Bullet train to Okayama

Shinkansen 700 Series

Okayama probably isn't somewhere that figures on the list for every traveller to Japan, and there is no reason why it should do, but it is a relatively untouristy, normal town, and we like to include a few of those in the places we visit; they help us see the 'real' side of the country.

Shinkansen N700 Series

Up to now, we had been using the local trains to get around. They offer a cheap, reliable, frequent service, and the trains are perfectly comfortable and have space for bags, so they are great. But you can't go to Japan and not try out the famous Shinkansen, or bullet train. So as our next stops were a little further afield, we decided to splash out; tickets aren't cheap.

Shinkansen 500 Series

For any train enthusiasts out there, there are, or have been, about fourteen different styles of shinkansen, of which we saw three, the grey coloured shark nosed 500 series and the white 700 and N700 series. We were on the 500 which, like the N700, has a maximum speed of 300km/186m per hour. There are a couple that go a little faster; the E5 and E6 versions can go to 320km/200m per hour.

Of course, while these were the fastest trains in the world, the Eurostar has caught up, with the 373/e300 hitting 300kmph and the 373/e320 reaching 320kmph.

Okayama

But all of this will pale into slow insignificance if the LO series that is scheduled for completion in 2025 comes into being. It is so fast, they are having to build special new tracks for its planned route between Tokyo and Nagoya. How fast? Well, the current expectation is a breathtakingly speedy 500km/310m per hour.

Korakuen Gardens, Okayama

So anyway, Okayama. The rise of the city dates back to the Edo Period (1603-1867) and it is most well known for its Korakuen gardens, ranked as one of the top three landscaped gardens in Japan.

Korakuen Gardens, Okayama

It is certainly a lovely garden to walk around, with a lake, bridges, and even a mini tea plantation. Originally created in 1687 for the sole benefit of the ruling family, they were opened to the public in 1884.

Korakuen Gardens, Okayama

Korakuen Gardens, Okayama

Korakuen Gardens, Okayama

Korakuen Gardens, Okayama

Korakuen Gardens, Okayama

Crow Castle, Okayama

The gardens also give a good view of the strikingly black Okayama castle, known as the Crow Castle because of its colour. The original 1597 structure was sadly destroyed in the last year of World War II, and only rebuilt in 1966, but there is one small part, the Tsukimi Yagura, or moonviewing tower, that survived and dates back to 1620.

Crow Castle, Okayama

Momotaro (Peach Boy), Okayama

Okayama's other claim to fame is as the setting for one of Japan's most famous fairy-tale, the story of Momotaro, the Peach Boy. Momotaro was found by an old couple in a giant peach, and when he was fifteen he united a motley band of a spotted dog, a monkey and a pheasant (which would usually be enemies), to go off and fight the nasty ogres. Of course by working together they were successful, defeating the ogres and winning their treasure. You will see a number of references to him here, such as this statue. 

Okayama

And of course when you visit a place that not that many tourists bother with, you are more likely to interest the locals. We found a nice bar in town, with a friendly couple that run it, where we not only sampled more of the local drinks, we also managed to make friends with a Japanese businessman.

Okayama

He was great to talk to, but there was something slightly sad that he felt the need, after all these years, still to apologise to us for the war. He was very happy when we said that, while of course some of what happened was awful, we all recognise that time has passed and that we, and most people in the UK, bear no ongoing grudge against today's Japanese for what happened then. But it was an interesting conversation, the more so given that our next stop was Hiroshima, which our businessman friend was incredibly pleased to hear we were going to visit.

Okayama

Vancouver in technicolour (Throwback post)



Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver

At the start of May we flew from Edmonton to Vancouver and immediately noticed the difference that 500 miles makes.


Vancouver

Where still chilly Edmonton was just losing its snowy covering and looking dreary in the slushy brown mud and a few dark evergreens, Vancouver was warm, sunny (a bit too sunny for walking with a heavy backpack), and ablaze with greenery and colourful flowers.



Vancouver

We were staying in an Airbnb near to Commercial Street, which is a real neighbourhood area of town.  There are nice leafy streets of family homes as you go towards Main Street, but around Commercial Street itself, the locals tend to be younger and hipper.  Lots of students and more than the average number of piercings, tattoos and unusual clothing choices!




Vancouver

It was a great area to stay in for a while as it had a cheap cinema, inexpensive places to eat - including St Augustine's, which was excellent for craft beers as well as great value and very tasty wings on Wednesdays - but was still walking distance to Main Street and only a quick bus ride into the centre.
 






Vancouver

We did a bit of touristy stuff here, but mostly just 'lived' here, so. it was good to be near to the shops and bars of Main Street.  We took quite a liking to one bar, although we felt a little out of place at times as I'm sure we were the only people there who didn't have multiple, sizeable tattoos.  We also discovered that Vera's Burgers are very good, and decent value.
 






view from Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver



Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver

Main Street is also home to Queen Elizabeth Park, which has a small aviary at the top of the hill, but more importantly offers a great view over Vancouver.

Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver

Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver

Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver



Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver












When we were there it was graduation day, and this is where they all turned up to have photos taken in their fancy frocks.


Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver

It was certainly a colourful sight, and I rather liked the groups of girls that made the effort to stand according to the shades of colours, or the one group that went for the rainbow sequence.

Gastown, Vancouver

We did spend some time downtown.  The older gas light district was probably the most interesting to walk around.  Of course we needed a few breaks, and made a couple of fortuitous finds.

Gastown, Vancouver

One was East Van Roasters, an artisinal chocolate shop in Gastown that is part of the Rainier Hotel, and aims to give shelter and employment to women with a history of addiction.  They import the cacao beans in their raw state and roast them on site before shelling them and using them to make really excellent chocolate.  We took away a bag of the cacao shells after discovering how tasty and healthy they are infused as a tea.



East Van Roasters, Vancouver

East Van Roasters, Vancouver

Gastown, Vancouver

Our other find was Salt Tasting Room, which was predominately a sherry bar, with an excellent range.

We also had an unexpected surprise in Vancouver, when we got a message from Vanessa and Bert, a couple from Belgium who we met whilst on our Dragoman trip in South America.  They happened to be in Vancouver briefly while we were there, so it was great to meet up with the for a quick drink and to catch up on their news.  We knew they had got married since we last met, and now they were expecting their first baby (which they will have long had by the time I get around to posting this!). So we send our Congratulations to them both.

Kasuga Shrine

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

We liked Nara. It is a pretty, peaceful city, with enough to see, but not so much that you exhaust yourself trying to fit it all in. It has deer. It has nice places to drink, as discussed in our earlier post. And it had a great place for my new favourite food of Tonkatsu, the breaded pork cutlet (in the covered shopping arcade next to Kintetsu Station), which we couldn't help but make a return trip to during our stay.

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

But the food and drink aside, possibly my favourite place in Nara was the Kasuga Taisho, or Shrine, and more specifically, the grounds, with all of its hundreds of moss covered stone lanterns.

The shrine itself was originally built in 768, but in accordance with the Shinto rituals, it was torn down and rebuilt every couple of decades to ensure purity. Thankfully, they stopped doing this around the end of the Edo period, so the current shrine dates back to around the mid 1800s.

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

The lanterns continue inside too, only now in bronze. I would love to be here for one of the twice yearly festivals where they light them all up, as I am sure it would look truly stunning.

As I have no particular wish to make a history lesson out of this

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

post - in honesty my interest here was far more the look of the place than its historical or religious significance - I'll just leave you with some photos to look at.

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

Kasuga Shrine, Nara

Kasuga Shrine, Nara