Sunday, April 30, 2017

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - Yuda Onsen Kokian 湯田温泉 古稀庵

Stayed 25.04.2015 (Sat)
Reserved thru' Jalan.net.
Room 206 Kirinso 麒麟草; three person with half board = 34,560 yen/pax


Most luxurious. Being one of the most popular hot spring town in Yamaguchi Prefecture, there were numerous accommodation options to choose from here in Yuda Onsen. Had in mind to avoid more touristy or commercialised hotels/ryokans and eventually landed on Kokian after some research. With only 16 rooms available, it met my first criteria of not being too crowded. Having said that, this would mean that I have to pay a much higher price to enjoy this privilege. Indeed, based on the price per night stay here, I will classify Kokian as a luxury or high end accommodation. Was contemplating whether I should splurge on an expensive stay while on the other hand, I was deeply attracted to the overall concept of Kokian depicted on its homepage. Eventually, my desire fueled my decision and I chalked up the most pricey stay in Yuda Onsen in this Chugoku episode. I have to say that Kokian lived up to expectations (and price of course) and what I found best about Kokian is how they managed to create this secluded setting despite being surrounded by major roads, other high rise hotels and residential buildings.




Omotenashi. Right from the moment we met the ryokan staff at Yuda Onsen JR Station, we were already showered by the strong omentonashi spirit displayed by Japanese. A well groomed man who was in his sixties and extremely eloquent in English came to pick us up at the train station. Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed by a lady staff who was already waiting for us at the entrance. The lounge was spacious and has a japanese western outlook. Warm towel was handed over to us and kombu tea was served while check-in procedure was proceeded smoothly. As usual, we were given a brief introduction of the facilities the hotel was equipped with, questions such as what our preferred dinning timings were for both meals and whether we had any dietary allergies were asked. Upon request, they also helped to reserve this 1 hour course sightseeing taxi (a collaboration between Yuda Onsen Ryokan Association and local taxi) for the next morning which we utilised to visit Rurikoji Pagoda 瑠璃光寺五重塔 and liaise with the staff of Gyokusenkaku (the accommodation we stayed on the following day) to pick us up from Nagato Yumoto JR Station in the late afternoon. This additional service is something that I am extremely appreciative of. One other scene I could vividly recall happened after our departure from Kokian. After we checked out of the ryokan, the staff drove us to the nearest bus stop to catch the bus heading for Akiyoshidou 秋芳洞. When the bus passed by Kokian, we were surprised to see two staff (including the well groomed uncle who chauffeured us on both days) stood by and waving to bade farewell to us!



Room. We were assigned to the room named Kirinso 麒麟草 located on the second floor of a separate building connected to the lobby via a sheltered walkway. Rooms on the ground floor, which are steeper in price, has a small pool extended in front of the patio - suitable for families with kids to play in. Room has both western and Japanese elements incorporated into its design. There are two double beds and for the third person and above, futons are placed on a tatami laid section of the room. There is a living room where an electrically operated fireplace, three-seater sofa, reclining armchair and coffee machine counter were spaciously arranged. The patio became my favourite spot in the room as I could enjoy the cool weather while relaxing on the rattan furniture here. Every room has a dedicated outdoor hot spring tub connected to the shower room, - this was where I had the luxury to enjoy a morning soak in my own private space before heading for breakfast. One other noteworthy mention was the high quality of fabrics used on the covers of sofa, cushions and blanket which were so smooth and comfortable to touch.


Hot spring. There are two bathhouses separated by gender named Karugamo (for gents) and Mimizu (for ladies). Each bathhouse has both indoor and outdoor section, and the size of the pools are way more spacious than I thought considering this is a boutique style accommodation. Adore the landscaping in the rotenburo (outdoor pool) where aesthetically pleasant water features such as water wall, stoned lined pool, etc were utilised. After an unwinding soak in the hot spring, guests can help themselves to ice-cream, cans of soft drink, calpis and green tea stored in the bar fridge located in the common resting area. There is also a foot bath situated just outside the main lobby building facing the huge grass carpeted compound. The water gushing out from the sources of Yuda Onsen is colourless and alkaline hot spring waters and can reach a maximum of 72 degC. Due to its alkaline nature, the hot spring waters nourishes and beautifies the skin. Apart from this therapeutic effect, it has been used to treat ailments such as neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain and recovery from exhaustion.

