Kankakei Gorge East Trail

Kankakei Gorge East Trail

Kankakei Gorge on Shodoshima Island is a major scenic spot of the island and included in the top 100 scenic spots of Japan. It is particularly popular in the autumn when it is a blaze of colors.

Formed by 2 million years of erosion, Kankakei, which means "cold mist valley", is home to a dramatic landscape of cliffs, spires, and strangely shaped rock formations. It is commonly viewed from the ropeway which runs for almost a kilometer and climbs about 300 meters to the top.

There are two trails for those who wish to explore the gorge, the West, or Front Trail, and the East, or Back Trail. The latter is about 3k in length and starts from the bus stop very near Hotogegataki, the 20th temple on the Shodoshima pilgrimage.

About halfway up the trail you pass underneath a huge natural arch or bridge where you can visit Sekimondo Temple, number 18 on the pilgrimage, and like Hotogegataki, a curious cave temple.

Many of the rock formations you see on the way have names, with the one below looking very much like the coffee pot rock formation near Sedona in Arizona.

As you climb the views become more and more expansive as you get closer to what is not only the highest point on the island but also the highest point in the Seto Inland Sea.

I first visited on the second day of my walk along the Shodoshima pilgrimage. The previous post in the series is Sekimondo Temple 18.

Tsuyama Castle Okayama

Tsuyama Castle 津山城

Tsuyama castle, in the mountains of Okayama prefecture, is not a very well-known castle, but during the Edo period it was considered one of the greatest in all of Japan.

Its claim to greatness came from the sheer number of fortification structures that were ued in its construction. It was in a real sense extremely over-engineered.

Covering the flat hilltop, it was built on three levels with a total of 77 turrets (yagura), 26 gates, and topped with a 5-storey tower/keep.

The impressive stonework remains, but all the wooden structures were destroyed in the early years of Meiji, when most Japanese castles were dismantled. A few years later, however, some of the gates were reconstructed, and in the 1930's a fake keep was built but it was taken down during WWII as an obvious landmark for bombers.

In 2005 the rather grand Bitchu Turret was rebuilt and the tatami-floored interior is open to the public.

500 cherry trees have been planted in the castle grounds and are now a very popular cherry blossom viewing spot.

A castle was built on this site in the mid 15th century by the Yamana clan, but it was abandoned. In 1603 the domain was given to Mori Tadamasa and it was he who spent 12 years constructing the new, massive fortress.

According to Shogunate regulations, 5, or more, storey keeps were not allowed, but when the inspectors came to view the new castle Mori had the roof removed from the fifth storey and therefore claimed it was only 4 storeys. Apparently, he got away with it.

At the end of the 17th century, the castle passed to the Matsudaira Clan who held it until the end of the domains in the late 19th Century.

Tsuyama is a Hirayamajiro-style castle, a flat hilltop castle, as opposed to a Hirajiro, flatland castle, or a Yamajiro, mountain castle. Other notable Hirayama-style castles include Himeji and Matsuyama.

I visited on the 4th day of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon pilgrimage. The previous post in this series was Bridges of Shurakuen Gardens.

Some Beaches of Ishigaki Island

Ishigaki 石垣島

Ishigaki Island is officially part of Okinawa, though it lies closer to Taiwan than to the main island of Okinawa.

It is one of the Yaeyama Islands, in fact, the second largest, though it is the most populated and the most important nearby Iriomote Island is larger, but is mostly uninhabited 

.

Other than Taketomi island with its traditional village and water buffalo cart rides, the main attraction of the Yaeyama islands are the beaches and the related activities of swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, etc

When we visited it was in April, out of season, with overcast skies, so the beaches were deserted.

While this means the beaches were not as colorful, they were in fact quite beautiful.

The previous post in this series was the evocative Tojin Memorial.

Buy Ishigaki Salt from Japan

Disappeared Japan Part 4 Space World

Space World

Space World was a big amusement park in Kitakyushu built around the theme of space. It opened in 1990 on land that had formerly been part of Nippon Steel.

It featured a life-size replica of the space shuttle and its launch rockets, but really the space connection was rather tenuous.

The park featured 6 different roller coasters (with suitably space-themed names like Black Hole Scramble, and Titan Max.

The 100 meter  high Ferris Wheel named Space Eye was the tallest in Kyushu when first built.

The park closed on 1st January, 2018 and was slowly dismantled and demolished.

The site is now The Outlets Kitakyushu, a shopping centre that is mostly outlet stores.

Previous Disappeared Japan posts include Yukaen Chinese Garden, and Awaji World peace Kannon.

Frosty Flora

Frosty Flora

28 November, 2012, I started the fifth, and final, day of my Autumn walk exploring the Kunisaki peninsula are of Oita in Kyushu.

I was heading directly north out of Kitsuki and was heading for the highest point of the peninsula, Mount Futago.

The sky was blue, but the sun had not yet reached the bottom of the steep mountain valley, and so frost lay on the vegetation.

And the water in the basins in front of the shrines was covered in ice....

Fujii Shuzo Sake Brewery Takehara

Fujii Shuzo Sake Brewery Takehara

At the northern end of the historic district of Takehara in Hiroshima is the former sake brewery of Fujii Shuzo.

Founded in 1863, the company is still making sake but at a different location.

The former brewery buildings are now a tourist attraction with some historic exhibits connected to sake making and a shop selling local crafts and souvenirs.

It is possible to taste the different sakes and buy them. There is also a soba noodle restaurant within the premises.

Iwami Hachimangu

Iwami Hachimangu

Iwami Hachimangu is the largest of a cluster of 4 shrines lined up at the base of the small mountain that used to have a castle on top.

It is located along theGinzan kaido, one of the the roads that lead from the sea up into the former silver mine of Iwami Ginzan.

The castle and shrine are associated with the Mori clan who controlled the area until the Edo period when the Shogunate took over the mine and its environs.

The other shrines are a Wakamiya Shrine, a Konpira Shrine, and one called Ubo-gu. It's not clear if any of these shrines were here before the Hachimangu and castle were established in the 16th century.

Route 31, the main road from Nima up to Omori runs close by and the shrine becomes very visible when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

I was on my way to Omori on day 4 of my walk along the Iwami Kannon pilgrimage.