Chūgoku (Part 2): Tottori & Shimane

In part 1 of our Chūgoku adventure, we visited Hiroshima and Okayama. Now we head north for part 2, to the 2 prefectures that lie on the shores of the Sea of Japan – Tottori and Shimane.

After a 2 hour drive, we arrived at our ryokan on the fringes of Tottori City. It was the perfect place to see the famous Tottori Sand Dunes. More on that later. Our first stop was the Sand Museum. We expected the museum to have some generic displays or perhaps some history to do with… sand… but we were pleasantly surprised to find that the museum actually holds world-renowned sand sculptures and their themes change every 3-4 years. The theme when we visited was Czechoslovakia.

The main hall of the museum was a massive space that was filled with numerous sand sculptures made by different artists. The sand sculptures were huge in size but intricate in details, and the teams that created these massive displays comprised of skilled sand sculptors from all over the world, including one from Singapore! As the crowning jewel of the exhibit, there was a replica model of Prague Castle with a waterfall at the far end of the main hall. It was awesome.

Right next to the museum were the Tottori Sand Dunes. This desert-looking landscape spans roughly 15km in length and 2.5 km in width and is also next to the sea. There weren’t any dedicated paths so visitors are free to roam wherever and however they wished. We started by following the footstep trails of others but soon ventured on our own way. From certain points, you weren’t able to see beyond the dunes which gave the feeling that you were actually in a vast desert. Then as you walk on further, there will be a few activities relating to the sand and the beach like sand boarding and paragliding.

We bid Tottori adieu and headed to Shimane. We stopped by Yuushien along our drive to Matsue (a city in Shimane). Yuushien is a garden that is well known for their beautiful peonies. I’m not much of a flowers guy, but this garden had amazing colours that no other garden in Japan had. The peonies came in various shades of red and it made the garden bloom with vibrancy. It was springtime which meant it was peak season and tickets were more expensive and it meant that hoards of visitors. Nevertheless, it was worth the visit as the experience was unique.

Izumo Taisha or Izumo Grand Shrine, is the most well-known places in Shimane and usually on the top of lists of must-see shrines in all of Japan. The shrine gains its importance because of the kami or god that is enshrined there. According to the creation myth of Japan, Okuninushi no Okami was the creator of Japan and ruled Izumo. Every year, Shinto’s deities gather here for a meeting and this is when the biggest festival of the shrine is celebrated.

Even though we went there on a gloomy, rainy day, but there were still many visitors to the shrine. The shrine complex is split into a few parts but the main area houses the tallest worship hall in Japan (24 meters). Visitors were not allowed near the main buildings but the area surrounding it had lots of other places to see. There was even a shopping street next to the shrine area.

Many travelers (before COVID) travel to Kyoto each year to see Fushimi Inari Shrine and her Thousand Torii Gates. Actually there are around 30,000 Inari Shrines in Japan (source: http://inari.jp/en/faq/). Taikodani Inari Shrine located in Tsuwano-cho, a small town on the periphery of the prefecture, is another one of the most popular and stunning Inari shrines in Japan. Before returning to Oita, we made a quick stop there to check it out.

A typical Inari Shrine is characterized by its vermillion, lacquered torii gates. The red colour symbolizes protection from evil. Visitors enter through these many gates that line the pathway leading up to the shrine. The beauty and natural splendour of the surrounding landscape was what made this place a worthwhile detour for us. Its location on the slope of the mountain meant that we could see the whole valley. It was also cooled by a gentle breeze which constantly flowed though the shrine complex.

That rounds up a pretty awesome trip in Chūgoku. We spent about a week travelling to the various cities and locations mentioned in the articles, but there were plenty of other things that I didn’t include, like all the food and shops we explored. Thus by the time we got home, we were exhausted but satisfied by the great experiences that we had on this trip. Till next time! Mata ne!

Chūgoku (Part 1): Hiroshima & Okayama

On this trip, we travelled around the Chūgoku region. Chūgoku translates to middle country but it’s situated in the west of Honshu, Japan’s main island. It consists of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori and Yamaguchi. We hit all 5 prefectures but I’m writing this as a 2-part post as there were plenty of things to mention and many places that we visited.

The first stop on our trip was Hiroshima. Hiroshima is, unfortunately, most known for the tragic occurrence that happened in the city at the end of World War II. Many places around the city mention the dropping of the atomic bomb in their descriptions. Naturally ,we paid a visit to the Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Park. The museum depicts a lot of the horrors of the aftermath of the atomic bomb blast and its imagery is more poignant and stark than the one in Nagasaki. The Peace Park, which is next to the museum holds many tributes and memorials to both the victims and survivors of this tragic event.

2021 marks the 76th anniversary of the dropping of the A-bomb, and there is no better memorial than the Atomic Bomb Dome across the river from the Peace Park. The Dome was actually the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial
Promotion Hall before the bomb hit. The fact that it was so close to the epicentre, yet wasn’t completely destroyed is a bit of a miracle. It stands as a reminder of the devastation of atomic weapons and the sufferings of wartime. It is also one of Japan’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

On a less somber note, if you do plan on visiting Hiroshima, I highly recommend visiting Miyajima. It’s an island south of Hiroshima City and takes about 1 hour by ferry to get there. We initially wanted to skip this because we read online that the shrine, which was a UNESCO World Heritage site and the island’s most famous attraction, was closed for renovation. We were glad we didn’t because even though the shrine was indeed obscured by scaffolding, there were other things on the island to make the trip worthwhile.

