Walk of life

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

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.

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - Kai Izumo 界出雲

Stayed 21.04.2015 (1 night)

Reserved thru' Jalan.net.

3 pax/room, inclusive of half board = 27,000 yen/pax + 150 yen/pax (bathing tax)

Debut stay! Have read a lot of exceptional reviews on hotels and ryokans under Hoshino group in numerous travel guidebooks. One of their brands - Kai aims to bring out the "omotenashi" (hospitality) spirit of Japanese and elevate traditional hot springs ryokans in Japan to a whole new level of experience. And finally in this episode of my travel series of Japan, I found the chance to stay in Kai Izumo (界出雲) situated in Tamatsukuri Onsen, a well known hot spring town in Shimane Prefecture. In fact, this extraordinary experience has also fueled my decisions during later trips to Japan to stay with Kai when opportunities arise - in 2016, Kai Tsugaru (界津軽) in Aomori Prefecture, and Kai Matsumoto (界松本) in Nagano Prefecture; in 2017, Kai Kaga (界加賀) in Kanazawa Prefecture, Kai Izu (界伊豆) and Kai Enshu (界遠州), both in Shizuoka Prefecture. Despite staying in Kai on so many occasions, I am still looking forward to do so in future. What exactly make Kai so endearing and outstanding?

Bridge connecting the lobby to the guestrooms.

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Highlights

Lobby.

Omotenashi. Took a taxi from Tamatsukuri Onsen JR Station and arrived at the doorstep of Kai Izumo just before 3 pm. What amazed me was there was already a staff standing by at the entrance to assist us (as if she knew that we were coming)! The staff helped us to carry some of our luggage and led us to the lobby where we told to sit down to wait for her colleague who will take care of our check-in procedure. While waiting, hot towel and green tea was served. Knowing that we were not locals, a staff who could converse in English was assigned to serve us. First, he ensured my particulars were correct and requested politely for our passports as part of check-in procedure. Next, he returned with a map of the ryokan and pointed out to us where the main facilities such as bathhouse and dining area were. Lastly, he checked with us what were our preferred dinning timings for both meals and whether we had any food allergies that they should take note of. After that, he brought us to our room which was located on the second floor of the building.

When we were in the room, he invited us to sit down around the center table and continued to explain to us patiently what were the features available in the room, where the yutaka were kept and check with us whether the size of the yutaka was right. He did all these while seated in the formal Japanese way, with the legs tucked under the butt. After affirming that he had addressed all our concerns, he thanked us for staying with them and hoped that we would enjoy our stay here. His next action impressed me most! Instead of standing up to walk out of the room, he maintained his kneeling position with his front facing us and shifted himself out of the room. Just before he closed the sliding door, he bowed to us again with a humble smile. This was the first time I felt such a strong sense of hospitality from any hotel/ryokan I have stayed with and even till today, the entire process still remained vividly in the mind.

Participated in the outdoor Japanese tea ceremony.

Tradition. After check in, we were informed that there was an outdoor tea ceremony which we could attend. This is an activity held daily, between 1530 to 1830 hours, and is unique to Kai Izumo. Japanese tea ceremony culture is deeply rooted in Matsue city (where Kai Izumo is located in) due to strong influence by Matsudaira Harusato (松平不昧公), a feudal lord who ruled Matsue domain in the 18th century. Came to a garden located in the center of the compound and sat around an elevated tatami laid platform where a professional tea master was waiting to serve us. After we exchanged greetings, he pulled out a tray of confectionery from a small wooden shelf and asked us to enjoy the sweets while he prepared the matcha. He executed all the procedure skillfully in a sitting kneel posture; scooping the right amount of matcha powder and water into a bowl, and whisking the mixture till the right consistency was achieved. After the matcha was served, he even demonstrated to us how we should enjoy our drink. Looks simple but Japanese tea ceremony is a culture that requires precision to execute and patience to fully appreciate the entire process.

Top right: Hot spring tub in our room.

Room and facilities. Kai Izumo has 24 rooms and every room has its dedicated outdoor hot spring enclosure where guests can enjoy anytime in their own private space. We were assigned to a room on the second level, which is relatively less expensive than the rooms on the first floor. The hot spring tub is lined with Shigaraki yaki (信楽焼) ceramic tiles which is originated from Shiga Prefecture. Within the building, there is also a library where guests can sit around to read travel books and enjoy a cup of coffee/tea while browsing. This was a place I like to hang out at after meals or comfortable soak.

Library.

Indoor hot spring pool.

