Spooky

Catching up after a lovely holiday to Shikoku with TeaLuke

Ah, so many blips today! Very hard to choose just one, but at least I have Luke's journal (see the above link, of my lovely samuraied boyfriend) to show another side to the day.

We visited Matsuyama castle first, a very impressive fortress built on a hill, with many fascinating tricks and turns designed to keep out intruders. Luke got a chance to try on his armour, and we both got to try the local speciality, "taruto" (a kind of swiss roll, filled with red bean jam and a hint of yuzu, a famous citrus from Shikoku).

Next, we visited a temple that was on the henro (Shikoku pilgrimage) circuit. A beautiful courtyard hid a weird and spooky interior - a cave, filled with many small statues and dimly lit, which led to a huge and deserted golden sphere almost hidden in the trees beyond. This picture was taken from inside the mandala, which had beautiful acoustics, although, again, left us feeling strangely uneasy. Felt very Raiders of the Lost Ark...

A trip to Dogo onsen in the evening, which was very crowded - never had to hover naked before, not sure that I'm that amenable to it.