plambers: So difficult to respond. We really enjoyed Kuraski, and the dining there. Kurashki certainly had more tourists, but when we were there it didn't feel overwhelming. It's also easier to do day trips from there as opposed to Takamatsu. In Takamatsu the Shikoku Mura was worth the time we spent there. Overall, we feel we didn't do justice to Shikoku by not spending the time to see more of the island. The little time we spent in Ritsurin was fine, but it doesn't compare to Kenrokuen in Kanazawa. It boils down to your interests.

November 2 – Day 11 – Travel to Miyajima or
The Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Until the end)

We knew when planning the trip that this would be the travel day with the most connections – Takamatsu to Okayama to Hiroshima to Miyajimaguchi to Miyajima. We had hoped to put Hiroshima before Miyajima in our itinerary, but we were not able to book the ryokan we wanted to stay at in Miyajima to work with that schedule. Even so, the projected trip was under 3 hours. We also had planned to use the baggage transfer service for this leg of the trip, but failed to do so much to my regret.

Our objective was to be in Miyajima by mid-afternoon. We decided to try to beat the rain, and left early for the station in hopes of getting on an earlier train to Okayama, and thus onward. We were able to accomplish that, but when we arrived in Okayama it was a mass of humanity standing in multiple lines for who knew what. Heavy rains had delayed or canceled trains. The Shinkansens were all delayed “at least 200 minutes”, but every once in a while trains came through. I was content to sit and wait it out because unless we heard that our train was canceled the only option we had was to try to crowd onto the next train or wait for ours with our reserved seats. My husband wanted more data, so decided to go up to platform level to see if there was any more information posted there. The posting of such vague timing for the delays did not sit well with someone who wants data! Of course, that level was even more crowded with all the people who were waiting for whatever the next train might be. The rain was coming down so hard it was bouncing off the trains and drenching all bystanders.

We went back downstairs to sit on our suitcases. Slowly the trains began to arrive, and we watched the signboard until our train was finally listed. It was still shown as being “at least 200 minutes late” but it had made the electronic board. It inched it’s way up the board, and after “at least 200 minutes” its arrival was announced. Back on the platform we noticed a small 7-Eleven vending machine with ice cream for sale, so that is what we had for lunch, and it was mighty tasty.

Arrival in Hiroshima was a non-event until we could not find any notice for the JR Sanyo train we were to catch for the ferry landing. We stood in line at the Info to find that all JR lines were stopped due to flooding, but we could take the local tram 68 minutes to the end of the line. We, along with all the other sardines who would have preferred the train, crammed onto the tram. It was standing room only. It was hot, humid, and stinky. From what we could see amidst all the armpits, the day had been sunny in Hiroshima.

We arrived at the ferry just as the sun was setting over a beautiful calm water, and enjoyed every one of the ten minutes it took to cross to the island.

All this time we had been in contact with our inn, Auberge Watanabe, as it is a small family-run ryokan and we were concerned that our late arrival was creating chaos in their kitchen. We were given very clear instructions as to how to call them so that they could pick us up at the ferry. Let’s just say that our experience at Watanabe was top-notch from the initial contact to the final wave good-bye. We had a lovely, lovely stay. This inn is homey, comfortable, and genuinely hospitable with excellent food. At booking we had been given the choice of a 6 tatami or 16 tatami room, so we opted for big. It was huge with a sitting room, bedroom, a balcony type sitting room, and a gorgeous cedar bath. We were assured that there was time for a soak before dinner.

Dinner was wonderful. The courses kept coming, but for once, I didn’t feel like there was too much food as I usually feel when a kaiseki meal is in front of me. Along with a nice sake recommendation, we were served a red snapper “tangle”, a red snapper baked cheek which was fabulous, great sashimi of red snapper and mackerel, tofu with wasabi, pickled ginko, grilled mackerel, roast duck, escargot, squash stamped into beautiful shapes, beef, a tempura course, rice and broth with oyster mushrooms, and then ice cream. Wow!

