Hubby takes a trip down memory lane

As I wrote in the previous post, on 15th August, the last day of our trip to hubby’s ancestral home (jikka), we visited my late mother-in-law’s grave to offer our prayers, and also visited various schools where hubby studied and made a base for his future. In the evening we returned back to Akita. Today I will write about this day.

In the morning of 15th August, my father-in-law and his wife went to play golf with several relatives of hubby. Hubby stayed back home as he was tired due to playing golf the previous day in the hot and extreme humid weather of Aichi prefecture. I guess he got used to the cool weather of northern Japan where we live. Hubby and I got up rather late that morning. Later we prayed at the family altar at home to commemorate our ancestors and welcome the soul of my late mother-in-law and the spirits of all the ancestors, which is the purpose of Obon Buddhist event. Hubby lit incense sticks and read some sutras.

Family altar at home

Family altar

Hubby praying at the family altar

After having breakfast, hubby borrowed his father’s car and we moved around in Ichinomiya city the entire morning. First we visited my mother-in-law’s grave to offer our prayers. Hubby cleaned the gravestone with water, and then offered flowers and lit some incense sticks.

My late mother-in-law’s grave

Me praying at mother-in-law’s grave

Hubby standing near his mother’s grave

Next hubby took a trip down memory lane. Needless to say, I went along with him for the ride. We visited the hospital where he was born and also visited various schools where he studied. Hubby was rather excited to visit all these places. These places were near hubby’s jikka in Ichinomiya city itself. First we visited the hospital where hubby was born. Nomura hospital is a clean little hospital. Several decades ago it was a prominent hospital in my father-in-law’s neighborhood. There is a famous incident story amongst all the relatives that while my late mother-in-law gave birth at the hospital, my father-in-law was busy playing Mahjong and could not be contacted for several hours. My hubby is the first born child of my mother-in-law. She went into labor all of a sudden and had a difficult delivery. The doctor tried to ring up my father-in-law many times to inform him about the birth of a son. Apparently, my father-in-law did not hear the phone ring as he was very focused on playing Mahjong with friends and relatives. The doctor could finally contact my father-in-law after several hours. The doctor was very angry with him and scolded him a lot! I have heard this story from many relatives of hubby including my father-in-law himself!

Nomura hospital

Another view of Nomura hospital

After this, we visited various schools where hubby studied in his childhood. First let me briefly write about the school education system of Japan. Children enter yochien (kindergarten) school at age four for two years of education. Yochien education is not compulsory. Next the children enter first grade of shogakko (elementary school) at age six. There are six grades in elementary school. Chugakko (junior-high school) covers grades seven, eight, and nine, and 12 to 14-year-old children study in chugakko. Education in shogakko and chugakko is compulsory. Kotogakko (high school) covers grades ten to twelve, and 15 to 17-year-old children study in kotogakko. High school education is not compulsory, though 99% of junior-high school graduates enter high school.

Hubby wished to visit his yochien school but unfortunately the school does not exist anymore. So we went to see his elementary school. Hubby was very happy to see the shogakko he attended for six years. However, he was a bit surprised to see the school building as he thought it was much larger in size. Well all those years ago, the building might have looked large from the perspective of a 6-7 year old child.

Elementary school of hubby

Another view of elementary school

Playground of elementary school

Next, we visited the junior-high school that hubby attended for three years. He talked about many pleasant and naughty memories of the school-days.

Front gate of junior-high school of hubby

Backside gate of junior-high school

Playground and buildings of junior-high school

Buildings of junior-high school

Later we visited the high school that hubby attended for three years. The school was rather big with many buildings and a big playground.

Front gate of high school of hubby

Another view of high school

Side gate of high school

Playground and a building of high school

There was a twinkle and sparkle in hubby’s eyes when he talked about his high-school days. It was a pleasure to listen to his high-school memories. He had a close friends’ circle of five boys and whatever they did, they were always together in it. There were school and class excursions during his junior-high and high school days, and they often visited various castles to learn about the history of Japan. It seems that he and his friends would climb the walls of the castles like a samurai warrior and take photos for the sake of memory. Recently hubby showed me a photo of his school-days where he and his friends posed while climbing the wall of Himeji castle. Apparently he is still following and continuing the tradition of climbing the walls of the castles even after a few decades. A few months back hubby and I had been to Goryokaku fort in Hakodate city of Hokkaido. I was amazed at the swiftness with which hubby climbed the wall of the fort and told me to take a photo of him while he climbed the wall. Old habits die hard!

