Day 193 May 21st 2007, Green Fingers - Tsuwano to Okayama


With just over week left in Japan we were back on the road again to try and squeeze in as many of the highlights we missed on our way south. Japan is famous for its gardens and in Okayama is the Korakuen Garden, considered to be one of the top 3 in Japan.


One word required to describe Korakuen - Stunning. The mix of water, classic Japanese architecture, stone work and age old cyprus trees capture your imagination and create a beautiful image of classic Japan.


The gardens name means "taking pleasure later". The name comes from a Chinese proverb that says "the lord must bear sorrow before the people and take pleasure after them". Perhaps this is what Ikeda Tsunamasa, Lord of Okayama, who built the garden did.


The garden completed in 1700 took 23 years to build and centuries of gardening to perfection show in every detail of the garden, not a leaf looks out of place.


Also of Interest in Okayama is the "Peach boy" or Momotarou. Apparently one of the more popular fairy tales in Japan. There a statues including the one below of the little chap and I have included a summary of the tale below. Its a bit like an episode of the A Team but with a monkey, a pheasant and a dog.


"Once upon a time there lived an old man an old woman in the country of Okayama. The old man went everyday into the mountains to cut wood, while his wife would go to the river to wash clothes. One day, while the old woman was down at the river washing clothes, a big peach came floating down the river! It looked so delicious, she decided to take it home for her and her husband to eat.

When the old man came back to their home, the old woman cut the peach open, and to their surprise, there was a small boy inside! They decided to call him Momotaro, which means 'peach boy'.　The old couple raised Momotaro to be big and strong. One day, he decided to go and defeat the ogres living on Ogre Island that were pillaging the land.

The old woman fixed him some delicious millet dumplings, known as kibi-dango, for his long journey to the island. On the way, a monkey, a dog, and a pheasant joined him, giving them a dumpling each in return for their help in fighting the ogres. Upon reaching the Ogre Island, Momotaro and his companions found that the gate was locked to the Ogre's fort.

The pheasant flew inside, and grabbed a key to let the others in. Once inside, they fought the evil ogres. The pheasant pecked their eyes, the dog bit their legs and the monkey jumped on their backs, clawing at the beasts. Finally, the ogres cried for mercy! They gave the strong Momotaro all of their treasure, and he returned to his village triumphantly. Momotaro and the old couple lived happily ever after."

Highlights: Stunning Japanese gardening