Bikan Historical District After Dark

 

The Bikan Historical Quarter is a major tourist attraction in Kurashiki, Okayama.

It developed as a major trading area during the Edo Period when the Kurashiki River allowed easy access to the main trade route of the Inland Sea.

Lined with many white-walled storehouses, now converted into trendy shops, cafes, museums, and accomodations.

The area also includes architecture from later periods.

It is one of the more than 120 Preservation Districts for Traditional Buildings in Japan.

Very, very busy during the daytime, most businesses close in the evening, but a few stay open making a stroll around the area at night much ess crowded and quite atmospheric.

Though many claim this is the best of the historical merchant districts in Japan, I find it a bit too much gentrified and upmarket. Very much a touristy spot, I prefer some of the less-developed merchant districts like Mima in Tokushima or Mimitsu in Miyazaki or even Yanai in Yamaguchi as they retain some of their historical authenticity.

 

The previous post was on the Ohashi House, a wealthy merchants property in the Bikan District.

Floating Garden Observatory at Umeda Sky Building

 

The observation deck on top of Umeda Sky Building in Osaka offers full 360 degree views over Osaka and beyond.

An elevator takes visitors most of the way up, but the final section is by a glass-enclosed escalator that crosses the circular open space high above the ground.

In Japanese it is called Kuchuteien, "floating garden".

The 39th and 40th floors have views but the best are from the open-air rooftop, 170 meters above the ground.

The previous post was on the Umeda Sky Buildings itself.

The view across the Yodo River towards Kobe.

The view towards the Northeast

Not sure what this bridge carries.... maybe utilities of some kind... certainly not any vehicles, trains etc as it just connects to two structures, one of them an NTT building I believe.

Another iconic Osaka building, the Gate Tower Building is a 16 storey office building with an off-ramp of an expressway passing though the building.

The view looking East...

The Osaka Hilton in front of Osaka Station to the SE of Umeda Sky Building.

Below is another iconic Osaka building, the perfect replica of a 14th century Belgian chapel, part of the hotels wedding facilities.

The descending escalator from the observatory.

Ohashi House in Kurashiki

Ohashi House

The Ohashi family were the richest merchant family in Kurashiki.

Their former property in the Bikan Historical Quarter, a Preservation District of Traditional Buildings, is open to the public as a museum.

Though techncally belonging to the merchant class, the lowest of the four classes in Edo Japan, Their residence was set back from the main road with a front garden area, an architectural style that belonged to the highest class, the Samurai.

The property was built in 1796 and includes numerous large storehouses, including one set up as a museum.

The rear of the property was the private family living quarters, and in the front and an area for business and guest accomodations.

The Ohashi family were earlier a samurai family who served the Toyotomi, but following their defeat chose to become merchants.

They traded in salt and rice promarily and later moved into banking and moneylending.

As the Edo Period progressed more and more samurai became poorer, and some merchants became richer, leading many of them to financially support the samurai and in return receive benefits of status.

The Bikan district of Kurashiki became the main port of the domain, though quite a distance from the sea, the canals and river enabled the transhioment of many good and products.

The previous post was on the gardens of the Ohashi House.

Onomatopia

Goods From Japan

Fudoin Temple 6 Shikoku Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage

 

Friday, December 23rd, 2016, the start of day 5 of my walk along the Shikoku Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage.

The first 4 days I had walked up the Yoshino River in Tokushima along the north bank, and now I was heading back downriver along the south bank.

First stop was Temple 6 of the pilgrimage, Fudo-in, still within Miyoshi City, and pretty much directly opposite Temple number 4, Hashikura, on the mountain slope on the opposite bank.

In the grounds is a Fudo Myoo, a Mizuko Jizo, and a Kannon. The temple is also number 17 on the Awa Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage.

It is a fairly modern temple, being established in 1897 and built in 1902. It is a Shingon temple and the honzon is a Fudo Myoo.

It is said to have been carved in the early 12th century by the monk Kakuban, who separated from Koyasan and founded the Negoroji Temple, where he is buried.

The statue and the temple name were transferred from a temple down below Koyasan in Wakayama. In early Meiji it was illegal to establish new temples so many temples were "transferred" from other places where they may have been abandoned or fallen into disuse.

I am not sure when it became legal to establish new temples, but I reem to remember quite a few temples Ive visited being set up by finding an abandoned one in another part of the country and transferring the name.

Inside the main hall.

The Fudo Myoo honzon said to be carved by Kakuban.

The previous post in this series was on the suspension bridge a little ways upstream.