After our meal, we were encouraged to go see the torii at high tide. We pretty much had the town to ourselves. The lanes were quiet and softly lit, the breeze was gentle, and the magnificent torii was standing proud in the water as if just for us. It was so beautiful, and absolutely worth spending the night to enjoy this iconic sight without the swarms of people who must have their selfies. We made our way back to the inn, and had a lovely, long, deep sleep burrowed under quilts on the thick futons.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2a6bb44c05.jpg
Torii off Miyajima

Sorry to hear your troubles with the rain, but glad that it worked out in the end!

I was also in Japan then, and that was actually a passing typhoon (which was downgraded to a tropical storm when crossing mainland Japan). Also, Nov 2 was a Saturday of a 3 day weekend (Monday the 4th was a national Holiday) so everything was already packed due to Japanese people also wanting to enjoy their time off as well.

So for others reading, when looking to visit Japan (or anywhere actually) do take into account that there are public holidays which may affect how crowded places are. And from June to late-November its also typhoon season in East Asia, and it can be expected that Japan will experience at least 4 or 5 of these storms a year, particularly affecting Kyushu, Shikoku, and Chugoku (Hiroshima & Okayama area) but pretty much anywhere can get hit and accordingly disrupt the trains that go across the country. And in some years, Japan can easily get 10 typhoons or more!

PJTravels, I so hope you finish your trip report. It's so interesting and informative. I can't wait to see what you did next!

November 3 – Day 12 – Miyajima and Hiroshima

I had such a comfortable sleep that I missed the fact that my husband went out very early in the morning in order to have the town to himself before the weekend and Culture Day “perfect storm” of visitors arrived. We had time for a soak before a delicious Japanese breakfast. We were offered a western style breakfast, but we have enjoyed the different Japanese style breakfasts we’ve had so far, and we know that in Kyoto we will be going back to a cafe for breakfast.

We left our bags at the inn, and headed up to Daishoin Temple. The inn started out as a tea house for visitors to the temple so we merely had to cross the street. This is a gorgeous complex that ascends up the slope of Mt. Misen, with many different buildings to see. There was no sign of fall color yet, but there was an enticing trail up the hillside along the roaring river. We had planned to hike to the top of Misen on the afternoon of our arrival, which became the evening of our arrival. We had to decide whether to take the hike, or to see some of the town while the shops were open. We now wish that we had tackled the trail while it was still fairly early in the morning, and taken our chances on the shops.

We headed down hill from the temple into the town. There were lines of people everywhere for all things, but we had a great time window gazing to watch the automated process of momiji making. A bit further along we stood in line at a little shop selling fried momiji with a choice of custard flavors, as well as oysters. Once we placed our order it didn’t take long for my fried momiji with lemon custard on a stick to be served up.

As we continued further into the main street of town it became quite hard to move through the crowds. Think Times Square or Rialto Bridge type crowds. But the sun was shining, the crowds were happy, and we were in a lovely spot. We went into Senjokaku Shrine, but there really isn’t anything to see inside. However, it was a nice respite from the crowds, and the views are nice.

We headed up into the hills to Momijidani Park. This park is known for its amazing autumn color if your timing is right. We weren’t disappointed as we had beautiful foliage on our previous trip to Japan. (I will note that both our trips were at the exact same time of year, and basically the same latitude, but elevation also plays a role.) The park was cool and quiet, with many trails and nice spots to sit and take in the scenery.

It was time for a late lunch, and my husband had done some online scouting for a place called Niwa. We spent quite a bit of time looking for it, as our Google maps sent us to the side of a large building with no restaurant in sight. Here’s a tip if you have the same problem: go around the building on the street that runs parallel to the water, and look for a small opening between two buildings with cloth drapes (noren) stretched across about 1/3 of the way down. That is the entrance to the restaurant. Unfortunately for us, they were sold out of the set lunches, and only had the steak special left. We’re not big steak eaters so we passed. I recommend that you give the place a try as the setting is quite nice, and it gets good reviews.

