March 16th

The Day of Stairs

We woke up to a cold, rainy day in Kochi. After a brief discussion as to whether we really wanted to wander around temples and castles in the rain (of course we did), we set off to breakfast.

The Lido has a wide selection of Japanese food offerings, so I decided to have a Japanese breakfast that turned out to be an excellent idea. Dumplings and teriyaki salmon are just the thing to start your day.

We then headed down to the Queens Room to get our stickers and wait for our bus to be called. Usually we are not big fans of the ship’s tours, but we decided that with such a short time in each port we would book them so we could maximize our touring time, and minimize time spent lost in translation on the subway.

When it came time for our bus to be called we all went to the gangway area. There was a huge hold up, and it took forever to finally get off the ship. It was never clear why this was. Now they often tell you to carry your passports with you at all times when you go ashore. We are generally skeptical of this, as it seems like a sure way to get your passport stolen. However, they really meant it this time, there were immigration and customs agents in the terminal, checking passports. They were very efficient, and not the cause of the hold up, but I am glad we had our passports with us.

Our first stop was the Chikurin-ji Temple which dates back to the 8th century and forms part of the Shikokuk 88 temple pilgrimage. This is Japan’s most famous pilgrimage route according to our guide. To get there you have to walk down the road from the bus parking area in the rain, and then up several flights of uneven slippery stairs, but it is worth the climb. The pagoda at the top is really beautiful, and the treasure hall full of lovely treasures. However, the most interesting part of the temple is the little Buddhas scattered around the grounds, each wearing red crochet bibs. The Buddhas are made of gray stone, and the sky was a dark gray, but the little red crochet bibs really stood out, making a somewhat surreal sight.

Thoroughly soaked, we returned to the bus and went to the Hirome Ichiba Market where we had time to wander around the market and have lunch. As usual there was loads of strange looking foodstuffs, mostly fishy in nature. After a long search we found a stall that sold chicken kebabs that did not seem to be contaminated by fish, and there was beer on sale next door, so we sat down and had a great lunch.

By the time we were done with lunch the rain had stopped, although the sky was still very overcast and gloomy. The perfect backdrop for climbing up the hill to get to Kochi Castle. The castle was well designed to keep invaders out, including tourists who have already met more than their FitBit quota for stair climbing for the day.

However, the climb was well worth it. The castle looks just like a picture book castle, and is in excellent condition. After taking off your shoes you enter the lower level of the castle which has tatami floors, sliding panels, and beautiful transoms. It makes for such a great and flexible floor plan. When we build our next house, that’s exactly what I want, and I know the perfect architect.

After the first floor, that’s where the trouble starts. There is a series of very steep, very narrow, staircases to get to the top of the castle. This is only to be attempted by the bravest of us, and several people on the tour took one look at the staircases and headed outside again. I was not one of them, so off I went. Climbing ridiculously steep wooden stairs in my penguin socks seemed like a recipe for disaster, but I prevailed and reached the top unscathed. The climb was worth it. The view was great, although it probably looks a lot better if there is brilliant sunshine.

If you thought it was hard to climb up the stairs, it was twice as hard climbing down, especially as there were people climbing up at the same time who insisted on sharing the staircase with you although there certainly wasn’t safe room for more than one person at the same time.

More by good luck than good judgment I reached the bottom intact. I will not do that again.

It was time to descend to street level again and catch the bus. On the way down we stopped at the statue of the wife of the man who built the castle. She was one smart cookie. Her husband was engaged in a battle, and mid way through the battle it seemed that his side was losing big time, so she talked him into switching sides and joining the winning team. Good move. He won and became a big time war hero.

Our final stop of the day was at Katsurahama beach, and idyllic crescent shaped beach lined by rocky outcrops and Japanese pines. Very picture perfect.

By the time we returned to the ship it was time to get ready for dinner already. Tonight the South African couple were there too, so we were a full table for 6 at last. Dinner was excellent. I had been reading reports about slipping standards, but our 2 meals so far have been as good as ever, and our tablemates have been very impressed with the standard of food on board.

After dinner it was time for the Commodore Club. I was concerned that it may be crowded, but we turned out to be the only people there! No doubt everyone else was at the show, or had turned in early after a heavy day sight seeing. I sat at my favorite table by the window, sipping away at my Chocolate Affair Martini (I must remember to bring my Milky Way Martini recipe with me next time), listening to Clarolyn on the piano. I couldn’t help missing the noisy nights with friends with Carlo on the piano on QV last year. However it was very relaxing and the perfect way to end a perfect day.