四国パート３：桂浜、アンパンマン、阿波踊り

Monday, August 13
After another spectacular breakfast, we bid our goodbyes at Marine House, and set out for the nearby 桂浜 (Katsurahama).

The hero of Kochi is local boy 坂本龍馬 (Sakamoto Ryoma), a revolutionary Japanese leader. In order to learn more about The-Man-Who-Never-Smiles, we visited the 坂本龍馬記念館 (Sakamoto Ryoma Commemorative Museum).

Odd (but awesome) that the building recognizing an old-time hero looks like a modern art facility.

クリスくんと　リョウくん！

Sakamoto was known for sporting Western boots.

The famous statue of Mr. Friendly, located out by the beach.

As much as I laugh at his stern demeanor, Sakamoto Ryoma was an amazing figure in Japanese history. Learn more about him on Wikipedia, or simply believe me when I say that the young political leader, who was assassinated at the age of thirty-three, was an inspiring influence inside and outside his community.

Katsurahama. No swimming allowed here. A nearby Jizo statue (god who protects deceased children and travelers) marks spiritual protection for a drowned child.

Happy Chris at one of the small shrines above the water.

Chris eating アイスクリン, a local specialty. The word for "ice cream" is written アイスクリーム, which caused me to wonder at the difference. In fact, this frozen treat is not "ice cream," having a texture more akin to sherbet.

I looked the sweet up on Japanese Wikipedia, which states that アイスクリン includes such ingredients as egg, sugar, and powdered milk, with a less than 3% "butterfat" content. Whatever. It tastes good, and I wish it were available in Kansai!

A cute sign for the crappy Katsurahama Aquarium.

(It reads "Kuru-ka?", meaning "Won't you come?", which plays on the Japanese word for "dolphin"--"iruka.")

Chris and I only passed by, but I observed seagulls in cages. This aquarium is located alongside the beach, where seagulls surely roam freely. How stupid is that?

We left Kochi with our tummies happy from アイスクリン and our wallets empty from buying omiyage for our co-workers. We next headed for 徳島県 (Tokushima Prefecture), where we would be attending the Awa Odori festivities in the evening.

Along the way, we stopped at the Anpanman Museum, which celebrates the wonder of the much beloved cartoon superhero made of an-pan (sweet bean jam-filled bread). Children ran and screamed throughout the museum; Chris and I walked quietly among the exhibits, and I only occasionally felt the urge to scream.

The building was funky.

I will live here.

Me and バイキンマン (Baikinman), Anpanman's nemesis.

Anpanman is very kind. He is sharing a piece of his head with a greedy bunny.

I'm disturbed by this picture. Surely Anpanman, being a superhero, could find a better way to help the hungry. Maybe after a taste, the bunny will decide that he wants more delicious an-pan. And THEN THE BUNNY WILL EAT ANPANMAN.

I love Baikinman. He is funny. Yay! That's him and friends smashing up the mean old toothpaste guy.

めっちゃめっちゃかわいい～！

Oddly enough, there was no an-pan for sale in the museum. Where was Anpanman to satisfy my craving with a bite from his head?

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Thanks to the delights of endless traffic, Chris and I reached Tokushima in the evening. We found free parking at the Tokushima prefectural office, which was open to all cars with out-of-prefecture plates. We then walked to the festivities.

阿波踊り, or Awa Dance, originated as a celebration put on by a feudal lord upon completion of his castle. The locals enjoyed the drunken dancing so much that they made it a tradition. The modern event, which includes a competition, spans over several days, with groups arriving from across the country. The troupes paraded the streets, putting on impromptu performances. The area was a crazy chaos of music (drums, flutes, etc.), yelling, dancing, and of course, drinking. Several of the college groups who danced through the streets were overwhelmingly drunk. One member from the Kansai University team could barely stand and looked ready to puke. The environment in general, however, was one of happiness and excitement, as troupes encouraged bystanders to join in.

(None of my pictures from 阿波踊り turned out very well. Boo.)

Since we hadn't booked a hotel, we spent the rest of the night at an internet cafe called Funky Times. We indeed had a funky time getting comfy on a leather loveseat and sipping unlimited drinks for 3000円 total. Though we had the option of enjoying DVDs, PlayStation, and a library of manga, we were too tired and quickly fell asleep. In the morning, I drank a coffee and checked my e-mail before we headed off into the day. Internet cafes in Japan are a wonderful thing.