Cemetery in Izumo

Despite having lived just outside Izumo for a year, I never made a purposeful visit to a cemetery there. Instead, I stumbled upon one when I went for three days in 2010. For years these photographs lived in a folder on my hard drive and I forgot them. Then one day I decided to revisit my 2010 journey and was surprised to find these vibrant images of jizo, stone Buddhist statues with knit hats and bibs....

Shimane Guide: Masuda Edition

 

Just an hour’s drive from Hamada, on the far western coast of Shimane, is the city of Masuda. I had the pleasure of first visiting Masuda as part of the Hagi-Iwami Marathon, in which I ran a 10K at the Iwami-Hagi airport, the smaller of two airports in Shimane. I didn’thave much time to explore on that trip, but I made a point to return to Masuda for the Hanae Mori  exhibit at the Grand Toit.

Just twenty minutes down route 9 from Hamada is Masuda City, population 50,000. I first came to this town to run the Hagi-Iwami Marathon, which begins at the Hagi-Iwami airport, Shimane's only other airport outside of Izumo. 

If you’re in Masuda before 2:00 pm, and looking to relax, I recommend visiting Araiso Onsen., which means “Rocky Cliff bathhouse.” This is one of the most unique onsens in the world, as it is outdoors, facing the rocky shoreline of the Sea of Japan. Sit outside in the steaming hot bath and get sprayed with salt water in the nude. This place is really incredible, but don’t plan on going for sunset; the bathhouse is only open to hotel guests after 2:00 pm. I made the mistake of going once at 3:00, but the concierge was so nice and let me in anyway. That was probably I am foreign and he may have thought that I didn’t read Japanese well enough to understand the “opening hours sign,” so he kindly let me in. However, it is now my duty to pass on the right information.  Don’t be a jerk – go on time and experience this great place for yourself.

view from the indoor bath

view from the outdoor bath

the beach around Araiso

I also recommend having lunch at Araiso. The restaurant offered a great kaisendon 海鮮丼 (raw seafood over rice). 

kaisendon set

Once you are in the city of Masuda, the main attraction is the Grand Toit, Shimane's largest art museum. When I visited the Grand Toit, it was to see the Hanae Mori exhibit, a fashion designer originally from Shimane. 

Inside the Grand Toit

Grand Toit

Grand Toit

Hanae Mori exhibit

Hanae Mori exhibit

Hanae Mori exhibit

Nearby the museum is the best café in town. We don't have much of a coffee culture in Shimane, but Masuda has a world-class joint called Kurikuri Café. Named after the own, Mr. Kurikuri himself, this cafes serves proper espresso and wonderfully seasonal drinks, rivaling that of any Starbucks! My favorites include Red bean mocha, Honey Ginger Latte, and Cinnamon Shake. 

 

wearing my shirt from the Hagi-Iwami marathon

Shimane Guide: Hamada Edition

For a real local Shimane experience, head to the city of Hamada, just 30 minutes by car from Oda or Ohana. Again, Hamada can be reached by the San-In line, but the train is slow, infrequent, and can’t be trusted. If you do manage to get there by train, there is plenty to do within walking distance, but most won’t impress those already familiar with residential Japanese life.

For a little taste of something different, I recommend the cultural experience of TRIAL.

TRIAL is a budget grocery store for low-income families. Much like Walmart in the U.S. Or rather, a Walmart in the rural U.S. in the 1990s. TRIAL is the kind of place you go to see people in adult onesies. The kind of place where people forget to wear pants. The kind of place where people may be smoking while in line at the register, or gambling at the attached pachinko parlor.

Seeing is believing. TRIAL.

For a more elegant experience, try Café Michele just down the road form TRIAL. This café is run by a Japanese woman who used to live in France, and it offers the best Japanese-esque French cuisine in town. The lovely ambiance of the café is also perfect for a date. Just sayin.

Latte art at Café Michele

Croque Monsieur at Café Michele

Amazing Parfait at Cafe Michele

If you really want to be impressed with local food, head over to Suminoya 炭乃家 a yakiniku restaurant. Grill some of the finest Shimane beef atop a charcoal pit, for the most savory and delicious experience in the prefecture. I’ve taken many savvy Japanese friends from Tokyo to this restaurant, and they were all impressed.