Rejuvenating hot spring. The hot spring source in Tamatsukuri Onsen is well known for its rejuvenating effects on the skin and is especially popular among women. Guests can enjoy soaking into the beautification spring either in their room or the communal bathrooms. There are two bathrooms which are separated by gender and each has its own indoor and outdoor sections. In the center of the indoor pool, there is a small, exquisite ornament which resembles Izumo Taisha and hot spring waters is continuously flowing out from it to the pool. Towels are available in the communal bathhouse, therefore you do not need to bring the ones provided in the guestrooms.

What is the best thing to do after a soak? For me, I always like to hydrate myself with chilled water which is typically provided in the changing room or common area. In Kai Izumo, guests are treated to tea, juice and even ice lollies which are made in house! For a moment I felt like a kid all over again; excited to see a ice cream freezer and pampered by these small delectable treats!

Exceptional meals. In Kai, the menu varies with seasons and is attentively designed to simulate both your tastebuds and vision. Love the way they make use of seasonal ingredients and present food unique to that region/area where the ryokan is situated in. For every dish served on the table, the staff would explain the dish in detail and recommend the best way to savor the food. Enjoyed myself thoroughly, from the start to the end, in all aspects that I can think of - taste, visual and ambience.

- Appetizer: Raw mosa shrimp, caught from the Sea of Japan by bottom trawling, with several condiments to accompany with; flavoured salt, olive oil and sudachi lime.

- An assortment of eight delicacies (Hassun 八寸): Hassun is beautifully plated dish made up of delicacies harvested from the land and sea. Sakura shrimp in Matsukaze sauce, soramame beans jelly dumplings with Jyunsai plant, Akagai clams and scallions in miso, trout sushi with Japanese pepper on the top, Nanohana flowers in sesame dressing, five coloured potato fritters and Aigamo duck tenderloin were served.

- Soup: Clear soup with shrimp dumpling, Sakura mochi Kogomi fern sprout topped with Japanese pepper.

- Sashimi: Assorted array of fresh local fish (such as horse mackerel, seabass, tuna and seabream) and sea urchin.

- Tempura (agemono): Deep fried minced shrimp balls in shinbiki flour and wild plants, accompanied with green tea salt and lemon.

- Steamed dish (Futamono): Steamed eggplant and ground chicken layered in Hakata style served with colourful vegetable sauce and tomato miso.

- Main dish: We could choose either Shinjiko shijimi clams cooked in Cataplana pan or grilled wagyu beef tenderloin, sirloin and thinly sliced round steak served with three kinds of sauce.

- Rice: Bamboo shoots seasoned rice served with tsukemono (pickled vegetables) and miso soup.

- Dessert: We chose three out of the five from the menu. I had cheese soufflé drizzled with raspberry sauce, while my parents had plum wine jelly with fruits and assorted ice cream and sherbet with jellied sweets. When we stayed with Kai Izumo that time, light snacks were served as supper - coloured mochi accompanied with kombu tea.

Breakfast on the following day was equally amazing as well. An elegant tray with food contained in/put on exquisite bowls and plates was served - tofu cooked in flying fish soup, grilled sailfin sandfish, warabi wrapped with Kanpyo, chicken and tofu ball, boiled chinese yam and miso soup with Shijimi clams harvested from nearby Lake Shinji (宍道湖).

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Kai Izumo 界出雲
〒699-0201 島根県松江市玉湯町玉造1237
https://kai-ryokan.jp/izumo/

How to get there?

(1) By local bus. Unfortunately, Kai Izumo does not provide complimentary shuttle service from Tamatsukuri Onsen JR Station (玉造温泉駅). Board Ichibata Bus Tamatsukuri line (玉造線) from either Matsue JR Station or Tamatsukuri Onsen JR Station 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.

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Videos:

Monday, March 20, 2017

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - Tamatsukuri Onsen JR Station 玉造温泉駅

Tamatsukuri Onsen JR Station (玉造温泉駅) is located on San'in main line. Made up of two platforms, the east bound trains here head towards Matsue, Yasugi, Yonago, Tottori and Okayama (for the limited express trains), while the west bound trains head towards Izumo-shi.

Limited express trains serving this station include:
(1) Limited Express Yakumo (やくも), commutes between Okayama and Izumo-shi, via Yonago, Yasugi, Matsue and Tamakutsuri Onsen.
(2) Limited Express Super Matsukaze (まつかぜ), commutes between Tottori and Masuda, via Kurayoshi, Yonago, Matsue and Izumo-shi.
(3) Limited Express Super Oki (おき), commutes between Tottori and Shin Yamaguchi, via Kurayoshi, Yonago, Matsue, Izumo-shi, Masuda, Tsuwano, Yamaguchi and Yuda Onsen.

* As that not all limited express trains make a stop at this station, it is advisable to check the train schedule through Hyperdia.

