Day 8 – Nagoya: Shirotori Garden, Atsuta Shrine, Swords, Osu Shopping Street, and Nagoya Castle

Having checked the weather forecast and finding that it would probably rain in the day I was meant to go to Nagoya, I opted to switch the itinerary.

No time like the present, dear Reader. A non-reserved seat (always cars 1-3) will set you back a little above ¥5000. Any train would do and there are frequent trains departing from Kyoto Station. It is just about 34 min away with the Shinkansen.

I find myself settling to a slower rhythm, after all, our eyes can only record as much, when we are speeding through. So, I decided to visit the Shirotori garden, a short minute walk from Nagoya station. There was hardly anyone about at 09:00 in the morning.

There hasn’t been a city I’ve been so far that didn’t require me to cross a bridge, and this one is no exception. The railings are decorated with irises. It is quite windy but as soon as I enter the garden for the small fee of 300 yen, the trees form a protective shelter.

I meet a bird watcher waiting by the pond, in one of the rest houses. He has already, in the short time since the garden opened (09:00), taken a great shot of a kingfisher perched on one of the wooden pillars. You can hear various birds singing, and if you have the patience for it, you’re bound to see them swoop for a drink of water.

That’s not the case whenever I try to take pictures of birds…Unless it is a duck, and it is sitting, not floating, mind you, and even then…Would you believe avians are not very trusting of humans? I fail to see why, and my aunt Marjorie would call that -at best- temperamental, if not anthropophobic. I was instantly jealous of the lens the aforementioned birdwatcher was using. No need to get too close to the subject, you just zoom in.

The garden is lovely, and it is a nice space to be in, listening to the wind moving between the leaves, and enjoying the seasonal colours. Since autumn is delayed somewhat this year, I only found a handful of trees blushing, the rest firmly holding on to their green canopy.

It has a waterfall, a tea house, a bamboo grove, a grass field with benches under the now flower-less wisteria, and several meandering paths around the koi pond.

I found a fruit tree where several green birds were feeding from. Not sure what they are. Add this to the “I wish I knew more of the flora and fauna that surrounds us” list. Next: the wicked do not rest but they do go to shrines.

Atsuta Shrine

Soon after and very close by I visited the Atsuta Shrine. It’s surrounded by centuries old camphor trees, and it is the place where the sacred sword, Kusanagi no Tsurugi one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan is kept. You’ll be reminded as you go in the exhibition room(for a small fee) that these swords are sacred objects, and that they should be treated with respect.

The small gallery hosts a variety of swords of various length: katana (long sword), wakizashi (short sword), daggers (less heavy), and two ōdachi or magara-dachi swords that measure between 2-3m in length. In the last room we were invited to remove our shoes, step on a wooden platform where four swords are displayed, and try our hand at holding up one of each. No swinging, no dancing around the room, or pretending you’re Kenshin, or a Ronin. Just a small vertical movement. And I report:

Katana is light enough to hold. For like a minute. I would not dare for longer as at the drop of the arm, anything in its path will have an opening. Also, secured as the sword is, resting on two acrylic frames, it is very hard to not hit them, hence the marks and acrylic debris below. In the story Spirits in the Museum or 331 Yōkai, the curator’s first day of training would involve picking up the katana and making sure to not scratch or cut the frames (repeat several times, while holding a book with the other hand, for like, 8 hours).

The long heavy sword was another matter. This was sturdy enough to support at least 5 of the men having Lunch atop a Skyscraper, in 2024. I hate to disappoint my distant relative, Archimedes, but this needs the strength of two random humans, and a less smooth floor to stand on. Alternatively, one of the original handlers. In my case, though assisted by two other women, keen to take on the task, the sword barely moved. In short, none of us turned out to be the lady of the lake, though surrounded by water we were, and some koi, too.

Shrine visited. Goshuin stamp collected – I think the guy who was charged with this task may have regretted his calligraphy skills by the end of day. The queues were long, it was taxing to the eyes, back, and hand, and it was lunchtime already.

Osu Shopping Street

I’d like to start by saying over-consumerism will be the end of us. All things need their proper measure and usually that measure should be one’s pocket, not one’s eye. But when all else fails, there is always (to avoid advertisement here) a Ms Card.

I have committed to help the economy in this trip (not mine), and that is what I have been doing. For I am an avid appreciator of Shakespeare and I shop like all the world is a stage, and I have frequent costume changes, and a make up artist to help me between one act and another. To not say anything about the lighting curator, for that’s where the pitfall of all self portraits lies.

Where was I? The market. This is where I found another treasure trove of kimonos. Both new and used and prices that were colour coded, yellow for less expensive, blue for more. Letter coding to, starting at A=¥500 all the way to F=¥3000. They had all the relevant accessories and so many choices, that I couldn’t decide which piece I wanted in the end. You could get anything from ¥1000-¥18000 in all possible colour combinations. Often too many choices are bad. Alice would agree.

I could spend all day. Thankfully I was pressed for time and walked my way towards the castle, before I blew my budget. Though, I did regret not making one purchase in the end, and if I know myself, it means I’ll be coming back just for this, if nothing else. I did the same in Tokyo.

If kimonos or kimono fabric and accessories is what you are after, do visit. I do recommend you read a bit about sizes, lengths, purpose of the occasion, etc. The staff will help you, but unless you know the language very well, it may be a challenge sometimes to fully convey your wishes. Once you’ve done this twice or thrice, you then develop your own taste and are able to do your own combinations of kimono/obi/accessories.

Nagoya Castle

The original castle was bombed during WWII and the fire and destruction left very few remains – half-buried reminders in the periphery.

Soon after the end of WWII Nagoya Castle was designated as a National Treasure and the decision was made to reconstruct it. This is still a work in progress, and some areas, like the main keep, are not open to visitors.

However, there is plenty to see, and the most beautiful of it all: the Hommaru Palace. Built in the style of Samurai mansions, it has about 30 rooms, beautifully decorated. Everywhere you turn the use of hinoki wood, gold leaf, and elaborate fittings speak of the long hours of work that it took to remake this building from scratch.

It is truly a masterpiece, and as close to the authentic Edo period one as it can be, since historical records allowed for accurate replicas of every little piece that makes the palace.

Going in one has to leave the shoes outside, and follow the corridors. Naturally, it would all be a much more immersive experience if one was to wear traditional clothing – not just the socks – and the light was as it used to be. Then, one would need a reason for being in, and accessing all rooms – without questions asked. That would either be either someone bound by duty (a servant), not restricted by boundaries or rules (a flying spirit/a time traveller), or the filming crew.

The constant flow of people, or the hiccup of all of us stopping, taking pictures, waiting for our turn, did make it feel like we’re putting on a show for the wallpaper, and the assistants. All the action stuck on the fourth wall, while the stage remains empty – the negative space as it were.

Outside the castle a crunchy walk over pebbles, towards the main entrance/exit there was a display of several specimens of chrysanthemums: the annual chrysanthemum exhibition. It turns out these beauties require a lot of water, and care and attention, all of which come in abundance here. I did particularly like the bonsai below:

That was Nagoya, dear Reader. An easy re-visit, and much more to explore. But it’ll do for a start.

*Yukitsuri technique – this involves a bamboo pole and ropes tied around it, and branches, forming a cone frame around the tree. This helps protect the branches from breaking under the weight of the snow during the winter.