We had a snack of walnuts, headed to the ferry, our hosts delivered our bags, and we hopped aboard for the short trip to Hiroshima ferry landing. The JR was still out of service, so we had the long tram ride back into Hiroshima.

Our hotel, the Intergate, turned out to be perfectly located, around the corner from our tram stop and one of the main drags of Hiroshima. Our room was a decent size with a great bath set-up upon entering. The separate WC and wet room was along one side with a long counter and sink on the other side of the entrance hall. A pocket door separated the entry from the bedroom which had two large twins, a table and two chairs, decent lighting, and an unfortunately small window. The hotel has public baths, a laundry, and a busy 14th floor breakfast room with large windows overlooking the city. Afternoon tea is also served where we tried to make up for no lunch. It consisted of torn-up bits of left-over breakfast pastries, packaged butter cookies, saltines, and I think a kind of pudding. One word of advice about our hotel stays. Many of them had motion sensor lighting, and we were happy we had brought along some tape to put over the sensor so that we didn’t find ourselves in sudden, bright light in the middle of the night if one of us got up.

We knew that Hiroshima was the place to get okonomiyaki, especially after our only other attempt in getting one in Ueno Park on our first trip yielded one that was truly terrible. My husband had done his research, and we headed out to Teppei on the 3rd floor of a building that was filled with okonomiyaki restaurants. Teppei is immediately in front as you exit the elevator. It was full when we arrived at 5:45, and there were 3 people in front of us so we had plenty of time to watch the process, and figure out how things were done. We may have waited for a spot about 15 minutes, and the line behind us kept growing. The entire experience was fun with very friendly service and good food. We split the basic offering plus two orders of gyoza and beers. I especially liked that they didn't overload the sauce. There are sauce bottles on the counter so diners can adjust the amount themselves. Inexpensive, fun, friendly, new, good – my kind of place.

Bellinghamsters Thanks for the encouragement!

November 4 – Day 13 – Hiroshima

We headed out early in search of breakfast, and ended up having tea and a very basic pastry on our way to the Peace Memorial Museum. Crossing the river on the Peace Bridge, I discovered that the handrails were designed by Isamu Noguchi, the same sculptor whose museum we weren’t able to get reservations for while we were in Takamatsu.

We had no problem getting tickets for the museum, even with the crowds. I found the museum to be difficult in many ways. Physically, it is not designed for good flow, making it difficult at spots to see the exhibits or read the descriptions. Regardless, it is certainly impactful, and something visitors to Japan need to attend. I spent a great deal of time listening to the filmed survivor accounts which were screened in a light-filled, open area overlooking the park. This exhibit was at the end of the others, and I don’t think many people were aware of it as I was by myself.

After the museum we strolled through the park visiting the other sites, and ending with the Atomic Bomb Dome. There was a startling contrast between it and the regatta and kayakers enjoying a beautiful, sunny day on the water in the shadow of the Dome.

We crossed to Hiroshima Gate Park and had an unremarkable lunch at a food court on the park’s edge. Then we wandered our way through the Castle Park, skipping the restored castle, and ended up at the Prefectural Art Museum where we were treated to an incredible special exhibit primarily of Kadama Kibo’s work. His early ink paintings of nature and birds were stunning. It was a well-curated collection that we totally enjoyed. The permanent collection had little to my taste, but there were some lovely lacquer objects.

By this time it was late afternoon, and we were dog-tired. We headed into the adjoining Shukkeien garden. This small, lovely park has many little “scenes” and viewing spots. We managed to cover about half of it. We found ourselves sitting next to a young couple with a very young baby. They were attempting to get a photo, without the little one’s cooperation. First, we got the baby to smile, and then we were able to take a photo of them all. It was such a nice encounter, and with no common language we managed to become friendly strangers.