Extravagant meals. The greatest highlight of my stay at Kokian has got to be its extraordinary and exquisite meals prepared by the chef. I am honoured to have witness/experience for myself a masterly display of culinary skills and plating techniques by the kitchen to create a line up of dishes that intrigued my senses throughout the entire course of meal. This was truly an unforgettable dinning experience!



- Nakachoko 中猪口: Pickled wasabi with grilled yuba mochi (tofu skin), which is meant to be a palate cleanser dish.  
- Appetiser 前菜: Shrimp, fish pickled with nanban sauce, vegetable and salmon maki, broad bean, carrot castella.
- Sashimi 造里: Tiger prawn, sea bream, maguro, flounder, amberjack, squid and white clam. The small cube of maguro was the best out of all and it literally "melted" in my mouth. 
- Oshinogi お凌ぎ: Three vegetable nigiri sushi - bamboo shoot, ginger and hanakori 花っこりー, a hybrid between choy sum and broccoli cultivated in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The term "oshinogi" is something new to me. After some research, I found out it means food to surpass hunger and is usually one of the first few dishes served at the start of the kaiseki course.


- Nimono (stewed dish) 煮物: Tender stewed pork with potato sauce.
- Suimono 小吸物: Clear broth soup infused with the sweetness of sea urchin (or uni) and leek.
- Nabemono (hot pot) 鍋物: Soy milk hot pot with ingredients such as sea bream, scallop, squid, John Dory, lettuce, potherb mustard (suzuna), Shimeji mushroom, Shiitake mushroom, Enoki mushroom, carrot and onion.


- Agemono (fried dish) 揚げ物: Fried tempura of Japanese whiting, fiddlehead greens and young corn.
- Sunomono (vingeared dish) 酢の物: Thinly sliced anago served with cucumber wave garnish, wakame seaweed and ginger. There was one joke which arose to this dish. In the menu, the kanji for this dish was written as 蛇腹 (pronounced as "jabara"). In Mandarin, it means snake stomach and I was startled thinking that there was snake meat in it! After clarifying with the waiter, I realized it was referring to the wave like decorative cutting of the cucumber garnish.
- Yosara (western dish) 洋皿: Yuda roast wagyu beef tenderloin.
- Tomewan (last dish served with rice and tsukemono) 留椀: Shijimi clams in red miso paste soup.
- Kanmi (sweets) 甘味: Scoop of handmade ice-cream.


Typical Japanese style breakfast was served on the following morning - grilled fish being the main dish. Ended my meal with a delicious piece of mille crepe cake, accompanied with coffee/tea. Yet another moment of indulgence!



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Yuda Onsen Kokian 湯田温泉 古稀庵
〒753-0056 山口県山口市湯田温泉2-7-1
http://kokian.co.jp/
Contact number: (+81)083-920-1810
Email:info@kokian.co.jp

How to get there?
(1) By foot. About 10 minutes walk from Yuda Onsen JR Station 湯田温泉駅.



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Video: An introductory video on Kokian.

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - Yuda Onsen JR Station 湯田温泉駅


Yuda Onsen JR Station (湯田温泉駅) is a train station located along Yamaguchi line. As the name suggests, this is the train station nearest to Yuda Onsen. By local train, it takes about 20 minutes to commute from Shin Yamaguchi JR Station, a major train station served by Sanyo Shinkansen, to Yuda Onsen. Due its accessibility by various mode of transportation, this is one of the more popular hot spring district in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Limited express and sightseeing trains serving Yuda Onsen JR Station include:
(1) Limited Express Super Oki (おき), commutes between Tottori and Shin Yamaguchi, via Kurayoshi, Yonago, Matsue, Izumo-shi, Masuda, Tsuwano, Yamaguchi and Yuda Onsen.

(2) SL Yamaguchi (SLやまぐち号) is a sightseeing train driven by a steam locomotive and commutes between Shin Yamaguchi and Tsuwano. The train usually operates on weekends and public holidays, and makes one round trip on its day of operation.
- 8521 Train: Shin Yamaguchi (1050 hrs) > Yuda Onsen (1106 hrs) > Tsuwano (1259 hrs)
- 8522 Train: Tsuwano (1545 hrs) > Yuda Onsen (1714 hrs) > Shin Yamaguchi (1730 hrs)
SL Yamaguchi: http://www.c571.jp/

Top left: Bade farewell to SL Yamaguchi; Bottom right: A 26 feet tall adorable looking white fox monument welcomes visitors to Yuda Onsen. 
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What's nearby?

