By Cathy Hirano

The Japanese fondness for being naked in hot water with complete strangers can take some getting used to for people from other cultures. The custom is at least partly due to the existence of numerous hot springs in these mountainous volcanic islands. Japan has 108 known volcanoes and one of the highest number of hot springs in the world. It can take a lot of courage the first time to take a bath with strangers, but once you start, it is a very hard habit to break. It feels so good to sink into the mineral-rich water and soak away the fatigue and stress of daily life.


Many true hot springs are located in the countryside and they often have an outdoor bath for bathers to enjoy the sights, sounds and fragrances of nature. Most hot spring baths are now indoors and separated by gender but there are still a few outdoor baths that are not segregated. The curative properties of the water differ depending on the mineral composition, but I often find that my skin feels much softer for several days after.


Natural hot springs are attractive tourist destinations in Japan and are usually surrounded by hotels and inns. The closest natural hot spring area in Takamatsu is Shionoe at the southern end of Takamatsu. The mineral water is actually heated up for the baths rather than coming hot out of the ground. Shionoe is located about 20 minutes by car past the airport on Route 193. There are also buses about once an hour. The hotels will allow you to use the bath for a fee and you can also eat in the restaurant and stay overnight.


For those of you who want to try a hot spring bath in Shionoe, I’ve introduced 3 below:

1.Gyoki no Yu (bath only, not a hotel): 430 yen (adult) 220 yen (children)
Bring your own towel, shampoo and hair dryer. Soap is provided.
Open 10:00 22:00 (closed 1st and 3rd Mondays).
TEL: 878-893-1126

2.Sanuki Onsen: 500 yen (adult) 300 yen (children)
Bring your own towel. Soap and shampoo are provided.
Open 9:00 21:00. Open year-round. TEL: 087-893-0300
(Accommodation: 5,400 yen to 6, 400 yen/person with breakfast only.13,000 yen/person with breakfast and supper)

3.Kabakawa Kanko Hotel: 820 yen (adult) 510 yen (children).
Towel, soap, shampoo and hair dryer are provided.
Open 10:30 21:00. Open year-round. TEL: 087-893-1200
(Accommodation: 6,000 yen/person without meals. 12,000 to 14,000 yen/person with breakfast and supper).

If Shionoe seems too far, you could try a public bath near you. Although not mineral hot springs, public baths (sento) still offer a wonderfully hot soak and some add mineral salts or herbs to the water.
* For instructions on how to use a Japanese bath or hot spring, check out these websites:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2292_how.html
http://gojapan.about.com/cs/livinginjapan/ht/ht_bath.htm



(Gyoki no Yu)
  

One of my favorite places in Takamatsu is Ritsurin Garden. Stepping inside it is like slipping into another world and another time: the land of Sanuki in the Tokugawa period (1603-1868) to be precise. Although the first garden on the site was actually built around the year 1400, it attained its current size and form when the Matsudaira family ruled over Takamatsu. From 1642 to 1741, successive rulers expanded and developed it as a summer retreat. The garden covers an area of 75 hectares (185 acres), including Mount Shiun, the steep hill to the west. Fortunately for the rest of us, it became a public park in 1875 following the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate.




Although Ritsurin means ‘chestnut grove’, there are only a few chestnut trees left. A grove planted near the North Gate as provision against famine was removed long ago because it interfered with duck hunting. Instead, the garden boasts about 1,400 pine trees, close to 1,000 of which have been expertly trained for centuries to twist in fantastic shapes.


Ritsurin Garden is an exquisite example of a Japanese landscaped garden and one of the most renowned in Japan. In fact, it was awarded the top rating of 3 stars in Michelin’s Green Guide. Despite its popularity, however, it is so large that it never feels truly crowded. One can always find a secluded spot to relax and enjoy the beauty. Although it is in the heart of the city, the hum of traffic on the main street outside can sound deceptively like the river that once flowed there.


Like all Japanese gardens, Ritsurin is designed to represent nature within a small space. Six ponds, thirteen artificial hills, and many rocks, trees and shrubs have been subtly arranged to mimic mountains, rivers, lakes, and forests set against the backdrop of the steeply forested slope of Mount Shiun. This blending of the garden with the surrounding environment is known as shakkei, literally ‘borrowed scenery’. The scattered teahouses, paths and bridges are also deftly integrated into the landscape so that the human hand is never obvious.


Ritsurin Garden was made for strolling, with strategically placed viewing points that are now popular spots for artists and amateur photographers. The most picturesque area is the older southern garden, which still retains its original classical design and perfectly orchestrated views. However, I also love the wilder northern garden with ponds where the ruling class once enjoyed duck hunting. The lotus flowers in one pond are absolutely stunning when in bloom (June through August) and the path near the North Gate becomes a shimmering tunnel of cherry blossoms in the spring.



The entrance fee is a very modest 400 yen (children 170 yen) and the garden is well worth repeated visits to enjoy the different views in the changing seasons. For those of you who live near enough to go on a regular basis, a yearly pass is only 2,500 yen.


