Lake Shinji (宍道湖) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Shinji
Lake Shinji (宍道湖, Shinji-ko) is a lake in the northeast area of the Shimane Prefecture in Japan. The lake is the seventh largest in Japan, with a circumference of 48 kilometres (30 mi). It is enclosed by the Shimane Peninsula to the north, and the Izumo and Matsue plains to the west and east respectively. 7,652 ha (18,910 acres) of wetland are a Ramsar Site.
Lake Shinji offers an economic benefit to nearby residents in the form of active fisheries and mild tourism opportunities, such as the various hot spring resorts built along the lake’s coast and sunset cruises offered by local companies.
Lake Shinji is connected to the Sea of Japan via Nakaumi Lagoon, and as a result is made up of brackish water of good quality, which adds to the abundance of aquatic life, such as whitebait, eel, sea bass, and the most famous Lake Shinji delicacy, the Shijimi clam (Corbicula japonica). The Shijimi shellfish is caught using a ‘joren’, a tool unique to Lake Shinji, which is made up of a basket tethered to a rake. The shellfish is often referred to as one of the ‘Shiji-ko Shitchin’, the ‘Seven Delicacies of Lake Shinji.’
Takeshima Museum (竹島資料館)
https://www.pref.shimane.lg.jp/admin/pref/takeshima/web-takeshima/takeshima03/#
Matsue Castle (松江城)
https://www.city.matsue.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/bunkasportsbu_matsuejo_shiryochosaka/rekishi_bunkazai/2/3857.html
Matsue Castle is one of the 12 existing castle towers built in the early Edo period and is designated as a National Important Cultural Property. The castle was built by Tadaharu Horio, the first lord of the Shimane domain, and the main castle tower was completed in 1608, while the remaining turrets were completed in 1611. The castle, also called Lake Castle, is surrounded by Lake Shinji, the Ohori River to the north and the Kobori River to the south. Geographically, it was ideally located for the defensive strategy of the time. The castle tower is a five-story, five-storied structure built of hinoki cypress that is over 400 years old. The famous continuous eaves gables and pierced gables are overwhelmingly beautiful and show the elegance of Momoyama culture. The entire castle area extends into the city center, and in addition to the Honmaru, there are also the Ninomaru and San-no-maru. Today, part of the moat, stone walls, gates, and turrets still exist, giving visitors a sense of the scale of the castle. The area is maintained as Matsue Castle Park, which is also known as a cherry blossom viewing spot in spring. There are also many historical buildings at the foot of the castle, such as samurai residences and gardens, where visitors can stroll and experience the history and culture of Matsue Castle.
KOUNKAKU(興雲閣) https://www.matsue-castle.jp/kounkaku/#about
Kounkaku was built by Matsue City as the Matsue City Crafts Display Center. Construction began in December 1902 and was completed in September 1903. Since the building was originally intended to be used as the Emperor Meiji’s temporary residence, it was finished in an ornate manner with many ornaments and carvings. Although the Emperor’s tour did not take place as a result, in 1907, when the Crown Prince Yoshihito (later Emperor Taisho) traveled to San’in-do, the building served as a guest house from May 22 to 25 of the same year.
Later, in 1912, the building was renovated by moving the front staircase to the back, and was used as an official welcome center for Matsue City, as well as for various exhibitions and meetings. Since 1973, the building has been used as the Matsue Folk Museum, but was closed in March 2011, and the stairwell was relocated to restore the building to its current form of 1909. Conservation and repair work was carried out from FY2013 to FY2015 to make the most of the building’s history and charm.
Koizumi Yakumo Museum / Former residence
https://www.hearn-museum-matsue.jp/english.html
https://www.hearn-museum-matsue.jp/residence/index.html
Koizumi Yakumo (Lafcadio Hearn), known as the author of ghost stories such as “Hoichi the Earless” and “The Snow Woman,” was assigned to Matsue in August 1890 as an English teacher at a junior high school in Shimane Prefecture. He then moved to Kumamoto, Kobe, and Tokyo, and spent 14 years in Japan until his death in 1904.
As a literary scholar, Yakumo’s accomplishments were extensive, and he left behind many works in the fields of translation (mainly English translations of French literature), travel writing, essays, literary criticism, and folklore. Yakumo introduced Japan to the world with a favorable viewpoint and no prejudice toward Japan, which was unusual for a Westerner of his time. His masterpieces include “Unknown Faces of Japan,” “Heart,” “From the East,” and “Kwaidan,” which are still read to this day as classics.
Matsue History Museum(松江歴史館)
https://matsu-reki.jp/
We came to Shirakata Park. This is the best location to view Lake Shinji. Lake Shinji is a typical brackish water lake located in Shimane Prefecture. A brackish lake is a lake with a special hydrological environment that is a mixture of seawater and freshwater.
The salinity is high in areas close to the sea, and low in the freshwater side. This hydrological environment contributes to the diversity of the lake ecosystem. A small shrine stands by the lake. This is the Takeshima Museum. It’s a museum located in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture that exhibits information about Takeshima.
Takeshima is an island floating in the Sea of Japan, and due to historical circumstances, there are disputes over territorial rights between Japan and South Korea. Unfortunately it was closed today. On our last day, we stopped by Matsue Castle again.
Matsue Castle is one of the 12 remaining castle towers built in the early Edo period, and is designated as a national important cultural property. We were hungry so we stopped at a cafe on the premises. On this day as well, we had lunch with Izumo soba.
We also had botebote tea, a local specialty “Bote-Bote-cha”. The stone walls have some engraved marks. The engravings are the family crests of the lords who organaized the construction and the signatures of the craftsmen.
There is a western-style house in the castle site. Kounkaku was built by Matsue City as the Matsue City Crafts Display Center. (no charge) Construction began in December 1902 and was completed in September 1903.
Since the building was originally intended to be used as the Emperor Meiji’s short term accommodation, it is richly decorated with ornate carvings and gorgeous finishes. Matsue Gokoku Shrine is located on the grounds of Matsue Castle. Gokoku Shrines are shrines dedicated to the spirits of those martyred in the service of the nation.
Gokoku Shrines are located throughout Japan. The Koizumi Yakumo Memorial Hall and his former residence are located near the castle. Koizumi Yakumo was a writer who introduced Japanese culture to the world in the late 19th century. His alias is Lafcadio Hearn.
Lafcadio Hearn is said to have lived in Matsue City for several years. His wife was Japanese and from Matsue City. It is a wonderful garden where you can feel the Japanese culture of the time he loved. We are very grateful that this garden is still preserved today. Koizumi Yakumo (Lafcadio Hearn)
The Matsue History Museum is also located near the castle. Part of the grounds is open to the public free of charge. A magnificent pine tree welcomes you. This is an exhibition about local festivals. We found a nice building along the canal.
It looks like a charming cafe. We are going to rest until our flight departure time. From JR Matsue Station to Izumo Airport we will take a bus. Advance tickets are available for the bus and can be purchased at the department store in front of the station.
We will have our last meal of the trip at Izumo Airport. This concludes the Iwami Ginzan/Izumo/Matsue trip. We had a very nice time.