Our hotel was quite near. We had a cup of tea and enjoyed the view. Then we were out for another early dinner at Teppei. We were greeted as regulars, ordered oysters to top our okonomiyaki this time. Maybe we’re boring, but when are we ever going to be in Hiroshima again? Overall, we liked Hiroshima a lot. There is a good energy to the city, and I think the 2 night stay was perfect for us. I can see staying just one night if the next spot on the itinerary is not too far away. That was not the case for us.

I'm with you on the contrast between the kayakers on the one hand and Genbaku on the other. The fact that people in Hiroshima are mindful of its past but do not let it burden them in their contemporary life was something I found special about the city. There's a happy-go-lucky atmosphere everywhere we went.

November 5 – Day 14 – Travel day to Tsuwano

Today’s travel has us taking a shinkansen to Yamaguchi, then transferring to Tsuwano. Why Tsuwano? While we wouldn’t be there for any of the festivals it is known for, the guidebook indicated that it is known as “Little Kyoto”. Surrounded by hills with a river running through it, the descriptions, to my mind, made it sound a bit like Takayama which we had loved visiting during our 2019 trip.

After a delicious buffet breakfast at the hotel we walked around the corner to the bus stop for the station. We wanted to see if we could get an earlier train to Yamaguchi, and purchase tickets from Tsuwano to Matsue where we would be going after Tsuwano. The answers were yes and no. Once again there was an English speaking “expediter” who filled out request slips for us to present at the counter. The counter agent called the expediter over, and after a lengthy conversation, we were told that the rains had caused some concern about part of the line to Matsue, and it would be better for us to wait until we could speak with the agents in Tsuwano about the next leg of our trip.

Arriving in Tsuwano after an uneventful transfer and trip, we immediately went to the Information Center for the usual maps, etc. We also asked if they had any information about a portion of the track being closed. The Info shares space in the same building as the station, and the extremely helpful woman working the counter walked us over to the station counter to get the details. It was helpful that she was with us as she spoke perfect English, and we needed all the help we could get! Two station personnel pulled three huge books of schedules down from a shelf and began to pour over them. Yes, a portion of the track was being examined, and they did not know if it would be closed for a day or several days, or if it would need repair and be closed longer. Our options were: train, bus, train, train to Matsue; or train back to Yamaguchi, train to Okayama, train to Matsue. Tickets from Tsuwano in any direction needed to be paid in cash. Either option would take 5-6 hours. We decided to wait until the next day to make our purchase in case the track was cleared for use.

After profuse thanks all around, and responding to the Info agent’s question as to why we were visiting Tsuwano (!) we left in search of our inn.

The day was sunny, bright and very cold. As we made our way through little streets to Noren Yado Meigetsu, we noticed there didn’t seem to be any open shops or activity of any kind. At the inn we were warmly greeted, and shown to our room which opened onto a small garden. I was glad that we were on the first floor as the stairs looked steep, and it was difficult to walk in the provided slippers. The furnishings were worn, but overall our room was comfortable, and we looked forward to dinner. The inn was reputed to have great food.

We went on a walk to see what we could find, and found not much. There were a few sake shops open, and a combination coffee shop gift store. The Samurai street was picturesque with its carp-filled canals, and mountains in the background. The torii ascending one hillside beckoned, but it was growing dark and quite cold. Besides, we had a full day to fill the next day.

We tried to take a soak before dinner, but there was no information available about an onsen, and the cedar tub in our room filled so slowly we stopped it. We never could get information about the onsen, other than we think we were told it was booked. This was our fault, our lack of language, and Google Translate’s fallibility. For all we know, we were told to make a reservation for the onsen. We dressed in ukata for dinner, and had quite the feast. The dishes kept coming. The portions were large, and artfully presented. Everything was wonderful. We were content to retire to our room where futons had been set out.