Hubby (first from left) at the age of 16 with his high school friends

Hubby (first from right) and his friends climbing the wall of Himeji castle at the age of 16

Hubby climbing the wall of Goryokaku fort in July 2009

While driving back from his high school towards jikka, hubby talked very enthusiastically about his passion for boxing sports during his high-school days. He was so much in love with the sports that he pasted the photo of Mike Tyson in the backside last page of his ‘gakusei techo’ (student diary) and wrote his own name in the diary as ‘Mike Kazuo Tyson’. He also wrote the name of Richie Giachetti as his guarantor as well as boxing trainer. It is really funny and amusing! He still keeps that diary and the front page photo of hubby when he was just 17 years old is so cute. Unfortunately he could not continue his passion for the sports and opted instead to go for higher education and eventually earned a Ph.D. degree in Physics, which is very different from his dream of becoming a professional boxer. Hubby is still very enthusiastic about the sports and just a few days back he practiced boxing with his cousin brother when we visited Tatsu-chan’s home. Time permitting he still practices boxing punches by using me as a sandbag!

Photo of hubby in his high school diary at the age of 17

Backside page of hubby’s high school diary

Hubby (right) practicing boxing with his cousin brother on August 13, 2009

After visiting hubby’s schools, we returned back to jikka. My father-in-law and his wife had also returned home after playing golf. It was almost 1 pm and we all went to a nearby Chinese restaurant to have lunch. After lunch we took rest at jikka for an hour or so. We were to return back to Akita in the evening by flight. At about 4 pm, my father-in-law gave us a ride up to Komaki airport. We reached the airport rather early and so hubby and I walked up to a nearby museum called Ichiro museum, where baseball goods of Ichiro Suzuki are on display. Ichiro is a famous Major League baseball outfielder for the Seattle Mariners whose hometown is in Aichi prefecture. Unfortunately, the museum was closed as it was already past 5 pm. We took several photos of the museum building.

Ichiro museum building

Another view of Ichiro museum building

Sign of ‘Office Ichiro’ in the museum building

Sign of ‘Exhibition room’ in the museum building

The flight to Akita was at 6.50 pm and we got a beautiful view of dusk above the clouds from the aero-plane window. We reached Akita airport at about 8 pm and reached our home by 9.30 pm. The Obon holidays were really nice for hubby and me.

View of dusk from the window of aero-plane

Goryokaku Park

On the last day of our three day sightseeing trip, i.e. on 20th July, hubby and I did sightseeing at Goryokaku Park in Hakodate city of the island of Hokkaido. After having buffet style breakfast at Hotel Grantia Hakodate Goryokaku, we checked out of the hotel. We left our baggage at the front desk of the hotel as the park was just a five minute walk from the hotel. Before writing about our sightseeing experiences, I will introduce the history of the Goryokaku Fort and Goryokaku Tower, as well as a brief biography of Toshizo Hijikata, a prominent person related to the history of Goryokaku Fort.

Our breakfast at the hotel

Me standing in front of Hotel Grantia Hakodate Goryokaku

History of Goryokaku Fort
Goryokaku Park is the site of ruins of star-shaped Goryokaku Fort. It was the main fortress of the short-lived Republic of Ezo (northern Japan). The history of Goryokaku Fort dates back to 1853 when a US fleet arrived at a Japanese port, which is referred to as the ‘arrival of black ships’. Succumbing to the demands of US that Japan open its doors to the rest of the world, the Tokugawa shogunate opened Hakodate port for international trade in 1854. Aiming to maintain governance over Hakodate, the Tokugawa shogunate instituted the office of Hakodate Magistrate, which promoted industrial development while strengthening the defensive capabilities of the area. When the magistrate’s office building was later moved, Ayasaburo Takeda, a researcher of Dutch studies, was ordered to design a new fort. He devised a fort modeled after European citadel towns and adopted elements of the designs of French architect Vauban. The star shaped Goryokaku Fort was constructed from 1857 to 1864, and was the first western style fortress in Japan with an ability to withstand damage from modern weapons like cannon.