The island was already bustling with activity when we arrived in the late morning. We didn’t expect to see so many high schoolers but it must have been some sort of school excursion. Nevertheless, we were able to get a table at one of the restaurants and enjoy one the region’s most loved seafood – oysters. Shops sell them in a variety of ways but they are mainly served fried or fresh. It was oishii.

After lunch we headed to the temple area and caught a glimpse of the island’s famous torii gate. The gate is actually part of Itsukushima Jinja or Itsukushima Shine and it is built in the water. When the tide is high, the gate appears to be floating on the water’s surface. It was obscured by the construction work so we turned our attention instead to the shrine itself, which is also built on the water. The shrine retained its religious roots in its design with the red pillars and Shinto symbols but the passageways between buildings were boardwalks built above the beach. The foundations were completely covered by water in some parts of the shrine, and in others they were exposed as it was low tide.

Next, we drove into Okayama Prefecture. However, before going to Okayama City itself, we drove onto another ferry which took us to Naoshima. To clarify, Naoshima actually belongs to Kagawa Prefecture (we didn’t know that until after the trip), but we decided to put this in our plan as it was en route to Okayama City plus it was highly recommended. We were not disappointed.

Naoshima is known as Japan’s Art Island and it’s not hard to see why. Some who come to the island stay several nights just to see all the art installations and museums that the island has to offer. We were only stopping by for a few hours so we had to move quickly to see as many things as we could.

The most notable art pieces were the two pumpkins designed by Yayoi Kusama, one of Japan’s most famous contemporary artists. They are on different parts of the island but are easily accessible by car or the public buses that run exclusively on the island. There was a bit of walking as well to see the outdoor art pieces but it was a nice day and the island had some scenic spots so it was worth going on foot.

Another place that we went to was the Chichu Art Museum. This place is a MUST-SEE. We were not allowed to take any pictures inside the museum, but you can google it (…or not if you want to be surprised like us). It was more than a museum, it was an experience. I won’t say much about it here except that you should go early or be prepared to wait as the museum only allows a maximum number of visitors at a time.

In Okayama City itself, we visited Korakoen, one of the three Great Gardens of Japan. Of all the koens that we have paid visits to so far, this was the most worthwhile. It was 410yen, which is relatively cheap, and it was large with many plants and wide spaces to stroll through and admire the view. At certain locations, you could catch glimpses of Okayama Castle, which is where we went next.

There was nothing historically particular about Okayama Castle, but we decided to go in and have a look. It resides on a rather scenic part of the city and the surrounding areas were a pleasant place to take a slow walk.

We headed to Tottori and Shimane for part 2 of our trip to Chūgoku. But before leaving Okayama, we went in search of the statue of local legend and boy hero Momotaro and it shall be the parting gift for this post.

Kunisaki and Usa

Kunisaki and Usa are two cities located in Oita Prefecture, the former being the place where our local airport is situated. We had an opportunity to go to Kunisaki because our friends had asked if we could drop them off at the airport as they were returning to their home country :’-( . We agreed and in return, they covered the cost of the car rental, a pretty fair deal if you ask me. So after we dropped them off, we took a detour and visited some well-known sites that were a short drive from the airport.

We went to 2 places. The first place is called Futagoji and it is a well known temple in the region. We were a bit surprised by this place as it wasn’t a regular temple like we imagined. Firstly, the temple was a blend of Buddhist and Shinto religions. To explain this simply, Shinto was practiced in Japan before Buddhism arrived from China around the 6th century. Both have coexisted rather peacefully but Shinto was the official religion during the Meiji restoration period of Japan. So many shrines and temples around Japan contain elements of both religions. Modern Japanese also practice a mixture of religious rites in their lifetime.

The other reason this place was unique was because of the layout. Usually, temple complexes have about 1-3 levels. The lowest level is where you park your car and enter. If the temple was on a hillside or mountain, you would have to climb a few steps or a short staircase to see the main temple and other shrines. Futagoji however, is a large area within the mountain. There are a pair of twin deities that guard the entrance (the presence of these deities is also a bit unusual). Visitors would then head up a long flight of stairs to reach the ticket booth. After that you are free to explore the grounds littered with many statues, stone plaques, rock formations and temples. You can even hike to the top of the mountain via a trail, but we weren’t prepared for that. It was also beginning to get really hot.

The second place we visited is a more famous site – Usa Jingu or Usa Shrine. This place is dedicated to Hachiman, the spirit of Emperor Ojin and is the head of all Hachiman shrines in Japan. This site is also influenced by both Buddhist and Shinto religions, a common theme for temples in the region. The temple grounds were huge, but thankfully unlike Futagoji it was mostly flat so the walk was less tiring.

It was a hot summer’s day and we picked up some local summer produce before hitting the road. We spent about a total of 5 hours visiting both sites and it was a 2 hour drive back to Oita City. A relatively short trip compared to our other travels. Even though our prefecture wouldn’t naturally be at the top of traveller’s ‘must-see’ lists, the various cities in our prefecture all have something that makes them special – and we would say it’s worth the visit.