Japan Autumn Nov 2017 一人で日本の旅 Tottori 鳥取県, Shimane 島根県 - Day 14: Hokuei-cho 北栄町, Hoki-cho 北栄町, Matsue-shi 松江市

Day 14: 19.11.2017 (Sun)
* Day 14 of 14 Days Japan Rail Pass

Breakfast: Toyoko Inn Yonago Ekimae 東横INN米子駅前

Yonago JR 米子駅 (0839 hrs) > Yura JR 由良駅 (0921 hrs)
🚆 by local train.

Returned to Tourist Information Office to collect Conan Street Stamp Rally completion sticker!

Yura JR 由良駅 (0933 hrs) > Yonago JR 米子駅 (1042 hrs)
🚆 by local train.

Yonago JR 米子駅 > Shoji Ueda Photography Museum 植田正治写真美術館
🚖 by taxi. [2,000 yen]

Visited Shoji Ueda Photography Museum 植田正治写真美術館.
http://www.japro.com/ueda/

Shoji Ueda Photography Museum 植田正治写真美術館 > Yonago JR 米子駅
🚖 by taxi. [2,000 yen]

Yonago JR 米子駅 (1318 hrs) > Matsue JR 松江駅 (1339 hrs)
🚆 by Limited Express Yakumo やくも 9.

Matsue Ekimae Bus Stop 7 松江駅前 > Matsue Castle 松江城
🚍 by Lakeline Bus レイクラインバス. [200 yen]
http://matsue-bus.jp/lakeline

Visited Matsue Castle 松江城. [280 yen, discount for foreigners]
http://www.matsue-tourism.or.jp/m_castle/

Matsue Castle 松江城 > Matsue Ekimae 松江駅前
🚍 by Lakeline Bus レイクラインバス. [200 yen]

Dinner: Kakeru Ramen かけるラーメン, Matsue JR Station
http://nakanishiya.com/buisiness/kakeru/

Matsue JR 松江駅 (1854 hrs) > Okayama JR 岡山駅 (2136 hrs)
🚆 by Limited Express Yakumo やくも 30.

Checked in: Toyoko Inn Okayama Eki Nishi-guchi Hiroba 東横INN岡山駅西口広場
https://www.toyoko-inn.com/search/detail/00167/

- End of Day 14 -

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.

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:

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - Adachi Museum of Art 足立美術館

Visited 22.04.2015 (Wed)

Best. After spending an enjoyable morning with flowers and Mt Daisen at Tottori Hanakairo Flower Park, we returned to Yonago JR Station to connect to the next complimentary shuttle bus to our next destination - Adachi Museum of Art. Note: Complimentary shuttle bus departing from Yonago JR Station has ceased operation. Currently, bus service is only available from Yasugi JR Station. This was a place of interest which I almost gave it a miss largely due to its expensive admission fee (2,300 yen). However, I was totally captivated by the pictures showcasing what the museum had to offer and wanted very much to see it for myself. The landscape gardening already looked amazingly breathtaking simply on paper media and to some extent, felt a bit surreal. Seeing is indeed believing and I am glad that I eventually made my way here before concluding this chapter of my expedition in the San-in region! To date, I am still ranking this as the best landscaped garden I have ever seen in Japan.

Highlights:

Picturesque. Adachi Zenko (1899-1990) was a successful businessman but his passion and love for art and gardening gave rise to the establishment of this museum in his hometown in 1980. Apart from 165,000 m2 of beautifully landscaped gardens, the museum also houses an extensive collection of paintings and ceramics from influential artists. Unlike other gardens which I have visited before in Japan (usually public parks), visitors are not allowed to venture into these aesthetic gardens here. I can totally relate to the painstaking efforts invested to maintain the landscape/compound in such impeccable state while admiring these gardens from behind the glass panels. It is a pleasure to admire how the well-sculptured gardens harmonised with surrounding natural mountainous landscape, and this fully resonates with Adachi Zenko's belief that a Japanese garden is a "living painting". Its beauty has won itself three star listing in the Michelin Green Guide Japan and ranked top among all other gardens in Japan for consecutive years as part of Shiosai Project.

The first scene which made me awed in exhilaration was the Dry Landscape Garden, the main garden of Adachi Museum of Art. The central rock formation resembles a mountain from which a river flows, which is represented by the white gravel stones laid out smoothly on the ground. In this enclosure, seats were also provided just in front of the tall glass panels for visitors to admire the well balanced landscape comfortably. Standing in front of this therapeutic scenery, a sense of calmness was instilled in my mind unconsciously. I truly think I can sit here all day long to marvel at this artistic masterpiece!

Living Picture. This particular window frame definitely lives up to its name as a living framed painting. The garden view through this window is reminiscent to a Rinpa School (one of major historical schools of Japanese painting) folding screen. A different view of this elegant garden through the same window is experienced throughout the day, due to shifting sunlight, and year, due to changing seasons. If you cannot imagine how different it looks like at different times of throughout the year, you can refer to this postcard showcasing the transformation across four different seasons, which is also available for sale at the museum shop.