(1) Yuda Onsen 湯田温泉
Yuda Onsen JR Station is actually not located at the heart of Yuda Onsen; the main street (San-in Road (山陰道) where hotels/ryokan and other facilities such as footbaths and Tourism Center are located along is about 10 minutes walk away from the train station. Upon exiting from the train station, walk straight and you will pass by Inoue Park (井上公園) and eventually see a Lawson convenience store along San-in Road. For our trip, we stayed at Kokian (古希庵) for a night and requested for them to pick us up from the train station. Having said that, I tried to walk from Kokian to the train station on the following morning after breakfast and it was quite manageable.  
Yuda Onsen: http://www.yudaonsen.com/


(2) Footbath (or ashiyu) just right beside the train station.
It is always welcoming to see a footbath upon reaching/exiting a train station. This is especially so after I have walked long distances over extended period of time. Soaking into the footbath helps to soothe the leg muscles and ease the ache. After multiple visits to Japan, I have also make it a point to put a towel into my bag which is used to wipe my feet after soaking them into a footbath, if I ever get to encounter one anytime during my journey. The location where the footbath is situated in this instance was also a thoughtful one because you can get an unobstructed view of trains passing by the station while enjoying a foot therapy.

Legend says. There is a gigantic monument of a white fox, standing at 26 feet tall (close to 8 m) and weighing 3 tons, erected beside the footbath. Apart from this. we also noticed that there were numerous statues of fox placed in different parts of the hot spring town during our exploration. Not that Yuda Onsen is or once was a breeding ground for fox but legend says that the discovery of Yuda Onsen is linked to a white fox. Long ago, a white fox would visit a small pond in Yuda every night to bathe his sore feet in the water. A Buddhist priest was bewildered by this unusual sight and went to scoop some water from the pond. That was how the hot spring source was discovered. 


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Commemorative stamp: 



Saturday, April 29, 2017

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - Taikodani Inari Jinja (Taikodani Inari Shrine) 太皷谷稲成神社

Visited 25.04.2015 (Sat)


First. Though I have visited Japan multiple times. I have never been to Kyoto. However, I have come across numerous photos depicting the rows of vermilion torii gates of Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷神社), an important Shinto shrine in Kyoto, and I have always wanted to see it for myself. Here at Tsuwano-cho, my dream came true partially at Taikodani Inari Jinja, as it bears some similarities to the former in terms of the long road of vibrant torii gates leading to a shrine.




Background. Taikodani Inari Jinja was founded in 1773 and is named one of Japan's top five inari shrines. It is said that many people made the trip here to pray for business prosperity, huge agricultural harvest and fulfillment of wishes. The two deities which are being worshipped here are Ukanomidama-kami 宇迦の御霊神, a deity in Japanese mythology that is associated with food and agriculture, and Izanaginomikoto 伊弉諾尊, another deity in Japanese mythology is is said to have created the islands of Japan together with with Izanami 伊弉冉.

The first torii of Taikodani Inari Jinja.

Official starting point of the climb uphill.
Rewarding. After a leisure stroll along Tonomachi-dori 殿町通り, we headed towards for Taikodani Inari Jinja as planned. When we reached the first torii after crossing the road junction, I "innocently" thought the shrine should be somewhere nearby. After a couple of minutes walk, we arrived at the first vermilion torii and realised this marks the start of the climb uphill. There are about 1,000 vermilion torii gates forming a winding tunnel all the way from the base of the hill to the shrine. Though the distance is only about 300 m, it can be physically exhausting to overcoming the multiple flight of stairs before reaching the final destination. For course, you can stop every now and then to rest and to capture shots of the torri gates in the meantime. In the pursuit of gaining elevation, I was excited to see a clearer overview of the surrounding natural landscape gradually. Visitors who persevered are eventually rewarded by a panoramic view of Tsuwano-cho at the shrine!






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Taikodani Inari Jinja (Taikodani Inari Shrine) 太皷谷稲成神社
〒699-5605 島根県鹿足郡津和野町後田409
Free admission.
http://taikodani.jp/

How to get there?