November 6 – Day 15 – Tsuwano

I had had an upset stomach during the night so I asked if I could have just miso soup and rice for breakfast. Unfortunately, when we arrived at our table, the bulk of the set breakfast was already out. I felt so bad to see such a waste of food, and my husband made a valiant effort to help out. It was a lovely meal, and I wish that I could have eaten more of it. We were asked if we would be interested in a tour led by high school students who practiced their English after school. Of course! We chose a one hour tour at 4 p.m.

The previous evening DH did some research on the travel options to Matsue that had been given to us, and it looked like there was a direct train from Hameda to Matsue, rather than needing to transfer. We decided to stay on the west side of the island if that was indeed the case, and off to the station we went. We hoped that the woman who had helped us yesterday would be there, but she was not. Not to worry, as the man at the counter also spoke excellent English, and walked with us to the station counter to help get things sorted out. Laughter all around as we were recognized, and they wanted to know what we had decided. When we asked whether or not there was a direct train from Hameda, there was once again much consultation with the large schedule books. “Yes! This would be a much better solution than the one proposed yesterday.” We offered profuse thanks to our “translator”, paid cash, and received our tickets from Tsuwano, to Masuda, to Hameda via bus, to Matsue. That was settled, and we felt as if we had been the entertainment for the day.

Now to see Tsuwano on a chilly, gray day that threatened rain. We began by heading up to the Taikodani Inari Shrine atop a hill above town. The orange torii stood out beautifully against the gray sky and the (still) green mountainside. It’s actually a pretty easy ascent up the stairs through the 1,000 torii to the shrine. We had the place pretty much to ourselves before a bus arrived. That’s ok – we’re tourists, this is their temple. It was a lovely space, and the sun came out briefly. We descended the mountain, walked along the river in the newer part of town without seeing anything of interest, stopped in a sake brewery for a quick tasting, and decided to get some tea and cake at the cafe/gift store we had seen the day before. It began to pour so we headed back to the inn until our 4 o’clock tour with the students of the Tsuwano World Club – one year strong! The rest of the afternoon was spent learning of the election results. Our mood matched the gray day.

Five high school students and their teacher arrived to take us on a tour they had designed. Each had a written speech about their selected site. We tried to ask a few questions, but it was difficult to tell their proficiency, and to keep our questions simple. I could tell that a few of the students could understand my questions – of the “What is your favorite subject?” variety – but had trouble finding the right words to answer. I’m sure it was awkward for them, a combination of deference, some embarrassment, and concern because their teacher was there. They took us through the old town, along the preserved street of the samurai district, into the Catholic church, to the plaza with the Heron Dance statues, and then to the Yasaka Jinja Shrine. At each stop, the assigned student would read their description of the site. They were absolutely darling, and it was easy to tell how much work they had put into their tour design. It made our stay in Tsuwano worthwhile. Of course, we took a group photo!

We enjoyed another huge, delicious meal at dinnertime. It began with an unidentifiable, to us, gelatinous seaweed goop that was difficult to eat with chopsticks. There was sashimi, a whole sweet fish, a dish of chicken and soba wrapped in deep fried chicken skin that was delicious, a half snow crab each, duck slices in a salad, shabu shabu, rice and soup, followed by fruit for dessert.

Altogether we enjoyed our time in Tsuwano, but I recommend one night, rather than two, unless you come for a festival. Our inn was fine, although rustic, but the food was amazing. If you like to have a spa style bath, I would look further or make sure there is one you can use at the inn we stayed at.

November 7 – Day 16 – Travel day to Matsue

We woke to beautiful blue sky, bright sunshine, and crisp weather. Fortified by another wonderful breakfast, we walked to the station to await our train. We were a bit anxious due to the bus transfer, as we were imagining the total clown car of a situation it might end up to be if we were at home.

