The next morning, our
hosts took us to see the Odawara Castle on our way to the Odawara
train station where we will catch the shinkansen (bullet train) to
Kyoto. We parked down in the left hand corner of the map on the
right and then followed the green path to the castle donjon and
then on to the station. |
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We came in by way of
the South gate. We were fortunate to grab the last parking spot
before the lot closed.
Take note of the
wooden torii gate arching over the entrance which indicates this
is a Shinto shrine. |
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There were hundreds
of kindergarteners touring the castle as well. Without exception,
they all wore red jumpers with different colored caps to denote
the class. Here, we had to stop for a few minutes while class
photos were taken. |
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Once again, we purchased
fortunes. Mine was merely good, but Jennifer's was very, very bad. But,
once again, we're offered a way to cancel the fortune by placing it into a
chamber on that stand behind Jennifer. Notice the zigzag paper strips
(shime) used to sanctify the cursed fortunes hanging from the beams.
Also note those cursed flag staffs <grin> that we must now carry
with us for the rest of the trip. |
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The first Odawara
castle was built around 1200 AD. Since then, it had been destroyed
and rebuilt several times.
Pictured is the Odawara donjon, the principle structure of the
castle. It is a reconstruction built in 1959 based on the original
design. Inside are displayed suits of Japanese armor, tools,
weapons and the model from which this reconstruction is based. |
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Photographs were not
allowed in the donjon itself, but once I reached the upper
balcony, I was allowed to take pictures of the surrounding area.
Notice all the kindergarteners in the red jumpers. |
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After we finished our
tour of the castle, we continued on to the Odawara train station.
For our trip, we had purchased a 7 day rail pass for each of us
which would allow unlimited use of the JR railroads, buses and
ferries for the next week. |
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Non-passengers are not
allowed on the train platform so our hosts purchased tickets for
themselves so that they could see us off. The Japanese as a whole are the
most helpful and courteous people I have ever met. Our host family had
spared no expense or trouble to make our experience a priceless one. I
know that without their help, our trip to Japan would not have been nearly
as expansive or informative.
But for the next 7 days, we
would be entirely on our own in this strange new world.
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