There was an upheaval during the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate. Discontent with the shogunate, which bowed to the US demands, escalated into a campaign to overthrow the shogunate. The campaign led to the outbreak of Boshin war. With the restoration of Meiji Imperial rule and the surrender of the Edo castle, the Tokugawa shogunate was in an extremely difficult position. Under those circumstances, Takeaki Enomoto, a vice-admiral in the Tokugawa shogunate’s navy, led a fleet consisting of various military units to Ezo and occupied Goryokaku Fort. In December 1868, Enomoto and his men established a provisional government and reclaimed northern Japan as a shogun Republic of Ezo. However, in the spring of the following year, the new Meiji government sent troops to the area and launched attacks against the forces consisting of Tokugawa shogunate followers, thereby causing the outbreak of the Battle of Hakodate. Despite the strong resistance of Toshizo Hijikata and his experienced troops, Goryokaku Fort was placed under siege by the new government forces, which finally forced the Army forces of the shogunate to surrender on May 17, 1869. Goryokaku Fort fell into the hands of new Meiji government and much of it was reduced to ruins. Goryokaku Fort was opened to the public as a park in 1914, serving as a place for relaxation and recreation for the people of Hakodate. In 1952, it was designated as a special historic site by the national government. Now only the walls of the Goryokaku Fort remain in the park. But in the spring over 1500 cherry trees bloom in the park, making it a famous tourist destination.

A short biography of Toshizo Hijikata
Toshizo Hijikata was born in Tokyo in 1835 into the family of a wealthy farmer. In 1863, he was recruited into a band of masterless swordsmen to escort the shogun going to Kyoto. Hijikata’s group evolved into the famous Shinsengumi, a small-built and talented Japanese military, to maintain the public peace of Kyoto. Hijikata eventually became the deputy leader of Shinsengumi. Power was restored to the Emperor in 1867, but the Shinsengumi and some shogunate forces rebelled and fighting erupted in Kyoto. The rebels, overpowered and losing, retreated to Tokyo, Aizu, Sendai, and Hakodate. Hijikata met and befriended Takeaki Enomoto in Sendai, and after merging forces they made their way to Hakodate and overtook Goryokaku Fort. In 1869 in the battle of Hakodate, Hijikata served as one of the men of Enomoto and led 3000 troops against the Imperial forces. However, his troops were outgunned. On 11th May, Hijikata boldly left Goryokaku Fort to back up his comrades and was shot dead.

History of Goryokaku Tower
Near the Goryokaku Fort, stands Goryokaku Tower with an observation deck 90 meters above the ground that provides a panoramic view of Mount Hakodate and the Tsugaru Strait along with a bird’s eye view of the Goryokaku Fort. Looking down, the star-shaped vista that shines on the grounds of the Goryokaku Fort can be seen. Goryokaku Tower was originally opened on December 01, 1964 to commemorate 100 years of the construction of the Goryokaku Fort. On April 01, 2006, a new 107 meters tall tower (including the lightning rod) was opened that replaced the 60 meters high former tower.

Our sightseeing experience
After checking out of the hotel, hubby and I walked towards the Goryokaku Park. Just after two minutes of walk, we could see the Goryokaku Tower. The tower looked very new and majestic. On our way we saw a famous and very colorful Japanese-style hamburger and curry fast food restaurant chain named Lucky Pierrot. This restaurant is favored by local people for its fresh, hot and hearty burgers. After another 2-3 minutes of walk, we reached the tower. At the entrance hall of the tower building, we bought tickets worth 840 Yen per person for admission to the tower observatory. A shop was located at the first floor of the tower building, which had a rich lineup of original Goryokaku goods. We bought a few souvenirs from the shop. Next, we went to the atrium that was just adjacent to the shop. The atrium was an all-weather glazed square with lots of plants and a statue of Toshizo Hijikata, a prominent figure related to the history of Goryokaku Fort. Hubby and I were delighted with the atmosphere of the atrium which was a comfortable sun soaked space that brimmed with greenery. Later we went to a cafe named ‘Cafe 107’ that was located in the second floor of the tower building. We had coffee and snacks (just after the breakfast!) while enjoying the leisurely atmosphere.

View of the Goryokaku Tower during our walk towards the Goryokaku Park

The Goryokaku Tower

Fast food restaurant named Lucky Pierrot

First and second floor observatories of the Goryokaku Tower

Me in front of the entrance of the Goryokaku Tower building

A shop located at the first floor of the tower building

Atrium

Statue of Toshizo Hijikata at the atrium

Display of a cannon at the atrium

Next we took an elevator that went directly to the first and second floor observatories of the Goryokaku Tower, which were located at a height of 86 meters and 90 meters, respectively. The elevator was very fast and it took less than 30 seconds to reach the first floor observatory. However, we skipped seeing the first floor observatory and directly went to the second floor observatory. From the second floor of the observatory, we got an impressive and stunning bird’s eye view of the star-shaped Goryokaku Fort. The observatory is the only place where we can get a good view of the complete star-shaped structure of the fort. At the observatory, there was a seated bronze statue of Toshizo Hijikata, a model of the Goryokaku Fort accurately reproduced to 1/250 of its original size, and an exhibition space where we could learn about the history of the Goryokaku Fort. We also got a panoramic view of Mount Hakodate, the city, and the Tsugaru Strait. The star-shaped Goryokaku Fort really looked wonderful from the observatory of the tower.

