Tuesday December 3rd, 2013
After a brief visit to a local congregation we left Onamichi. We are off to Fukuama.
A happy bunch of pioneers.
This is Fukuama Castle, built 1622. We prefer small traditional asymmetrical Japanese traditional buildings to the large symetrical symbols of wealth and power but we figured that we should take a look...
Japan once had about 5000 castles, now there are around 100. Like so many others, Fukuama was a military base during WWII so it was bombed in an air raid and burnt down. To look at it you would wonder how it could possibly burn down since it appears to be stone. Well, above the stone base, Japanese castles are all timber overplayed with plaster.
As with the Hiroshima castle, this one was later rebuilt in reinforced concrete so the interior is a bit sad... Never the less, the view from the top is great.
Interesting juxtaposition of old Japanese and European buildings.
Sujigane Gomon gate.
Our new friend Dohi, a regular pioneer working in the Tagalog field and our other new friend Goto, a special pioneer. This area is famous fo Ramen noodles and we fully understand why...
Ramon noodles are made of flour. Here is some Wikipedia trivia for you to digest if you want;
After World War II, cheap flour imported from the U.S. swept the Japanese market. At the same time, millions of Japanese troops had returned from China and continental East Asia from their posts in the Second Sino-Japanese War. Many of these returnees had become familiar with Chinese cuisine and subsequently set up Chinese restaurants across Japan. Eating ramen, while popular, was still a special occasion that required going out. In 1958, instant noodles were invented by Momofuku Ando, the Taiwanese-Japanese founder and chairman of Nissin Foods. Named the greatest Japanese invention of the 20th century in a Japanese poll, instant ramen allowed anyone to make this dish simply by adding boiling water.
A great lunch.
Next stop
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