Okayama: A garden, some taiko and a boy in a peach

Momotaro - I have an unexplainable love for little Momotaro. He's just so cute...and he popped out of a peach! He is the mascot of Okayama.

Korakuen: One of Japan's 3 big gardens. It was built in 1700 on an island in the Ashigawa River. It is known for it's expansive lawns. Apparently this is why a lot of foreigners find it boring.

I really liked the garden. It was tranquil and nicely designed. But man, it was HOT and all of that 'expansive lawn' meant very little shade. That's why there aren't many pictures of us...we were looking and feeling kind of wilted.


I can't remember what these birds are called but they are endangered. They were also quite big and unfriendly looking. Maybe that's why this kid looked a little uncertain. Or maybe that was because he was looking at the two huge foreign guys who had beers in one hand and huge ice cream cones in the other standing nearby.

My dad and I tested out our black and white settings and had a bit of a contest going to see who could take the best black and white/Japanese tree/garden/scene. I think we got some really nice shots.

Above: Mine
Below: My dad's



My rice field self-portrait (above)


That night there was a huge festival/fireworks in Okayama. When we entered the garden we found out that we could stay later to watch some performances and the fireworks from the garden. Also, the garden was to be lit up. How exciting.

Above: Photographers lined up to capture the perfect picture of the sunset with Okayama castle in the background. Some of these people were really serious (think multiple tripods with two cameras attached to each!)





There was a fantastic taiko performance. Two of the drummers were kids no older than 12! In the video below they are on the left and right sides of the stage. We were all amazed. They were so much better than the fireworks (although once a few test fireworks went off near the castle, the Japanese spectators went nuts...I mean, come on...they are just fireworks. Kid pro-taiko drummers are so much cooler!)


I couldn't leave Okayama without something Momotaro so at the train station I picked up a Hello Kitty dressed as Momotaro bento. I was surprised how good the bento actually turned out to be! I guess I enjoy the kid selection (ok, the mayo corn...not so good).


A little bit of the performance, for your enjoyment!