A model of the Goryokaku Fort

View of the Goryokaku Fort from second floor observatory of the tower

Left side view of the Goryokaku Fort

Right side view of the Goryokaku Fort

Hubby in front of the Goryokaku Fort

Me along with the seated bronze statue of Toshizo Hijikata

View of Mount Hakodate from the second floor observatory of the tower

View of the city from the second floor observatory of the tower

Tsugaru Strait as viewed from the second floor observatory of the tower

After enjoying the view from the tower observatory for about half an hour, hubby and I went to the Goryokaku Fort Park. When we reached the park site, we saw a moat surrounding the Goryokaku Fort. The fort has only this one continuous moat all the way around. A beautiful view of the tower could be seen from the bridge above the moat. Just after crossing the bridge, we reached the entrance of the park. Entrance to the park was free and many people were taking a walk in the park. Hubby bought a softcream from a vending machine at the entrance of the park and enjoyed eating it while strolling in the park. We climbed a few stone steps and leisurely walked along the path in one of the V-shaped projections of the star-shaped Goryokaku. There were a lot of trees and shrubs and the park was full of greenery. It was a sunny day and we had a pleasant walk. During our walk we saw a number of walls of the fort ruins that were about three meters tall. Hubby climbed one of the walls. I was very surprised at his agility to climb up a three meter high wall within a few seconds. However, it was very funny to see him carefully descend the wall. After strolling in the park for about an hour, we went to the central area of the park which was a children’s play area. Here many kids were merrily playing while their parents relaxed in the sunny weather. After spending a few minutes watching the kids play, we left the park. While going out of the park, we took several photos of us at the bridge over the moat and a few photos of the nearby surroundings. The park served as a good reminder of the history of Goryokaku Fort.

Hubby walking towards the Goryokaku Fort Park

Me in front of the moat surrounding the Goryokaku Fort

Me walking towards the bridge over the moat

Hubby standing next to a stone monument sign of Goryokaku Fort ruins

Bridge above the moat

Me standing over the bridge above the moat

View of the Goryokaku Tower from the bridge above the moat

View from the Goryokaku Fort Park

Hubby eating a softcream and walking in the park

View inside the Goryokaku Fort Park

A wall of the Goryokaku Fort ruins

Boats in the moat

Hubby standing near the moat

Hubby posing after climbing a three meter high wall of the Goryokaku Fort

Sequential photos of hubby while descending the wall

View from the Goryokaku Fort Park

We inside the park

Hubby standing near a wall of the Goryokaku Fort

Children’s play area in the park

Me at the bridge over the moat

Another photo of me at the bridge over the moat

Hubby at the bridge over the moat

A beautiful view of the moat, flowers, and the bridge

A couple boating in the moat

A black tailed gull at the park

It was 12.30 pm by the time hubby and I finished seeing the Goryokaku Fort ruins at the park site. We were rather hungry and so we returned back to the tower building where a restaurant named ‘Gotoken Hakodate Curry Express’ was located at the second floor of the building. We had lunch sets of sea-food curry and Indian chicken curry along with rice. It tasted very delicious probably because we were very tired and hungry.

Our lunch

Hubby having lunch

After lunch, we returned back to the hotel to pick up our baggage and then went to Hakodate railway station by taxi. At Hakodate, we took ‘Super Hakucho’ train at about 1.55 pm that travelled through undersea Seikan tunnel and reached Aomori station after about 2 hours of travel. At Aomori, we took another train and after travelling for an hour or so, we reached Hirosaki railway station. At Hirosaki, we went to the car park next to the station where hubby had parked our car during our onward journey on the morning of 19th July. It was almost 5.30 pm and it took hubby about 4.5 hours to drive back home. Although we were tired due to three days of hectic sightseeing, hubby and I really enjoyed seeing many different places and their traditions, advanced engineering feats, romantic date spots, and historical sites in Tohoku area and Hokkaido.