As the name suggests, this is the train station nearest to Tamatsukuri Onsen. From here, there are several ways to get to Tamatsukuri Onsen.
(1) By complimentary shuttle service provided by ryokans and hotels in Tamatsukuri Onsen. On most occasions, you have to inform the ryokans and hotels which you are staying with that you will like to utilize this complimentary service beforehand.
(2) By foor. It takes about 35 minutes to walk from the train station.
(3) By taxi. Journey takes about 5 minutes. Taxi fare = 850 yen
(4) By Ichibata Bus (一畑バス). Bus stop is located at the T-junction which is about a few minutes walk away from the train station.
Board Ichibata Bus Tamatsukuri line (玉造線) heading towards Tamatsukuri Onsen and alight at the last stop. Bus fare = 170 yen
Bus schedule: https://www.ichibata.co.jp/bus/rosen/tamayu.html

- Tamatsukuri Onsen Ryokan Association website: http://tamayado.com/en/

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Commemorative stamp:

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - Izumo Soba Enishi 手打ち出雲そばえにし

Visited 21.04.2015 (Tue)

Izumo's specialty. After visiting Izumo Taisha, it was time for lunch! Along Kamimon dori 神門通り, between Izumo Taisha mae Station and the entrance of the shrine, there are numerous shops and restaurants lined on both sides of the street. Before arriving here, I already had in mind to try two food - one is red bean soup with mochi/glutinuous rice balls (otherwise known as zenzai ぜんざい) and the other is Warigo Soba 割子そば, which is exclusive to this region.

Izumo Soba 出雲そば has been voted as one of Japan's top three soba, alongside Nagano Prefecture's Togakushi Soba 戸隠そば and Iwate Prefecture's Wanko Soba わんこそば. Izumo Soba is characterised by its darker colour and this is a result of using flour, grounded from both buckwheat and its hulls. Came to Enishi, a local restaurant specialising in Izumo Soba, to try out this food for ourselves. At Enishi, the noodles are made from gensoba (玄そば), which is organically cultivated by farms whom they collaborate directly with. The owner still relies on the traditional method of grounding gensoba with millstone and handmade their noodles freshly everyday in the premises. Warigo Soba is available in different serving sizes, three, four or five tiers, and we ordered the three tiers. The soba were served in three round lacquered containers and there was another container in which condiments such as grated daikon mixed with chili (known as koyo oroshi 紅葉おろし), seaweed and chopped spring onions were placed.

Step by step. First, place a bit of each condiment on top of the soba from any of the container, and pour dashi onto it. Mix the noodles, condiments and dashi and it is ready to be enjoyed. After finishing the first container of noodles, pour the leftover dashi from this container into the next one, add condiments and dashi to adjust the taste accordingly before you tuck in again. This step is repeated until all tiers of soba are completely eaten. After you consumed the noodles in the last container, add water, in which the soba was boiled in, into the leftover sauce before slurping up the broth to its very last drop. Izumo Soba is much firmer and fragrant than the ones I have eaten before. The condiments and flavourful dashi, each played an important role in elevating the taste further. Though three tiers of Warigo Soba had exceeded the serving size I could handle, the wonderful taste impelled me to gulped down the soba, one container after another effortlessly.

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Izumo Soba Enishi 手打ち出雲そばえにし
島根県出雲市大社町杵築南836-2　出雲大社神門通り
Operating hours: 1100 - 1600 hrs; closed on Wednesdays
https://www.ichibata.co.jp/enishi/

How to get there?
Approx 2 minutes walk from Ichibata Densha Izumo Taisha-mae Station 一畑電車出雲大社前駅.

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Chugoku Sanyo, San-in 中国地方山陽、山陰 - Izumo Taisha 出雲大社, Zenzai ぜんざい

Visited 21.04.2015 (Tue)

Good relationship. Izumo Taisha is a symbol of Izumo-shi and a distinguished place of worship in Japan. People from different parts of Japan come to this sacred place to wish for good "en 縁" or relationship, an essential element in everyone's life. Whether is it family ties, friendship, love life or rapport with colleagues, it is part and parcel of our lives to embrace the dynamics of relationship. There is no perfect, one structured solution to every issue we encounter in lives and sometimes spiritual boost is needed to overcome these challenges or eliminate the haunting uncertainties at the back of our minds. Establishing good relationship with people around us is paramount and meeting the right people can sometimes make a huge difference to our lives. Okuninushi no okami 大国主大神, the deity enshrined in Izumo Taisha, is well known as the deity of happiness, good fortune and relationship. Therefore, this shrine became a popular place of worship for people who want to be blessed with such virtue.

Overlooking Shinmon-dori from Seidamari no otorii. Can you spot a gigantic white torii in the background?

