, feeling a bit disenchanted about Inuyama. The castle is charming enough, but the museums really rub it in your face that the best time to visit is in early spring for the festival.
On the way to the train I spotted a cheap barber shop and decided to go in to chop off this growing on my head since March. Inside I was greeted by the welcoming yells of the ten employees. I was ushered to a chair and attended to by two of them. Afterwards, a young man wearing a dust mask approached and trim my hair as per specified in my best Japanese. Once he was finished, an older gentleman (presumably the master barber) walked over and spent some time precision detailing the cut.
I was really impressed by the quality of service and teamwork that they put into it. It only cost me ¥1600, and most places I’ve seen so far are closer to ¥4000. I can wonder how much effort they put in at those shops! I left to a chorus of “arigato goziamashita” and boarded a train bound for Nagoya.
click here to see all of my photos from Inuyama
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Tags: - Photography, Asia, Castle, Haircut, Japan, Japan: Aichi
Adam Shane
Samurai haircut by John Belushi comes to mind. 🙂