Negoroji (Henro 82) and Ritsurin Koen　根香寺、栗林公園

April 2^nd. 2024

A second night at Takarada no Sato is uneventful but we linger and explore the shop when it opens. It has an impressive selection of local veg. The asparagus and shiitake being particularly tempting but useless to us. The bonsai were interesting, and we did buy bread from the bakery for tonight’s dinner. It has the seal of approval.

Negoroji temple

From the michi no eki we went to Negoroji Temple, Henro number 82. This was a well-maintained place with interesting and unusual features. Notably, a kind of rectangular corridor housing thousands of small figures dimly lit by ornate lanterns. I have never seen anything similar.

There were a few Henro pilgrims chanting and lighting candles before setting off to the next temple on a path leading up into the forest.
Many of the Henro pilgrims drive around the route and a surprising percentage of the genuine walkers are western.

There is also a large statue of a demon (Bull Devil) among the trees. This is a representation of a demon that used to live in the vicinity and devour villagers until dispatched by some devout archer. I cannot vouch for the veracity of this story.

Ritsurin Koen

From Negoroji Temple we move on to Ritsurin Koen Garden in Takamatsu. This famous park is in the city centre and, as it is cherry blossom season, parking is at a premium but there are many pay carparks.

The koen is some 400 hundred years old and is the largest Cultural Garden Property in Japan. It has a number of large ponds and over 1000 carefully tended Pine trees. There are cherry trees and various other notable features. It even offers boat trips. We content ourselves with a picnic lunch, wandering the spacious grounds and are pleased to see a kingfisher and an unusual turtle.

This park is well worth a visit, one of the best municipal gardens I’ve seen.

＊Ritsurin Koen : 410 yen / adult

We had planned to visit Kamiyama town onsen, but it is not functional, so we go to michi no eki Itano. This is a large open place with sizable restaurants. The facilities are good and modern, and the parking adjacent, important as rain is forecast.