Today’s Chronicles can be found here.
This morning finds us in beautiful, inscrutable Japan:
No time for dilly-dallying. We have a date with destiny – and with Japanese immigration. Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up to Arts Cafe for a quick breakfast, then back to our staterooms to put the final touches on our kit.
We are bound on the Nakatsu Waterfall Hike today. From Silversea’s promotional material:
“Walking along a gentle walkway that includes steppingstones and idyllic small bridges, traverse a beautiful valley where the stone likenesses of seven deities – Bishamonten, Ebisuten, Benzaiten, Daikokuten, Fukurokuju, Jurojin, and Hotei Osho – are enshrined, welcoming visitors to their domain and watching over the changing of the seasons. Keep your eyes peeled for them; some are shyer than others.”
After our latest overly-expensive excursion in Busan, we are admittedly somewhat gun-shy. How many passengers might Silversea attempt to cram on this excursion? Will we be serenaded by aspiring buskers throughout the bus ride? Have we missed something in the fine print that might mean that this tour will be spent mostly in a textiles factory?
The only path forward is through, so down the gangplank we shall go – just as soon as the gangplank opens. Laura in Reception gently informs us that we haven’t yet been cleared into Japan, so we will need to cool our heels just a little bit longer.
But – there aren’t any teeming masses yearning to board our bus yet, so we can count ourselves lucky on that account.
The ball drops, and we are given the green light to head ashore. We have heard horror stories – including from @highplanesdrifter, if memory serves – in which Japanese immigration took an innordinate time to process passengers. No such issues here – there are more customs officers than passengers, and indeed our family is split amoung multiple customs officers in order to process us even faster.
(The adults are required to provide biometrics, but no such requirement for children.)
We’d been warned earlier of the importance of carrying Japanese currency, so my wife wisely reminds me that we need to acquire some before departure if possible. I’d prefer an ATM but there are only bill-converting machines available, so I use one of those instead. The spread is amost 10% but that only works out to US$7 for a US$70 changeover. We’ll sort the rest later – I take a crisp 10,000 yen note along with a handful of coins, and head out on my way.
We board our short-ish bus, which leaves us feeling cautiously optimistic that the numbers may not as bad as we fear – and indeed they are not. As our guide reports, “We have 12 people, and Joshua [Future Cruise Manager].” We confidently assert that Joshua is people too – and mentally pat ourselves on the back for picking the same excursion as the most expedition-oriented of Future Cruise Managers.
(Not to mention that this same tour is offered on our Osaka to Manila segment on the Silver Cloud 15 months hence which Joshua will also be on. Perhaps he’s scouting it out?)
We have roughly an hour’s drive until we reach the Nakatsu River, which gives our guide time to further elaborate regarding the seven deities that watch over this gorge – all of which I carefully tuck away so that I can break up the pictures later in this post.
Our guide Soka does mention that the yellow license plates mean that the vehicle is a Kei car, one of the compact vehicles that are tax advantaged and make up a significant portion of sales. But to qualify they need to have less than 660 cc – or a 0.66 litre engine, less than some scooters – and not exceed some very squishy dimensions. They nevertheless account for roughly 1/3 of vehicle sold.
There’s a brief stop for a bio-break midway through the journey – where some women in our group are introduced to the joy of an electronically heated toilet seat. Most of the rest of us are busy admiring one of Japan’s many vending machine, which apparently has the ability to dispense both cold pop and hot coffee. Will wonders never cease?
We carry on, and reach the Nakatsu river roughly 1 hour and 15 minutes after we set off. No complaints here, as the ride was quite scenic. No photos, but it was remarkable seeing the early stages of the sakura (cherry blossums) and some low-lying clouds hovering above the river valleys.
We reach Nakatsu, where we are introduced to our naturalist guides and begin the hike.
But first, a visit to the local shrine:
I’ve decided that I like the little, local shrines most of all. There’s something incredibly heartfelt about them. Much less pomp and circumstance – just people hoping and offering.
There are also some great local advertisements:
Onwards and upwards:
Oh, yes. I promised you gods, and gods you shall have. Here is the first:
First up we have Bishamonten, a prominent Buddhist deity and one of the four heavenly kings. He is associated with wealth, prosperity, and fighting.
Onward we continue along a wide range of bridges, both with and without handrails:
Next we have Ebisuten, the Shinto god of good fortune, prosperity, and wealth – particularly revered as the patron of fishermen and merchants.
We come across another god:
Benzaiten is the goddess of that which flows – music, art, eloquence, and water. She is commonly portrayed bearing a lute.
