Mary and I checked out of the hotel around 9 (although due to a miscommunication we weren't picked up until nearly 10) and headed back to the homestead to get ready for the day's fun, which was to go to Matsuyama Castle (although Ozu has a castle as well, Matsuyama's castle has more historical significance and was older than the local one). As we pulled into Matsuyama, uncle Koichi pulled into a delicious ramen shop, where I ordered miso ramen.
Can someone say, "delicious?"
We then drove over to where we would head up to the castle and handed over the car to a parking garage from the FUTURE!!!
Talk a bout a space saver.
We also took the time to take some funny pictures.
Apparently we're the main characters from a famous novel from Matsuyama called Botchan.
Look! We're married!
In order to get to the castle we had to take a chair lift of sorts, as the castle proper is up on top of a mountain, but once we had arrived, we were afforded a gorgeous view of Matsuyama city and some islands of the Inland Sea, seto-naikai 瀬戸内海.
The Inland Sea is the setting for a famous Japanese historical story, the Tale of Heike.
We're wearing our new duds we bought the other day. Mine's a Kikkoman Soy Sauce shirt.
We proceeded to the castle proper, which unlike Osaka Castle was not renovated to be strictly a museum (though there were some exhibits inside). It was rebuilt after a fire in 1856, but it hasn't really been renovated since (save for putting in electricity, etc), so it had a much older feel than Osaka Castle.
Here! Enjoy the photo dump!
The armor of the guy who built the castle.
An inner courtyard of the castle as seen from a two-story bailey.
We made a little friend too! Chirp!
Once we had seen the entire castle, we slowly made our way back to the car garage and began our trip back home. I snapped a picture of an old trolley car that is still in use in Matsuyama.
Oh! And I got a sweet souvenir, as well!
That's right, a katanumbrella! Rain ninjas don't stand a chance against me now!
We bought takeout dinner and went to a bookstore (so I could finish getting all the books I need for classes). After we got home, Mary and I took one last walk around her town. Before long, it was time to leave. I said goodbye to my newly-met family and hopped on the bus again. The bus had scarcely departed before I started longing to return. I love Ozu. I love my wife. I love her family. I look forward to my return, someday.
What a wonderfully remarkable experience! Yes, return very soon.
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