The first train arrived as scheduled, and when it stopped an hour later we were in the rustic station at Masuda. Once everyone was in the station a man with a megaphone stood on a chair making an announcement. The crowd dispersed in all directions, so I asked, “Hamada, hai?” “Hai,” was the response, and he showed me his clipboard with the bus schedule on it indicating we would have about an hour to wait for the bus that would take us around the damaged part of the track. We waited, the bus came, we confirmed it was our bus, loaded our luggage, and hopped aboard for the hour ride to the Hamada station. Off the bus we grabbed our luggage, and headed toward the station. I happened to glance back, noticing that everyone else on the bus was forming a line. Hmm, perhaps we should get in the line. So we did, and were then led into the station where everyone’s tickets were hand checked at the appropriate gate. A train was waiting, and we were on our way to Matsue. Lesson learned: Japanese efficiency makes things work. If you are told that a bus will be provided in place of a train, a bus will be there. You won’t need to go looking for it.

We picked up a map from the Info Center, walked through an interesting area full of izakayas, and crossed the river to our hotel. I was disappointed that we couldn’t book our first choice, Minamikan, until we walked into Onyado Nono Natural Hot Spring. This is a lovely hotel with tatami throughout. The top floor spa is serene, and includes the afternoon treat of ice cream bars and fruit pops. In addition, there is a laundry in both the men's and women's spas with complimentary washer and a reasonable cost for dryers. Our Standard King corner room was large, and included a comfortable seating area, and windows on two sides. The entire hotel looks either brand new or recently refurbished. After traveling for 2 ½ weeks we took advantage of the laundry while soaking in the various pools. I had the women’s spa to myself.

For dinner we first tried Itasan, which was full, and then Kakuremino, also full with no openings for the following night. We threw a dart at a nearby izakaya, Kagaribi, which was satsifactory and the chef was welcoming.

When we returned to the hotel we asked if a reservation could be made for us at Kakuremino for the next night. After some conversation, we were granted a place at the counter with the emphasis that there would be no English menu. So we’re set for the next night.

November 8 - Day 17 – Matsue

We were up early to try the hotel’s breakfast buffet. It was a bit more expensive than what we had been paying, but it’s here, it’s ample, and we can go in our jammies (jinbei, the 2 piece lounge-wear sets). The day was crisp, clear, beautifully sunny, but Matsue definitely catches the wind off the lake.

Our first stop of the day was Matsue Castle which dominates its site. It is a fortress castle, complete with moat, as opposed to a palace castle. Inside, there are lots of steep, narrow stairs, especially the last two flights with their rope handrails. It’s pretty impressive for something built in 1611. The stone foundation is entirely dry set. The views in the springtime must be beautiful with the surrounding cherry trees. It turns out that there is a month long festival in October centered around the castle, which could have been fun if our itinerary had been done in reverse. From the castle we took in both the quiet Gokogu Shrine, and the Jozan Inari Shrine with its foxes.

Not ready for lunch, we crossed the river and walked along the lake front to the Shimane Art Museum. This museum is yet another architectural marvel along with other museums we have visited this trip. I found it to be simply stunning inside and out. It was impossible for me to get a good picture of the whole. The interior has strategically placed bronze statues and four galleries. The first gallery we entered was early twentieth century paintings, with some second tier impressionists. Then we entered a gallery of prints by Hokusai Katsushika, which was a great follow-up to the show we had seen in Takamatsu.

By this time it was late afternoon, we were pretty foot sore, and the onsite cafe was filled with after-school teens, but something to eat was getting to be important. As we wanted to change our tickets for Kyoto we thought to look for a cafe on the way back to the station. If nothing else, we could grab a snack at the station. It took almost an hour in line to get our train/seat reservations changed. We grabbed a quick snack at a bakery and began the walk back to the hotel. (I don’t know why we never seem to think about taxis and buses when just the thought of one is a good idea!) We were almost at the river when both of us at the same time thought to check the date on the new tickets. Right time, wrong date. Back to the station where the line was, again, long.

We finally made it back to the hotel, where I powered down two ice cream bars while DH threw in a load of laundry and took a much needed soak in the spa. Dinner was at Kakuramino where the greeting and the service were very friendly. While there was no English menu, Google Translate did just fine. We had eggplant, a wonderful salad, squid tempura, and grilled scallops. The scallops turned out to be more like karaage, but were very satisfying!

