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| Lunch in Ueno City |
It was about a two-hour drive with a rest stop at a Lawson conbini (convenience store) so it was disappointing to find, after a long haul, that our first stop, the Gozaisho ropeway, was closed for maintenance. Declan said that, unfortunately, unannounced closings one of those things that happens at tourist destinations here from time to time. It seemed silly, though, that it would be done on a Sunday.
The forced change of plans meant that our stop at the Yuneyama Onsen came ahead of schedule. I've been to onsens before, and am not enamored with them, but it was a nice day and the resort we stopped by had a sheltered outdoor bath for a soak. It was still a cultural adjustment for some to sit in a common bath, no matter how big it is (one declined).
Another long drive before we arrived in Ueno City, stopping by for lunch first at a restaurant that specialized in Hiroshima oysters, then it was off to Ueno Park where the rest of the day's itinerary laid.
The park is where a ninja museum is located so it was part of the large guide map at the entrance. I had to laugh at it. The girl ninja on the sign was of the manga-drawn variety and still looked cute in her bright purple costume while holding a shuriken.
The first stop in the park was the castle. It looked similar in size to the one in Hikone the day before but the walls surrounding it, at 30 meters, are the highest in Japan. Everything seems to be high with this castle. There were quite a few steps to get to the castle entryway. Inside, I was surprised to find the first floor was very spacious with maybe a five meter high ceiling, the highest I've ever seen in a castle. The top floor was interesting too, with the ceiling coverered with watercolour paintings.
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| Iga Ueno Castle | Side view of Iga Ueno Castle wall | Entry hall of Ueno Castle | Watercolor paintings on ceiling of Iga Ueno Castle |
The ninja museum was next. I was a little skeptical about it at first with the park sign and a bit more with the young women guides greeting us at the entrance also purple ninja outfits but it was pretty interesting and informative. I had been to a ninja house before in Kanazawa but this one had much more on display. The ninja show, with its 'Blues Brothers' opening theme, was cheezy but it was fun watching the weapons in action.
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| Hide and seek at Ninja House | Staged fight at Ninja Museum |
Since we missed the ropeway, we were taken to the Danjiri Museum across the street from the park to make up for it. 'Danjiri' turned out to be parade float carts used in Ueno's biggest annual festival. Takayama has a similar museum with more floats but this place was also an Ueno city museum and showcase. As much as it would have been nice to see the view from the top of the ropeway, I'm kind of glad to have seen this place instead.
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| Genkyu-en | Parade display at Danjiri Museum |
A long drive back to Okazaki and we were back at 19:00. It was a good weekend off the normal beaten tourist path but it's time to hit the books again.