*Please note: the hours change every month to coincide with sunrise and sunset but it is open from 7:00 AM at the very latest and closes at 17:00 at the earliest. For more information on admission etc. click here: http://www.pref.kagawa.jp/ritsurin/gaiyou_e.html 

  

The Luxury of Simplicity

There are many things worth seeing in Ritsurin Garden, including, of course, the carefully shaped trees, the emerald ponds with their colourful carp and the different flowers and blossoms in season. Many people, however, fail to notice the architecture, precisely because it is designed to inconspicuously complement the garden. Having once aspired to become a carpenter, the flawless artistry of these buildings takes my breath away.


Kikugetsu-tei pavilion on the shore of the South Pond is the largest and oldest of the original buildings. Built in the 17th century, it was designed in the Sukiya or teahouse style of the early Edo period and therefore strongly reflects the Zen influenced philosophy of the tea ceremony. Rather than an ostentatious display of wealth, the design is characterized by a simple elegance and exquisite sense of proportion that makes it appear almost plain and insignificant to untrained eyes. Its purpose was not to display the lord’s wealth and power but instead to instil a sense of tranquility, peace and humility through communion with nature.


kikugetsu-tei


Architecturally, the pavilion is miniature in scale with low-pitch double roofs that mimic a much larger building. This technique serves to make the garden appear larger than reality. The ingenious shutter design allows the sliding doors to revolve around the corner posts and be stored out of sight. This means that the walls of the large tatami mat rooms can be thrown open for a spectacular panoramic view of the garden framed by the eaves and wooden posts. Interior walls, doors and bamboo-latticed windows are used to conceal or expose the view, presenting sudden vistas or tempting glimpses of the garden and bringing in the soft, natural light.


Kikugetsu means ‘scooping the moon’. The terrace on the east side juts out over the pond like a jetty and the water is very close. Perhaps with the full moon reflected on the surface, it seems possible to scoop it up in one’s hands. During the daytime, turtles and koi swim lazily up to check out visitors.


For just 510 yen, or 710 yen if you prefer powdered green tea (matcha), you can go inside for green tea and sweets while enjoying the view.* This gives you the added privilege of spending as long as you want wandering from room to room or sitting in your favorite spot, dreaming of the past when the ruling class gathered here to drink tea, view the moon or compose poetry.


* If you buy a combined entrance and tea ticket at the gate it is slightly cheaper (880 yen for green tea; 1,080 yen for powdered green tea).
  

One of the nice things about living in Takamatsu is its proximity to so many great places. Over the last few months, we took a couple of trips to Shodoshima, Kagawa's biggest island, to see a fun new art project that opened near Tonosho Port. It's called MeiPAM and it consists of three separate galleries, each housed in a renovated old building.

All three are located in an area nicknamed Meiro no Machi (Maze Town). The streets are narrow and laid out in a confusing pattern intended to deter pirates from raiding the residents.


Main Street in Maze Town

The project also hosts events and performances as well as an outdoor market of local foods and handicrafts every 3rd Saturday and Sunday of the month.


Market

The first gallery, MeiPAM 01, is located in a warehouse that belonged to a kimono merchant.

MeiPAM 01


When we visited, it had a fabulous exhibit of washi (handmade Japanese paper) produced by Richard Flavin, an American artist living in Saitama. His works were so rich and textured they looked more like wood, stone or metal than paper.


Saw imprints on washi





The Heisei Maze Spiral outside is by local Takamatsu artist and metalworker Noboru Makizuka. It's a walk-in sculpture with a great spiral interior.





A map of Maze Town is traced in metal on the exterior



and the iron railings on the roof above are also designed as mazes, some of which spell words.



The 2nd gallery, MeiPAM 02, is located just around the corner in what used to be a storehouse for rice and soy sauce. It's also used as a live performance space.


MeiPAM 02

We just missed a performance by Hosei Takeda, a Takamatsu resident who does huge and impressive ikebana installations of bamboo, conifers and other plants.





The final gallery is MeiPAM 03, housed in what was once a coffee shop connected to a tiny Japanese pub. It's dedicated to self-proclaimed yokai (creature) artist Chubei Yagyu, who lives in the adjacent house.


The artist's house

Takamatsu residents may recognize his distinctive work from the TIA-INFO English journal to which he contributes illustrated local legends. This building is the perfect setting for his creative imagination.






Creature sushi bar


With real sushi chef

So next time you want to go exploring, hop on a ferry to Shodoshima and see what's happening at MeiPAM.

Access
Take the ferry from Takamatsu to Tonosho Port on Shodoshima (1000 yen round trip, 670 yen one way. 1 hour. Ferries every hour from 6:25 to 20:00). MeiPAM is about 15 min. walk from Tonosho Port towards Tonosho Town
Keep the sea on your left til you pass the elementary school (also on the left) and turn right. Go down all the way to the stoplight. MeiPAM 01 is on the left just before the light. (See map below.)
Office. Address: Honmachi, Tonosho
Hours: 10:00-18:00 (Market: 9:00-13:00)
Holidays: every Monday (if Monday is a national holiday, the following Tuesday)
Admission: Adults 800 yen, junior/senior high 500 yen, children free. If you only want to see one gallery, admission is 300 yen and 200 yen, respectively.
Admission to the galleries is paid in the office outside MeiPAM 01. They give you an electronic key that lets you in to the galleries.
For info on art exhibits, events, etc. check out their website. (Japanese only)
http://meipam.net/index.html
TEL/FAX : 0879-62-0221


Map to MeiPAM 01

MeiPAM 01