And what of the tour itself? It’s pretty good. Our main naturalist doesn’t have the best English, so it can be difficult to understand him at times. This is mildly frustrating as we are stopping a lot so that he can epostulate on various aspects of the river.
Daikokuten is the god of wealth, agriculture, commerce, and prosperity. He is often depicted with a sack and a magic mallet – like a combination of Santa and Thor, I imagine.
On to our next god:
Fukurokuju is the god of wisdom and longevity. He is the only one of the gods with the ability to resurrect the dead – which is something I could see being shared sparingly.
And then we come across an absolutely massive Japanese worm:
It really is that iridescent colour – not a filter
Almost all of the stone and concrete is covered with a range of rich green moss:
Eventually we reach a certain flow – I hang out at the back with the other naturalist guide, taking photos and having her point out plants and animals and catching up to the group in fits and starts.
And the trail itself? Pretty scenic. I’d put it roughly on par with the gorge hike we did in the Atacama in terms of natural beauty, though there’s no comparison in terms of the physical effort invovled. This is marketed by Silversea as a four-star, physically-fit excursion but I’d put it on par with the least-extensive of the Silversea Expedition hikes.
Will this hike be identical on the Cloud Expedition – possibly not as it’s marketed as being about 1 km longer and taking less time. This is intriguing as there are other trails in the area.
The bridges are quite something, though. No hand rails, and largely done in concrete so they blend in with the natural environment. They’re quite pretty.
I seem to be missing a god – Jurojin is a Chinese Taoist god of longevity, and is typically depeicted with a staff or a fan. The scroll tied to his staff contains the lifespan of all living beings.
But I have this one instead:
Which may be another Buddhist god by the name of Fudō Myōō.
But there is still one more:
Hotei Osho is generally known as the happy Buddha, laughing Buddha, or fat Buddha. He is the god of contentment, happiness, and abundance.
And eventually we come to the waterfall itself – Uryu Falls, commonly known as the Dragon Water. I borrow some inspiration from @Fletcher and attempt a long exposure:
Not bad, but definitely time to purchase a tripod or monopod as opposed to resting my camera up on a post and using my phone as an additional prop to get the elevation roughly right.
Back down the trail we go:
Passing some Japanese river dippers as we go:
As well as some some fish – possibly an amago:
And we’re soon back at the pick-up spot. Because you know what you want after a hike? That’s right – ice cream!
Off we go to Ikegawa Chaen, a not-too-distant ice cream producer / tea shop / sweet shop that uses predominantly local ingredients.
A brief walk to the shop, and hints of the sakura blossums yet to come:
The kids are a bit leery of the menu – and the green tea ice cream – but thankfully they also have a ‘toasted tea’ flavour available.
And they love it! Even better, the ice cream is included as part of this tour so I can keep my yen for future purchases.
It’s a cute little shop, too.
We thoroughly enjoy our victory snack along the river, munching on ice cream and enjoying the better-than-expected Spring weather, and the blooms:
One more look along the Niyodo River:
It’s going to be stunning once sakura season is in full swing
Then we hop back on the bus, and our guide provides some more commentary before reading us the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, an interesting bit of Japanese folklore.
We’re doing our best to pay attention, but we’ve turned our attention to the Kochi Castle – and how we’re going to get there before the Moon leaves in a few hours time. And it just so happens that the next shuttle is at 1:30 pm, and we’re due to return to port somewhere around 1:25 pm.
But before that, the verdict. I’m going to give this tour a 9 out of 10. It was expensive for what it was – US$349 per person – and the lead guide’s English wasn’t 100%. But… the second naturalist was immensely helpful in pointing out valuable sights, and our primary guide was there whenever anyone needed her.
Don’t get me wrong – I would have loved to have tromped about twice as far, but that wasn’t a good fit with this ship or the group as a whole. With a total walking / hiking distance of 3.2 km, there were already those who struggled with the route. Which I know isn’t really an excuse, but – hey – when on a classic cruise, it’s not entirely fair to judge everyone by expedition standards.
But again – to be clear – everyone on this tour met the expectations set out, and there were clear contingency plans in case anyone needed to turn back. No one did. So we’ll call it a win, shall we?
Back to our amazing race, with the clock ticking ever onward as the shuttle departure comes closer and closer still. We pull into the cruise terminal at 1:22 pm, and I frantically dash over to grab our seats on the bus and – we make it, with time to spare.
The shuttle drops us off at Harimayabashi Bus Terminal, in the middle of town. From here we walk toward Kochi Castle – with Hirome Market as our likely destination for a late lunch.
