Okayama Castle

This morning we walked down to Okayama Castle, which perches on the banks of the Asahi River and earns its nickname Crow Castle from its black walls. The five floors of the interior host a really interesting exhibition about the history of the place and the shogun warlords who built and lived in it. The current building is a faithful replica of the original which, like many Japanese historic buildings, was destroyed in WWII.

We particularly enjoyed a short film about a famous battle between 3 warring warlords and the chance to see Samurai armour and handle some of the weapons. Couldn’t get over how small the people were in those days.

Afterwards we crossed the river to the Koraku-en Gardens, understandably rated one of the three great gardens in Japan (see first extra).

We had a quick pit stop in a cafe by the river from where the main photo was taken, before catching a tram back to the station and a train to Kurashiki, which was once a centre of the rice trade with goods transported on barges up the rivers and canals.

These days the old storehouses are souvenir shops and the canals transport tourists but it’s still very pretty with the colourful parasols and weeping willows.

Tonight we ate in a restaurant where staff spoke little English but with the help of two kind local ladies at the next table and Google Translate, we had a lovely meal, part of which involved cooking our own stir fry at the table.