Japan; Okayama

Okayama.

We knew there'd be bugger all in Okayama but it worked out well as a stopping point. A clue as to the pace of life there came via trip-advisor where most reviews reference the discount over-65s get if they visit the garden & the castle.  A garden AND a castle in one day?! Crazy pensioners.  

Knowing our limits (and it being late afternoon) we visited the castle - a rare black one- which having been rebuilt post WW2 took us all of 30 mins to enjoy.  It's a town doing its own thing, not a place for tourists so we found somewhere to eat & called it a night. 

Next morning we were up early to do a train/train/boat trip over to Naoshima - a small island made famous by its art installations and vaguely by Bond enthusiasts. We rented bikes to get round the island then found out that it's quite a hilly island & our bikes had no gears.  And that bikes aren't allowed on most the installation grounds. 

Always fun to push a bike though. So much better than just walking. 

The art was great if you like your art modern. Which we do. Some of it pushed the boundaries of when modern art becomes a piss-take but mostly excellent.  I thought the Aussie man in front of us might explode when we had to form groups of 8,  take our shoes off & go into a different room to see View The Skies.  The gallery we entered quietly (as instructed by the whispering head-to-toe white cotton clad androgen) would be called a yard elsewhere. But due to its lack of ceiling we could indeed View The Skies. Thankfully this was swiftly followed by an interactive light/stairway canvas affair that made us part of the art. Very impressive and restored our collective faith that this was indeed art. 

There's  a room full of Monet's too for Athena fans. 

Outdoor sculptures against a back drop of sea & mountains were very pleasing too. As was Benesse House- in reality an exclusive hotel & gallery but also the setting of a scene in a little known Bond novel. Either way, an obvious choice for a villains lair. Cliff top setting, white stone, harsh angles, mezzanine floors that work both inside & out. It's where we're going to live when we're obscenely rich megalomaniacs. 

Anyway, great day seeing another aspect of Japan. Boat/train/train/train and we hit the sack in Osaka.