Google Maps seems to be lagging a few minutes behind, so we take a few wrong turns along the way. We come across a playground full of kids who want to practice their English with us. They are also very keen to exchange fist bumps. It’s a welcome sign that we’re in a less touristy area.
And – eventually we reach Hirome Market:
We attempt to enlist our iPhones to help us translate some of the food options.
The best we manage with the chicken shop is chicken “deep-fried from the bandit.”
Exhibit A
So instead I point at the chicken and hold up six fingers. I think our proprietress would have been fine with English, but I’m trying to stick to Japanese (and charades) as much as possible.
I’m grateful that my wife reminded me to change some US dollars into yen – the shop here does not take credit cards.
One of the delicacies here is seared tuna, so we pick up some of that as well along with a range of kushikatsu or fried meats:
And – it’s all very good. The kushikatsu turns out to be pork and some sort of fish or crab cake – which is tasty, but not as exceptional as the chicken. Our daughter likes the fried chicken so much that we pick up one more piece for her to munch on as we walk.
From here, it’s less than a 10 minute walk to Kochi Castle.
As noted by Visit Kochi:
“Constructed at the beginning of the 17th century, Kochi’s castle is the only one in Japan where the original castle tower and main keep remain intact. After centuries of surviving wars, fires, and other catastrophes, it is one of the last twelve original castles in Japan, and is designated an Important National Cultural Property. Keep an eye out for all of the intricate details of the castle architecture, like the statues of the legendary shachi sea creatures (half fish, half dragon), gazing down on the city from the roof.”
Sounds like the ideal bonus excursion to us – and perhaps we’ll even spot some of the early-blooming sakura.
It’s good that we got here by 2:45 pm – ticket sales can close as early as 3 pm, though they will sometimes be extended if it’s not a particularly busy day. Tickets cost roughly 500 yen (less than US$4) per person, and children are free. They accept credit cards, though I use this as an opportunity to break one of my larger bills.
Shoes need to be removed before entering the castle. They have small lockers available at no added charge.
We start by admiring some of the historic elements from the castle:
And the beautiful architecture.
We soon climb upwards, where we see miniature models of how life (and death) around the castle unfolded:
The kids really enjoy these. Only a fraction of the material is translated into English, so it would be worthwhile to visit with a guide / historian.
Upward we climb:
Upper floors discuss the castle’s restoration:
And the top level is open for visitors to walk around the outside. It’s a remarkable view:
The shachi sea creatures are clearly visible from here:
The castle’s ancient architecture stands in sharp contrast to the modern Japan below:
But soon it’s time to descend the castle. There are some more historic stories in the wings, but unfortunately we’ll need to be getting back soon. Perhaps we can find a documentary once we get home.
I enjoy seeing the top entries into a photo competition:
Time to catch up with my family:
And I find them out near the black gate:
There’s little sign of the sakura blooming here, unfortunately – it’s still just a bit too early in the season.
We circle round the other direction as we slowly make our way to the exit:
Snapping a few more photos of the castle as we go:
And then it’s time to head back to the Moon.
We briefly consider taking the shuttle bus, but it’s another 20 minute walk back to the bus terminal and it’s already been a long day. So we opt for a taxi instead.
There had been a line of taxis just outside the castle grounds when we first arrived, but now there are none to be seen. Thankfully, I installed the Go app on my phone when we first arrived in Japan. It functions in a similar fashion to Uber, but connects you to a taxi instead.
And – it works pretty well! We page a taxi, and we see the driver with the appropriate number plate pull up a few minutes later. We even manage to pay him using the app.
The blissful view from a car I don’t have to drive
The ride takes 25 minutes and costs roughly US$25, which seems like a pretty good deal to us. We even make it back in time for bingo, and we get both participation points and a third place result for one of our daughter’s cards.
Then time for trivia. None of our usual team members are back so we elect to go it alone. We correctly identify the Greek goddess of love (Aphrodite) and what PS stands for (post script) but learn that the currency of Syria is the Syrian pound and that “good morning” in Spanish is still “buenos dias.” We are one point away from a podium finish. Ah, well – we’ll get them next time.
Back to the room to bid adieu to Kochi and watch sailaway:
We let the kids pick the spot for dinner, and they surprise us by choosing SALT Kitchen.
Tonight’s menu:
My wife starts with the vegetarian dumplings:
I have the chicken tempura but it’s so good that I forget to photograph it
Then move on to the ramen soup:
And finish with the kasutera cake:
Very tasty. Definitely one of the top highlights of classic cruising. We will definitely miss the SALT program when next we board an expedition ship.
But in the mean time, we will busy ourselves with other travel plans – our arrival in Osaka tomorrow morning, and our trip to Universal Studios Japan.