New Year Four-Country Self-Driving Tour First Stop: Okayama.

Four-Country Self-Driving Tour, itinerary as follows: 🗓️Itinerary: 26th: Rent a car in Okayama, stay in Okayama 27th: Kotohira Onsen, Konpira Shrine 28th: Miyoshi City, Iya Valley 29th: Tokushima 30th: Return the car in Sannomiya, then take the train to Arima Onsen Since we are departing in January, there might be heavy snow in the mountains of Shikoku, so we won't stay in Iya Valley as it might be closed off, and we need to be prepared for snow. If it really snows heavily, it could be dangerous. Fortunately, there was no heavy snow during the New Year this year. The first stop was Okayama Castle. Okayama Castle is located in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, and is selected as one of the "Japan's Top 100 Castles." It is also known as one of the "Three Great Flatland-Mountain Castles of Japan" along with Tsuyama Castle and Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, making it one of the "Three Great Castles of Okayama Prefecture." Okayama Castle was built in 1597 by the daimyo Ukita Hideie, taking eight years to complete. The most striking feature of Okayama Castle is its black lacquered walls, giving it a glossy appearance like crow feathers, hence the nickname "Crow Castle." The roof of the main keep is decorated with gold leaf tiles, earning it another nickname, "Golden Crow Castle." Okayama Korakuen, along with Kairakuen in Mito and Kenrokuen in Kanazawa, is known as one of the "Three Great Gardens of Japan." It was initially constructed in the early 1700s as a leisure garden for the daimyo Ikeda Tsunamasa. During Tsunamasa's rule, it was a garden designed for viewing from the mansion within the garden. The landscape has undergone some changes over the years due to social circumstances and the preferences of the daimyo, with waterways and ponds gradually enhancing the garden's strolling features. The "Enyo-tei" is the most important building in the garden, used as the daimyo's living quarters and built to offer a panoramic view of the garden. The "Ryuten" is a place for the daimyo to wander the garden, entertain guests, and rest. The central waterway passage is an extremely rare garden feature. Guo Moruo, the former president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who studied at Okayama Sixth High School in his youth, donated two red-crowned cranes to the garden in 1956. Next to the crane house is a stone monument with a poem expressing Guo Moruo's sentiments: "Korakuen still exists, but Crow Castle cannot be found. I wish to pair the red-crowned cranes with the plum grove." There are still red-crowned cranes in the garden today.