There are a handful of outdoor sections where visitors can come closer to these gardens. One at the Pond Garden and the other at White Gravel and Pine Garden. The latter was inspired by Yokoyama Taikan's painting bearing the same name, and the contrast between the green pine trees and white gravel hills is remarkably sensuous to the eyes. Kikaku Waterfall, standing majestically at 15 m tall, can also be seen in the backdrop, adding another dimension to this graceful living picture.

Tea with a view. There are coffee shops and tea houses situated at different areas of the museum where visitors can take a break in. If you are a fan of Dry Landscape Garden like myself, the coffee shop named Midori 翠 should be the one to head down to. The other coffee shop named Taikan 大観 is surrounded by the Pond Garden and serves curry dishes and light meals in addition to drinks and sweets. At Midori, I extended my "visual therapy" and had the luxury to enjoy a panoramic view of the garden while sipping away an expensive cup of tea (cost 1,000 yen for 1 cup of coffee/tea). Despite the pricey tea, being able to embrace this beautiful scenery once again (for the last time) made the drink worthwhile.

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Adachi Museum of Art 足立美術館
〒692‐0064 島根県安来市古川町320
Operating hours:
Apr - Sep: 0900 - 1730 hrs
Oct - Mar: 0900 - 1700 hrs
Admission fee = 2,300 yen
http://www.adachi-museum.or.jp/

How to get there? 

(1) By complimentary shuttle bus departing from Yasugi JR Station 安来駅.
Bus schedule: https://www.adachi-museum.or.jp/en/shuttle_bus

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - Day 7 Tottori Hanakairo Flower Park 鳥取花回廊, Adachi Museum of Art 足立美術館

Day 7: 22.04.2015 (Wed)
* Day 7 of 7 Days Sanyo & San'in Area Pass

Tottori Hanakairo. Background: Mt Daisen.

Breakfast: Kai Izumo 界 出雲

Kai Izumo > Tamatsukuri Onsen JR 玉造温泉駅
by taxi. [850 yen]

Tamatsukuri Onsen JR 玉造温泉駅 (0851 hrs) > Yonago JR 米子駅 (0921 hrs)
by Yakumo 10.

Yonago JR Station Bus Stop (0930 hrs) > Tottori Hanakairo Flower Park 鳥取花回廊 (0955 hrs)
by free shuttle bus.

Visited Tottori Hanakairo Flower Park 鳥取花回廊. [500 yen, discounted price for foreigners]
http://www.tottorihanakairou.or.jp/

Lunch: Tottori Hanakairo Flower Park 鳥取花回廊.

Tottori Hanakairo Flower Park 鳥取花回廊 (1230 hrs) > Yonago JR Station Bus Stop (1255 hrs)
by free shuttle bus.

Yonago JR Station Bus Stop (1315 hrs) > Adachi Museum of Art 足立美術館 (1352 hrs)
by free shuttle bus. *16.04.2017 update: Free shuttle bus departing from Yonago JR Station to Adachi Museum of Art has ceased. Free shuttle bus departing from Yasugi JR Station is still in operation.

Adachi Museum of Art

Visited Adachi Museum of Art 足立美術館. [1,150 yen; discounted price for foreigners]
https://www.adachi-museum.or.jp/en/

Adachi Museum of Art 足立美術館 (1550 hrs) > Yasugi JR Bus Stop (1610 hrs)
by free shuttle bus.

Yasugi JR 安来駅 (1618 hrs) > Okayama JR 岡山駅 (1838 hrs)
by Yakumo やくも 24.

Collected luggage from Toyoko Inn Okayama Eki Nishi Guchi Hiroba 東横イン岡山駅西口広場.

Okayama JR 岡山駅 (1912 hrs) > Hiroshima JR 広島駅 (1952 hrs)
by Sakura さくら 571.

Dinner: Ekiben on board train.

Checked in: Hotel Flex ホテルフレック
http://www.hotel-flex.co.jp/english/

Dessert: Cafe 43

- End of Day 7 -

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - Tamatsukuri Onsen 玉造温泉, Tamatsukuriyu Jinja 玉作湯神社, Yuyakushi Hiroba 湯薬師広場, Tamayugawa 玉湯川

Visited 21.04.2015 (Tue)

Natural cosmetic. One of the oldest hot spring town in Japan, Tamatsukuri Onsen 玉造温泉 existed more than 1300 years ago. As the weakly alkaline and colourless hot spring waters is said to have therapeutic and beautifying effects to the skin, it is also referred to as a natural cosmetic and is a hot spring spot especially popular among women. Tamayugawa 玉湯川 flows through the hot spring town with numerous hotels and ryokan assembled on both sides of the river. After our check in to Kai Izumo 界 出雲, our accommodation for the night, we headed out to explore the hot spring town further. In general, Tamatsukuri Onsen is a tranquil town tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life and is relatively easy to navigate around. There are shrines, footbaths, public bathhouse, eateries, souvenir shops scattered along the entire stretch of hot spring street for visitors to discover; part of the rejuvenating procedure to indulge in this humble hot spring town.

