Amazing on day three

Our third day in Matsue was by far the best for me because we got to see autumn awesomeness. I love autumn colours so much.

But first we checked out an former samurai residence called Buke Yashiki that was built in 1730 and inhabited by a military family of a middle ranking.

This was the kitchen area


An entrance hall


This was a bedroom - some artifacts displayed


This, believe it or not, is a sleeping headrest

Then we walked around the grounds of Matsue castle. An impressive castle, but Himeji's castle is still the grandest of them all.

Matsue castle

And now onto autumn scenery. We visited a garden called Yuushien which was simply stunning. I'll let the photos explain...

Traffic light trees


Sweet view


Through yellow leaves


Orange among the yellow


A perfect balance of colours


Me and Bev on the bridge


In the indoor peony garden


Peony close up


Red in the sky


More yellow


Red momiji is my favourite


Gotta have the red bridge shot


Me on the bridge (in purple, can you see?)


Amongst the waterfall


Woo!


Me and autumn

After our fantastic time in the garden, we headed home along the coast and couldn't resist stopping at the beach. Yes, an actual beach with sand. Take a look.

Pretty decent, hey!


Me and Mount Daisen - can you see it?

Phew. A three day sightseeing extravaganza around Shimane prefecture. Glad I could show you some of it.

Until next time,
Monica xo

Day two in Matsue

On the second day of our trip, we made our way to Izumo Shrine. It's Japan's second most important shrine.

In the grounds of the shrine


The entrance to one of the shrines

Izumo shrine is characterised by the large sacred straw ropes, called shimenawa, hanging at the entrances.

This is Kagura Hall
The straw rope here is about 13 metres long


People were attempting to throw coins into the straw barrel


Not an easy feat because they kept bouncing off

Izumo shrine is also the home of the deity of marriage. And sure enough, we could see a ceremony taking place in the hall.

I snuck a picture!

There were trees of unwanted fortunes-
tied in the hope of a better one


Fortunes and wishes


People wrote their wishes on these wooden plaques

After visiting the shrine, we headed to the coast to see the Hinomisaki lighthouse.

The sea view was great - a bit chilly, though


Another view


And this is it.

According to the tourist brochures it is thought to be one of the top 100 historic lighthouses in the world. And the tallest in East Asia.

They sold all sorts of barbequed sea-delights at the lighthouse


Anyone for shark?

Next stop was the Shimane Winery and BBQ house. At the "winery" there were some pay-by-the-glass tastings, then a whole section of free-help-yourself tastings. And if wine wasn't your thing (it wasn't mine), you could buy a whole range of wine-flavoured goodies. I bought cakes.

At the BBQ house.
As you can see, fatty meat is mandatory in Japan

We finished the day at a boutique coffee shop called "Libido". Japan is so funny.

This was Bev's delight


And I chose apple pie

More on day three in Matsue in my next post.

Until then,
Monica xxo

Snow at Mount Daisen

Last weekend was a long weekend in Japan (again - he, he) so I went on a road trip with some friends to Matsue, in Shimane prefecture - on the coast north-west of Himeji.

Our first stop on Saturday was Mount Daisen,
about 3 1/2 hours from Himeji

Mount Daisen is an impressive volcanic mountain seen in the skyline from everywhere in the town.

It was snowcapped that day


A little Fuji-san...


...and again!

We drove part of the way up the mountain then parked the car and walked up to the shrine.

An uphill hike


It was about 2 degrees

And as soon as we reached the shrine we found snow!


Me and Bev and matching jackets


Woo! Snow

And to think on Monday we were enjoying the warm sun at the beach! More about the rest of the weekend in the next post!

Until then,
Monica x

Shizutani School

Two weeks ago I was lucky enough to be taken to Okayama to enjoy more autumn beauty. We went to Shizutani school - now a National Treasure - but originally a public educational institution for children of both commoners and the samurai class in the Edo period.

Shizutani means 'quiet valley'


The lecture hall still in pristine condition


The museum on site helps explain the history of the place


The roof tiles were handmade from bizenyaki
by local potters


The view of the famous autumn trees


Bus tours flock here to admire autumn beauty


One kai tree turns yellow ...


Hey, it's me!


...and the other an orange-vermilion


Autumn is all around


Fall


Afterwards, we strolled around the canals of Kurashiki


It has a great historic atmosphere

Autumn is definitely the best season in Japan - despite the chill factor. I love it.

Until more autumn leaves photos,
Monica xx