Ryotan-ji temple in Hikone city

After seeing Hikone castle, I went to Ryotan-ji temple, family temple of Naosuke Ii and Mitsunari Ishida. Both of them is famous in the history of Japan.
 

I met nobody en route to the temple. In the temple it seems there's also nobody so I came close to scream when a staff came out from the office at reception.


There's nobody in the temple, too...
 

Japanese style garden with stones. The stone with red scurf shaped like Buddha statue.


This is traditional style "Shakkei", borrowed scenery, incorporating background landscape into the composition of a garden. I think early spring shows much better scenery.
 

The room face to the garden above. I think it'll be a haunted room at night.
 

 Information:

View Larger Map	Address	1104 Hurusawa-cho, Hikone, Shiga, Japan
	Open	9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
	Close	None
	Fee	Free
	Web site	http://www.biwako-visitors.jp/search/spot.php?id=1205 (Japanese only)

I met "Hico-nyan" at Hikone castle - representative "Yuru chara" of Japan

"Yuru chara" is heartwarming mascot-like character that devised for PR purposes by local government.
Hico-nyan is Hikone city's Yuru chara. He's very popular in Japan that is born to promote Hikone caslte's 400th anniversary for castellation.

He looks a cat("nyan" means mew in Japanese) so I really wanted to meet him for long time and finally I had a chance to go to Hikone castle early this year.
 

There is a room for meeting to Hiko nyan. It said everybody needs to stand in line waiting to enter the room.
 

But I didn't need to wait so long time. So many people sat down silently and waited for the moment.....
 

He's comiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnggggggg!!!!!
 

He moved so slowly to make good photo opportunity.
  

Can't you take a nice photo because of big audience? Don't worry, staff made us replace our position each other. Now there's nobody between Hiko nyan and me!
  

The biggest event is grooming by staff.
 

After meeting him, I walked up to see tower of the castle.
 

 The tower is great location overlooking Lake Biwako. It seems the sea.
   

Under the castle, there is a japanese garden called "Genkyu-en".
  

I had a tea at the tea room in the garden. I had Hikone's famous confection "Umore-gi" as snack to go with tea. It was fantastic.
   

Information:

View Larger Map	Address	1-1 Konki-cho, Hikone, Shiga, Japan
	Open	8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
	Close	None
	Fee	Adult: 600YEN(Including Genkyu-in)
	Web site	http://www.hikoneshi.com/en/castle/