We arrived in Odawara right before lunch time, so we popped into Daruma for lunch. Daruma is a 125 year old restaurant (the building was rebuilt 95 years ago after an earthquake destroyed the first one) known for tendon (tempura with a sauce on it served over rice), tempura, and sushi. I love eating at super old restaurants. It is so special to enjoy meals with history! We ordered a bit of everything and really enjoyed it.
After we had eaten our fill, we walked over to Odawara Castle. I love wandering around the grounds of Japanese castles, as they are a bit of a maze to get up to the actual castle. Back in the day, this was to protect the castle from attack from enemies. But, nowadays, provides a leisurely stroll with building excitement.
Today we ran into hydrangeas and iris as we wandered toward the majestic white building. They were quite beautiful.
After admiring the flowers, we made it to the top only to be greeted by another surprise - a cage with Japanese snow monkeys in it! Instead of being delighted, like I was with the flowers, I found myself to be very sad for these poor creatures. The cage was small and did not include appropriate stimulation for them. I read that the grounds used to have a zoo in it and the monkeys are the only animals still remaining. At one point a man came over to the cage and said something to the monkeys. All at once, every single monkey began running around the bottom of the cage in a big circle. The sight just depressed us more.
Turning our attention back to the castle, we went inside the reconstructed building. Over the years most of Japan's castles have been destroyed by war, fire, and other natural disasters. This one was severally damaged several times and much of it has been demolished over the years. Since 1934, the castle and its grounds have slowly been restored. The castle tower was renovated in 2016, making it earthquake-resistant and renewing the exhibits.
With all the reconstruction, nothing is original, but the inside is still a lovely museum. There is not a lot of English translations provided, but the artifacts and photos of the area are still very interesting and worth the ¥500 ($4.60 USD) entrance fee.
The best part of the castle tour is always the view from the top. Although the castle itself is only 5 stories tall, it stands on a hill, making the views beautiful. It was really cloudy for us, but we could still see enough to appreciate the surroundings.
As we walked away from the castle, I couldn't stop thinking about the monkeys and how bad I felt for them. One of my cousins mentioned she felt the same way. Seeing those inhumanly treated monkeys really soured the entire experience for us. Why is that acceptable here? I just don't understand.
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