Historical Shimoda City

On Father's day here in Japan (June 21st) we headed off for a drive to the nearby beach side city of Shimoda. This area if you didn't already know, is historically famous for one Captain Matthew Perry, an American Navy Admiral who along with his crew landed on the beaches of Shimoda determined to have the Shogun Ieyoshi open Japan's doors for foreign trade.
We started out on Perry Road where there is a memorial bust displayed of Perry, along with an anchor gifted from the U.S. Navy. 

   

Along the back streets was a visual treat in my opinion, lined with old traditional stone houses or ones decorated in a black and white criss-cross pattern known in Japan as Namakokabe. It is a typical pattern found throughout Izu on houses and fences. It's a pattern that I would love to introduce to Obachan chi's exterior someday. It also a pattern that if not done well or painted correctly can look very tacky, so I'll leave this idea on the back burner for awhile. There's so much more that needs to be done on the little farmhouse!

                        

An example of the Namakokabe pattern in all its glory. It was once a private residence to the Sawamura family, which is now open to the public. I plan on coming back for a tour another day....when its not raining and I don't have a wet little dog tagging along with us.

 

Many of these old houses have been converted to cafes or small shops. They make it very enticing to sit and have a coffee and enjoy the atmosphere, but again with a wet dog we continued on promising to return another day.

The hydrangea or ajisai is in season and blooming in most parts of Japan right now.

Despite it being a rainy day, we all enjoyed sightseeing around Shimoda and plan on coming back to enjoy its white sand beaches.