This was the highlight of our stay in Izumo-shi. After an overnight stay here, we set off early in the morning to first pay homage at Izumo Taisha before heading for Tamatsukuri Onsen later in the afternoon. From Izumo Taisha mae Station, we strolled along the stone paved street of Shinmon-dori, lined with shops and restaurants on both sides, before arriving at Seidamari no otorii 勢溜の大鳥居, the main entrance of Izumo Taisha.

From Izumo Taisha mae Station, turn left and walk straight to see this huge white torii made of concrete.

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Background / Highlights:

- Count the number of rabbits! From Seidamari no otorii, there are two rows of beautiful pine trees leading all the way to the main compound of Izumo Taisha. Worshipers/visitors are supposed to walk on either side of this path as the center is dedicated to the deities. Along the way, you will spot numerous adorable stone figurines of rabbit in its premises. This depicts the white rabbit of Inaba 因幡の白兎 which is said to be the matchmaker of Okuninushi no okami and Princess Hachigami. In fact, there is a shrine built and dedicated to this rabbit as well. The shrine is Hakuto Jinja 白兎神社 and also a popular place of worship situated in Tottori city.

- Haiden 拝殿, located just in front of Honden, is the main place where worshippers pray to Okuninushi no Okami. In Japan, it is a common practice to use a 5 yen coin as offering. Reason being the pronunciation of 5 yen in Japanese, "go-en", sounds similar to another phrase which means relationship "縁". As mentioned previously, everyone hope to encounter/experience good "en" in different aspects of their lives, it gave rise to this practice exemplified during praying in a shrine/temple in Japan. In Izumo Taisha, the way to worship is slightly different from other shrines/temples I have visited before in Japan. First, put some coins into the offering box; followed by bowing twice and clapping four times (instead of the usual two times). Make a wish and bow once more to complete the entire procedure.

Prayed in front of Honten.

Symbols to indicate where the pillars supporting the previous 48 m tall Honten are located in.

Could only see the roof of the honden behind the fence.

- Honden 本殿, is the main hall where Okuninushi no Okami is enshrined in. It is a pity that visitors are not allowed to enter the main hall as it is quite difficult to fully appreciate this majestic wooden building while standing outside the fenced up area. Standing at 24 m tall and a large roof beautifully covered by bark from cypress trees, the Honden was built in 1744 and was designated as a national treasure in 1952. It was said that the main hall was actually twice as high (48 m) in the past! Though it is hard to believe whether such tall structure could be built in the ancient days, the authenticity of this myth was somehow validated when remains of wooden pillars from the main hall, dated all the way back to 12th century, were unearthed from the grounds in 2000. The locations where the wooden pillars were deep rooted in are now being marked by symbols on the ground.

- Kaguraden 神楽殿, otherwise known as the sacred dance hall, is where Shinto rituals, prayers and marriage ceremonies are held. Located on the west side of Honden, there is one other unique feature to this ceremonial building. An enormous sacred Shinto straw rope, known as Shimenawa しめ縄, measuring 13.5 m long and weighing 4.5 tons, hangs in front of the building. This is the definitely the biggest Shimenawa I have ever seen in my life (in fact, the largest in Japan as well). Shimenawa is typically found at the entrance of such building as it divides the space between the sacred area where deities are enshrined in and the outside world.

Zenzai - Sweet red bean soup with two mochi, pink and white in colour.

Zenzai. One food that many people will head for after praying at Izumo Taisha is zenzai ぜんざい. In the ancient days, zenzai was used as an important offering to the deities during the month of October of the old lunar calendar. This is the month when all the deities from different parts of Japan would come together to Izumo region, therefore also known as Kami ari tsuki 神有月. Along Shinmon-dori, there are many shops offering this sweet red bean soup served together with mochi. After visiting Izumo Taisha, we religiously came to Izumo Zenzai Mochi 出雲ぜんざい餅, a shop located in Goen Yokocho ご縁横町, to savour this popular sweet red bean soup dessert too!

Izumo Zenzai Mochi is located on the right.

Goen Yokocho ご縁横町: http://www.goenyokocho.jp/

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Izumo Taisha 出雲大社
島根県出雲市大社町杵築東１９５
Operating hours: 0600 - 2000 hrs
Free admission
http://www.izumooyashiro.or.jp/

How to get there?

(1) By Ichibata Densha 一畑電車
Board the train from Dentetsu Izumo-shi Station 電鉄出雲市駅 and alight at Kawato (川跡). Transfer to another train at a different platform heading for Izumo Taisha (出雲大社) via Taisha line. Alight at the terminus station, Izumo Taisha mae Station 出雲大社前駅. Upon exiting from the train station, turn right and walk straight along Shinmon-dori 神門通り. Approx 7 minutes walk to reach Izumo Taisha.
One way train fare = 490 yen (adult).
Izumo Taisha mae Station: https://www.ichibata.co.jp/railway/operate/stations/00.html