Shimane Guide: Ohnan Edition

Ohnan is the only town that makes the list in the Shimane Guide. With a population of only 10,000, it’s too small to be classified as a city in Japan. It is also only accessible by car, but it is mere minutes from Oda and Hamada, and a short drive from Hiroshima city on the freeway, so it is definitely worth a visit.

I live 5 minutes from Ohnan in the much smaller town of Kawamoto, and I often went to Ohnan for the three reasons: 1. Onsen , 2. Torimichi, 3. Dongyokei Gorge

My favorite onsen in all of Japan has to be Iwami Onsen, though it is officially known as Kouboku No Morikoen. Entrance is 600 yen.

First of all, it’s quiet, spacious, has indoor and outdoor baths, and is located 15 minutes from where I used to live.

Ohnan has quiet a few eats options, but the foreigner-favorite is Toorimichi, serving coffee, cocktails, pizza, and pasta, all of which excellent. The owner, Kasaoka San is also the bartender. A gregarious family man form Shimane, he is always a gracious host. Of all the restaurants I visited in Shimane, this tops my most-missed list.

Ohnan is also home to some breathtaking nature. Try Dangyokei on for size. This beautiful and haunting gorge is right of the 261, if you can read Japanese. Turn down the tiny road and you’ll come to an abandon nursing home. Park in that lot then proceed down to the gorge for some of the most breathtaking scenery in all of Japan. Bat art: you will be the only person there. 

Shimane Guide: Oda Edition

The city of Oda is just outside the limits of Izumo, about 45 minutes to one hour by car. It is accessible by train, but the San-In line only comes  few times a day, is slow, and often late. Also, nothing is within walking distance to Oda Station.

I recommend exploring the area by car. I have divided the Oda activities up into two regions, which are about an hour apart form one another: Mt. Sanbe region and Iwami Ginzan region

Mt. Sanbe region

Before you climb Mt. Sanbe, visit Sanbe Burger, at the foothills of the park. You might recognize Sanbe Burger from Izumo, but this is the original. Definitely worth a stop. You will need the calories if you plan to climb to Sanbe.

Mt. Sanbe or Sanbe-San, as it is known in Japanese, is the generic name for a range of mountains in Japan. Osanbe San is the tallest.  There is also Ko-Sanbe, which is a steep course, involving climbing on all fours, and Jo-Sanbe, which is much easier, but offers a strange and surreal view from the top, covering with netting.

I have personally climbed Ko Sanbe, Jo-Sanbe and O-Sanbe. Here are some images from those hikes:

After climbing the mountain, you will be a sweaty mess. How about rinsing off at the nearby Sanbe Onsen, an internationally famous place with traditional outdoor baths. Usually people with tattoos are not allowed in Japanese Onsens, but Sanbe welcomes them. Admission is cheap and I usually spend about 1 hour at the onsen.

After the Onsen, I recommend dinner at Café Doma. This was one of my go-to cafes in Shimane, but it also serves great food. I recommend the curry rice, or whatever their seasonal special is. Here are some photos from this great café.

Iwami Ginzan region

Iwami Ginzan is a restored mining town in another part of Oda. It is a UNESCO world heritage site with a visitor center completed in 2007. There are two main things to view here: the mining town, and the mines. One could easily spend hours walking slowly down the main road of the mining town, visiting tiny tea shops and souvenir shops, but the mine itself is also worth a visit. Foreign visitors even get a special discount, and when I took my father, they even had an English-speaking guide present. 

Park at the Visitor's center and take a bus to the start of the town, or park near the police station and walk. It's about a half-hour stroll from the start of the town to the entrance of the mines. 

A walk through the old mining town

view of the mining town from atop a temple

a walk up to the shrine

view from along the mining town

a patio of a local shop

view of the houses and fall leaves

crossing a bridge while walking through the town

crossing over a bridge in the town

view from inside a store

ascending the stairs to a temple

view from the path to the mines

cemetery near the entrance to the mines

the mining town

underground in the mines

things got pretty narrow

but at least it was well lit

After visiting the mines, which was surround by Shimane’s lush and beautiful scenery, I recommend having coffee or lunch in the mining town. Café Cagliari serves excellent coffee and muffins. The gregarious owner lived in Italy for a while and will spare you no detail if you are willing to listen.