Adventures in Tsumago.
Thursday, June 7th
We began today with a traditional breakfast. We then spent time walking around the shops of Tsumago that sold little trinkets, groceries, and treats.
Arrival in Inuyama.
Thursday, June 7th
We arrived late in Inuyama. We found a ramen shop that was open, but the rest of the small town had shut down for the night. We checked into our hotel, and since it was night, we thought that we would not get much of a view. But Inuyama Castle is lit up at night and we could see the castle very clearly from our room.
Friday, June 8th
We walked around Inuyama’s city streets in the morning and went to the castle. In Japanese, inu means “dog” and yama means “mountain.” The mascot for the town was a little dog dressed in traditional Japanese male attire complete with a little bun on his head. He was plastered everywhere around the city.
MAP_Tsumago Inuyama
From Tsumago to Inuyama
MAP_Inuyama
City map of Inuyama
Dinner
Dinner in Inuyama. Noodles here make wonderful late night dinners.
Ice Cream in Japan
From left to right: Green tea, strawberries and cream, Chocolate and vanilla mix, sakura(a type of flower), and “benira” or vanilla.
Ice Cream in Japan
This place had all sorts of fruity ice cream! Chris and I went by the pictures when ordering… but even then, there were things we didn’t recognize!
Chestnut Treats
In Japan, chestnuts are very popular ingredients in snacks. This pastry looks like a chestnut and has a creamy chestnut filling.
Food
There always seems to be good food everywhere here!
Toilets
Toilets in Japan are always very futuristic. It seemed no matter where we were, the toilets would always have heated seats and a control panel for the built in bidet.
Inuyama Castle
The view of Inuyama Castle from our hotel room at night.
Inuyama Castle
A close-up of the Castle from our room.
Inuyama Castle
The daytime view of the castle from our room.
Inuyama Castle
The streets of Inuyama
Lanterns
The lanterns that hang on local stores and restaurants are always pretty.
Tori Gates
A row of tori gates leading to the shrine.
Tori Gates
Chris in the middle of the Tori gates.
Kanji
Japanese writing on a sign.
Inuyama Castle
The front of the castle.
Inuyama Castle
The view off of the top of the castle.
Inuyama Castle
A cemetery that can be seen from Inuyama
Inuyama Castle
Notice how the steps are almost the entire length of my shins… and you know I am taller than most Japanese people. The stairs were designed to be high, narrow, and unevenly spaced so that invading armies would trip and fall if they tried to run up the stairs.
Inuyama Castle
This is Wanmaru-kun. He is the mascot of Inuyama. He is a dog dressed like the lord of a castle. His image was everywhere!
Inuyama Castle
Inuyama Mascot – Wanmaru-kun again!
Inuyama Castle
Melon cream soda is the best!
Inuyama Mascot
The most popular breed of dog in Japan was the Akita. They were everywhere, especially in Inuyama.
Inuyama Mascot
Another Akita!