(1) By foot. Approx. 30 mins walk from Tsuwano JR Station 津和野駅.

Friday, April 28, 2017

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - Tsuwano JR Station 津和野駅, Tonomachi-dori 殿町通り, Tsuwano Catholic Church 津和野カトリック教会


Tsuwano JR Station (津和野駅) is a train station on the Yamaguchi line. From Shin Yamaguchi JR Station, we boarded SL Yamaguchi train, crossed the prefectural border between Yamaguchi and Shimane and eventually arrived at the terminus station in Tsuwano-cho, which is referred to as the “little Kyoto of San’in region”, after a two hours long journey. In my impression, this is a very peaceful and quaint remote town surrounded by mountainous landscape, making it an excellent getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life. In fact, I would have missed out visiting Tsuwano-cho if not for SL Yamaguchi. Glad that I made it here eventually to uncover this paradise in San'in region.

Tsuwano-cho Tourism Association: http://tsuwano-kanko.net/en/


Limited express trains serving this station include:
(1) Limited Express Super Oki (おき), commutes between Tottori and Shin Yamaguchi, via Kurayoshi, Yonago, Matsue, Izumo-shi, Masuda, Tsuwano, Yamaguchi and Yuda Onsen.



(2) SL Yamaguchi (SLやまぐち号) , a steam locomotive driven sightseeing train which operates on weekends and public holidays, and makes one round trip between Shin Yamaguchi and Tsuwano.

  • 8521 Train: Shin Yamaguchi (1050 hrs) > Yuda Onsen (1106 hrs) > Tsuwano (1259 hrs)
  • 8522 Train: Tsuwano (1545 hrs) > Yuda Onsen (1714 hrs) > Shin Yamaguchi (1730 hrs)

SL Yamaguchi: http://www.c571.jp/

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What's nearby?

Picturesque sight!
(1) Tonomachi-dori 殿町通り, about 10 minutes walk from train station.
This is the most scenic spot in Tsuwano-cho, which gave rise to the name "little Kyoto of San'in region". Tsuwano-cho once flourished as a castle town and remains of samurai residences, recognised by the white walls, lined along this street. The approximately 200 m long, spacious stone-paved road with ginkgo trees planted along its sides is a pretty sight to behold and capture under the lens.





What I felt most intriguing was seeing numerous koi fishes swimming in the long stretch of canal along the street! We were truly surprised by this unusual sight and like many visitors, we stood or squatted near the canal to admire these colourful fishes swimming gracefully in the waters for quite some time before heading towards the direction of Taikodani Inari Shrine. The street was much livelier on the weekend as most visitors came here via SL Yamaguchi train just like us. There are shops nearby where visitors can purchase fish food (100 yen/packet) from to feed the koi fishes. Purple and white irises planted in the canal bloom from late May to mid June, enhancing the beauty of this street further.


(2) Tsuwano Catholic Church 津和野カトリック教会, about 8 minutes walk from train station.
Opening hours: 0800 - 1730 hrs; Nov - Mar: 0800 - 1700 hrs
http://www.sun-net.jp/~otome/

This church with a western Gothic architecture outlook comes into sight when you crossed over from Honmachi-dori (本町通り) to Tonomachi-dori. Founded by a German priest in 1931, one feature unique to this church is that conventional pews or long benches are replaced with tatami mats here. With sufficient sunlight coming through the stained glasses, bright and beautiful colours are imprinted temporarily onto the tatami mats creating a mesmerising kaleidoscopic effect. Do remember to observe silence in the church while admiring the fine architectural features closely.




(3) Taikodani Inari Shrine 太鼓谷稲荷神社, one of Japan's five most important inari shine is about 30 minutes walk from train station.
http://taikodani.jp/

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Commemorative stamp:


Thursday, April 27, 2017

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - SL Yamaguchi-go SL山口号, Shin Yamaguchi JR Station 新山口駅, Jifuku JR Station 地福駅

Travelled 25.04.2015 (Sat)


