Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betsuin | Review by 周綿綿

Ohara Museum of Art

Ohara Museum of Art is housed in the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter and has on display a collection of modern and contemporary art works. In 1930, Ohara Magozaburo, a local businessman, established this nation’s first private museum for western arts.

• Okayama
• Museums

I originally planned my visit to the Ohara Museum of Art just to see Monet’s Water Lilies. But once I stepped inside, I realized that what makes this museum truly captivating isn’t just its famous collection, but the different feelings each work evokes in person. From Torajiro Kojima’s oil paintings capturing the beauty of kimono, to the quiet, almost absent atmosphere of Little Table at Dusk, the bright and lively colors of Canal in Auvers, and a large painting of death that felt deeply unsettling yet impossible to forget, the Ohara Museum of Art left a much stronger impression than I expected.

The museum building has a classical feel, almost like a Greek temple. Surprisingly, it blends beautifully with Kurashiki’s white-walled streetscape. After visiting, you can also sit down and relax with coffee at the nearby café thoughtfully opened by the founder. For anyone who loves Western art, this museum is absolutely worth a visit.

Naminoue Shrine

As the name implies, this ancient shrine stands on a quay overhanging the blue sea, and is affectionately known as "Nanmin-san" by the local people.

• Naha, Shuri, Itoman, Nanjo
• Shrines & Temples

Naminoue Shrine is located on a seaside hill in Naha. Inside the grounds, you’ll see plenty of banyan trees, Okinawan-style tiled roofs, and tropical greenery. The overall atmosphere feels completely different from the shrines commonly seen on Japan’s main islands. The banyan trees, sea breeze, Okinawan roof tiles, and coastal setting give this shrine a distinct southern island character.

You do have to climb a rather unappealing slope on the way there, but I still thought it was a great visit. No wonder Japanese visitors feel like they’re traveling abroad when they come to Okinawa. It really has a completely different charm from mainland shrines.

Himeji Castle

This castle is a World Heritage Site and a Japanese castle masterpiece. The main keep, built by Ikeda Terumasa in the early Edo period, has a five-story exterior, one basement level, and six stories above ground on the inside, making it the largest Edo period castle tower still standing.

• Hyogo
• Tourist Attractions

I originally thought the main difference between Himeji Castle and other Japanese castles was simply its beautiful white exterior. But once I went inside, I realized its scale, state of preservation, and architectural details were far beyond what I had expected. After entering from Sakuramon Bridge, it already takes a while just to cross Sannomaru Square and reach the ticket gate. Once officially inside the castle grounds, I was drawn in by the layered views of the main keeps, smaller keeps, connecting corridors, and multiple gates. I kept stopping to walk, take photos, and look around, so there was no way I could finish the visit in the two hours I had originally planned.

Compared with the main keep, which gets the most attention, I really liked the Hyakken Corridor and Keshō Yagura in Nishinomaru. This area preserves a rare glimpse of women’s living spaces within a Japanese castle. As I walked along the wooden corridor and looked at the small rooms used by attendants, household items, and exhibits related to Princess Sen, I realized that castles were not only places for lords, samurai, and war. They also once held the everyday lives of women. Princess Sen spent some rare peaceful years at Himeji Castle, but in the end she lost both her child and husband one after another. It gave that seemingly glamorous life a sense of fated sadness.

The main keep area has a completely different atmosphere. The low gates, steep stone steps, winding passages, and sudden corners are already quite tiring for ordinary visitors, so it’s hard to imagine how enemy soldiers in armor would have advanced through them. After entering the keep and seeing the many weapon racks, shooting holes, stone-dropping openings, and hidden rooms, I finally understood that beneath Himeji Castle’s elegant white appearance lies an extremely cold, warlike nature. I’m also grateful to live in a peaceful era, when this castle built for defense can finally be appreciated for its most beautiful side.