Personally, Tamatsukuri Onsen is still one of my favourite hot spring area that I have visited to date. I felt that there is a good balance of traditional elements being faithfully maintained and new components being carefully incorporated to revitalise the entire hot spring street and not to the point of making it too commercialised (as of yet). Here, you will unconsciously slow down your momentum to synchronise yourself to the calming lifestyle here, a luxury that is hard to come by and precious for city dwellers.

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Highlights:

(1) Tamatsukuriyu Jinja 玉作湯神社

A shrine which worships the deity of onsen and deity of comma shaped jewel. What makes this shrine uniquely different from the ones I have visited before is the object of worship is a mystical "wishing stone" (negai-ishi 願い石). From the office, you can purchase a kanai-ishi set 叶い石セット for 600 yen which contains a gemstone, cloth sachet and slip of paper for you to write down your wishes. First, place the gemstone against the big wishing stone and make a wish at the same time. After that, put the gemstone back into the sachet which now serves as an amulet. Lastly, write your wish onto the slip of paper and drop it into a box which is located just outside the office to complete the ritual!

Flight of stairs to overcome before arriving at the shrine.

Office to purchase kanai-ishi set and drop your wish slip.

Bestow upon the wishing stone!

(2) Yuyakushi Hiroba 湯薬師広場

What make the hot spring waters of Tamatsukuri Onsen so highly acclaimed is its moisturising, skin repair and beautifying effects and these attributes make it on par with cosmetics. At this spot, you will find a concrete bowl, containing hot spring waters, with a large comma shaped polished stone placed in the center. From the adjacent cupboard, I bought a 80 ml spray bottle at 200 yen (just simply put the money in the box), filled it up with natural occurring cosmetic waters from the bowl and used it as a face hydrating mist spray! Truly an excellent souvenir to bring home with.

DIY your very own face hydrating mist spray with hot spring waters.

(3) Tamayugawa 玉湯川

Tamayugawa runs across this hot spring town and flows into Shinji-ko (Lake Shinji 宍道湖). One particular point I like about Tamatsukuri Onsen is the effort taken by the locals to beautify the surroundings of this natural waterway. Boardwalk and pavements are constructed on the river banks for pedestrians to walk alongside the river; there are also two footbath spots along the river to stop by to soothe the legs. Intricate bronze statues depicting local legends and adjacent lanterns describing these stories are scattered throughout the hot spring town. Try to identify as many comma shaped symbols as possible while strolling around the area, and you will be surprised to find some hidden in the least unexpected places. After a full up dinner course, we headed out again to the dimly lighted street and immersed ourselves into the tranquility and serenity that the charming little town had to offer.

One of the two footbaths sighted alongside Tamayugawa.

Pedestrian walkways constructed on both sides of the river.

Numerous bronze statues depicting local legends. 

How many comma shaped pictures/items can you spot in the town?

(4) Yu~Yu ゆ～ゆ
Opening hrs: 1000 - 2200 hrs (last entry at 2120 hrs)

Bathing fee = 500 yen (adult), 250 yen (child)

http://www.tama-yuuyu.com/

This is a public bathhouse where locals come here to enjoy their routine hot spring water therapy.  Equipped with both indoor, outdoor pools and sauna, the large indoor pool is designed to be comma shaped, which is analogous to Tamatsukuri Onsen. We did not visit the public bathhouse since we could do so in our hotel. Instead, we dropped by its farmers’ market where fresh agricultural produce and local souvenirs can be purchased. And of course, we could not resist not savouring a delectable cherry flavored soft serve cone just before heading back to Kai Izumo.

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Tamatsukuri Onsen 玉造温泉 
島根県松江市玉湯町
https://www.kankou-matsue.jp/onsen/tamatsukuri-onsen.html
http://tamayado.com/

How to get there?

(1) By local bus.
Board Ichibata Bus Tamatsukuri line 一畑バス玉造線 from either Matsue JR Station 松江駅 or Tamatsukuri Onsen JR Station 玉造温泉駅 heading for Tamatsukuri Onsen.
From Matsue JR Station, it takes about 30 minutes by bus.
From the bus stop nearest to Tamatsukuri Onsen JR Station, it takes about 7 minutes by bus.
Bus schedule: https://www.ichibata.co.jp/bus/rosen/tamayu.html

(2) By taxi.
Journey takes about 5 minutes from Tamatsukuri Onsen JR Station. Taxi fare = 850 yen

(3) By foot. It takes about 35 minutes from Tamatsukuri Onsen JR Station.