Revamped. Clocked my second and third steam locomotive train ride here in Yamaguchi Prefecture - the first was SL Hitoyoshi in Kyushu. SL Yamaguchi was my favourite sightseeing themed train for the entire trip in Chugoku region. This train travels along Yamaguchi line 山口線 between Shin-Yamaguchi 新山口駅 and Tsuwano 津和野駅 and only operates on weekends and public holidays. The train makes one round trip on its day of operation between Shin Yamaguchi and Tsuwano, located in Shimane Prefecture. Despite this long overdue post, this train is still in operation now. However, there has been some touch up done to the interior of the carriages in 2017, which explains for the difference in the pictures seen in my blog entry. The renewed version still has a total of five train carriages and the retro interior are replicates of train cabins dating all the way back to early Showa era (1926 - 1989). A ride on board SL Yamaguchi ferries passengers through a tunnel of memory, accompanied by the chugging sounds and occasional nostalgic whistling sounds released from the chimney of the steam engine.


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Highlights:

Train schedule correct as of 9 Aug 2018:
- SL Yamaguchi 1: Shin Yamaguchi (1050 hrs) > Tsuwano  (1259 hrs)
- SL Yamaguchi 2: Tsuwano (1545 hrs) > Shin Yamaguchi (1730 hrs)

Sights of Shin Yamaguchi JR Station.
Shin Yamaguchi JR Station 新山口駅. For my trip, I took SL Yamaguchi from Shin Yamaguchi and alighted at the terminus station at Tsuwano. Embarked on a short day trip in Tsuwano-cho before hopping back onto the return SL Yamaguchi train bound for Shin Yamaguchi and alighted at Yuda Onsen. Shin Yamaguchi JR Station is served by Sanyo Shinkansen (山陽新幹線) and terminus station of Yamaguchi line (山口線) and Ube line (宇部線). The train station was originally called Ogori JR Station (小郡駅) when it was first operational in 1900. Its re-name to Shin Yamaguchi was actually quite recent in 2003 and this came about after it became one of the major train stations that serves Nozomi, the fastest speed Shinkansen commuting between Tokyo and Hakata. 


Previous version. In the previous version of SL Yamaguchi, there are a total of five train carriages each showcasing a different type/era of retro train cabin. We were assigned seats in the European themed passenger car in which the luxurious interior took reference from the legendary Orient Express of the 1880s. A strong European flair could be experienced within this train carriage - blue cushioned seats with tall back rest, decorated with stained glass on its top portion, classic baroque style lamps and overhead luggage racks, patterned curtains and wallpaper, and maroon carpeted flooring.




Best spot. Being an avid train fan, staying put on my seat throughout such sightseeing/themed train rides is a ‘torture’ to me. After settling down my parents on our designated seats, I immediately leapt to explore other sections of SL Yamaguchi. One of my favourite spot to hang out in this train is the observation deck located at its rear. In my opinion, train view is at its best here as passengers get to see an unobstructed trailing view of railway tracks and bridges that the train chugged through and a continuous plumb of black smoke trail left behind by the steam locomotive. 

Top right: European style cabin; Top left: Meiji era cabin; Bottom left: Taisho era cabin; Bottom right: Showa era cabin.
Time travel. SL Yamaguchi is a time travel machine which transcends passengers to different eras of Japan history. In the previous version of this train, apart from replicating train cabins residing during the Showa 昭和 period, passengers get to experience how train rides were during the Meiji 明治 (1868 - 1912) and Taisho 大正 (1912 - 1926) periods too. I felt that the opportunity to see/experience the transformation of train carriages from one era to another is rather valuable and educational for the younger generation. 

Brief stop at Jifuku JR Station.

Train operators working hard to ensure the steam locomotive runs smoothly. I suppose for the younger batch of train operators, being able to handle/operate an antique train today comes as a rare chance as well.
Jifuku JR Station 地福駅. For the train heading northwards from Shin Yamaguchi, a brief stop is made at Jifuku Station. Here, most passengers will get down from the carriages and flock to the steam locomotive for picture taking. This is also the best time to observe how steam locomotive is operated/fueled in the good old days - the labour intensive method of shoveling coal into the furnace by the train operator. As direct translation of "jifuku" means the land/place of prosperity/fortune, the auspicious name of this unmanned train station has lured many enthusiastic train fans and locals here.

Enjoyed my exclusive SL Yamaguchi-go bento while on board the train!
Website: http://www.c571.jp/

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Commemorative stamp:

Shin Yamaguchi JR Station

SL Yamaguchi