Mitarai, a small port on Osaki Shimozima Island in the Inland Sea is a truly delightful step back in time. Much of the small town is an Historic Preservation District containing Edo period buildings and narrow lanes. Hopefully the character of the town will not be lost now that it is possible to reach it easily by car from the mainland. I will post some more on specific location sites in the town but for now a few more general shots.
This gentleman used to be a boatbuilder but now his boats are miniature replicas.
There are quite a few of these districts throughout Japan that are still far enough off the main tourist routes that they can be enjoyed quietly.
The product that brought prosperity to the port was sex. More on that later.
A small shop had this pair of masks on display, though they appear to me to be Namahage, which are not local but from the north of Japan.
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"There are quite a few of these districts throughout Japan that are still far enough off the main tourist routes that they can be enjoyed quietly."
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing