The World or Bust: Shimoda, Vol. 2.2

A small bridge and shrine at the end of Perry Road.

Shrine Kitten

Shimoda is full of cats. I'm not sure why, besides the dumping of unwanted cats and the subsequent feral reproducing. At the little shrine above there was even a sign about not feeding the cat, but I didn't try to read about why.

At Hongakuji (?)

Does anyone know what these are called/for?

Just outside Daianji.

Directing me to the grave of the 16 sailors.

At Daianji if you look hard enough, or in the right place, you can find the grave of sixteen sailors who took their own lives at sea. I didn't look in the right place, apparently... But here's the story from the information board outside the temple:

In 1683 a ship, from Satsuma (Kyushu), laden with timber for the repair of Edo Castle met a typhoon off Shizuoka. Fearing that the ship would sink, the crew jettisoned some of the heavy timbers and sailed to Shimoda. The ship had been saved and some of the cargo remained but the crew felt responsible for the lost timber. So, according to feudal practice, the captain and two other samurai committed seppuku (harakiri). The other samurai, impressed by their sacrifice, also committed seppuku. They asked the youngest, a fifteen year old boy, to report their actions to Satsuma and take their hair to their families. After watching their death the boy could not face returning to his home and he too killed himself. As it was impossible to return the bodies of the sixteen dead samurai, they were buried here at Daianji Temple (which shares the name with a temple in Satsuma). The remaining timber on the ship was used to build the pillars of the temple.

At the back entrance to Daianji. This young man desperately wanted to take a picture with Jospeh, but his hands were just too dirty. Gomen, ne.

Japanese crape myrtle at the cemetery at Daianji.

Shimoda History Museum.

Ticket to the museum. Can you spot the Kurofune???

Since we missed the real deal, Joseph tried to get a little of the matsuri spirit from the mannequins. I don't think he's helping.
And talk about dandruff and ashy skin...

Me, reflected in someone's silver mirror. Putyatin? Perry? Harris?

Pages from an early English-Japanese dictionary compiled by Nishiyama Sukezo.

Jo and I at the marina.

When she saw me trying to take autorretratos with Jo-Jo, a kind woman stopped and asked if I'd like a picture with "Perii-san." But of course!

No dumping cats. That shouldn't have to be said...

A tile on a bridge near Perry Park. Of course, when they saw me taking the picture, passersby had to crane their necks to see what the heck I was seeing.