November 9 – Day 18 – Day trip to Izumo Taisha Shrine

Another good breakfast at the hotel, and we were off for the 15 minute walk to the other train station. The little electric train was in the station as we arrived, but luckily a helpful agent worked the ticket dispenser for us saving precious moments. We hopped aboard, and the train started up for the trip along the lake. Toward the end of the hour, a transfer is required, but just as the woman at the Information Center said, “You won’t have to worry, everyone will get off one train and get on to the other.”

Once in Izumo we headed the wrong way from the station. DH saw a giant torii, and took off for it. It was a good thing as we passed Mike’s Boulangerie, a small shop filled with gorgeous pastries both sweet and savory. While I debated my choice, a woman who had several items on her tray told me that the one I was looking at was her “number one”. Decision made. I got a cherry danish, DH a custard-filled roll, and we figured we would be back for a lunch snack.

Fortified, we headed up the street in the right direction. At the head of the main street leading from the train station you pass under an enormous green torii, entering a beautiful park setting with a broad pine-lined lane leading down to the main complex of buildings. The spirit animal of Izumo Taisha is the rabbit, and they have multiplied everywhere. This complex is definitely worth the trip, especially seeing the monumental shimenawa, the braided rope which separates the sacred space from the everyday. Even though it was a weekend with plenty of visitors, the shrine complex is so large that it never felt too crowded. I would have loved to have seen it after dark with all the lanterns glowing along the lanes. I’m glad that we planned just the single activity for this day so that we wouldn’t feel rushed.

We made the reverse trip back to Matsue, arriving in time for a soak before dinner at Hatsune Sushi. To make it easy on ourselves and the chef, we ordered 2 set sushi menus. The larger set had 4 more pieces of sashimi and a piece of grilled fish. I had the smaller set, and when it arrived there were a few things that I had no idea what they were. I decided to eat them in order of what I thought would be my least favorite to my favorite. I was determined to eat everything. The first piece was a mollusk-type gnarly thing that didn’t have much taste, but felt like eating a mouthful of rocks. I hope to never have it again, but save for a piece of cuttlefish which I don’t care for, everything else was great. The salmon, tunas, grouper, eel, sea urchin and roe were all oishi – delicious!

I will be offline for a bit, but I promise to return to finish this trip report on our final days in Kyoto. In the meantime, here is a link to my husband's photo journal. I hope you enjoy it!
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1Q...c5cEdjclJQc29B

Very nice photos! Thanks for sharing!

When I went to Tsuwano in April of 2018, there was a fairly large earthquake- 5+ on their scale - which disrupted the train line that I was planning to use to go to my next stop, Hagi. Luckily I was able to take a bus there. Wondering if Tsuwano was some kind of jinx for both of us. ;-)

>> mollusk-type gnarly thing

I think that might have been shijimi (clams) harvested from the lake.
Lake Shinji | Travel Japan - Japan National Tourism Organization (Official Site)

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3a9464badb.jpg

I'm back from a bit of a holiday on Kauai, but I mean to finish up this trip report in the next few days.
November 10 – Day 19 – Travel day to Kyoto

After one last soak in the spa we were off to Kyoto. The first leg of the trip from Matsue to Okayama was gorgeous. The bright green rice fields were backed by mountains, including a volcanic mountain (Mt. Daisen?) which we got to see from many different angles as we traveled across the island. The train followed a river (Hino River?) for the bulk of the trip, from broad flood plains to rushing waters through narrow gorges. The leaves were just beginning to turn, and it seemed as if every garden plot we passed was being harvested or tilled for winter. Arriving once more in Okayama station we changed for the shinkansen to Kyoto. This leg of the journey was through urban build-up the entire way – Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto.

Kyoto station was a swarm, and finding the right bus stop was another example of “it’s confusing until it isn’t.” Once we found the signboard with the bus stanchions and corresponding bus numbers it was easy. Luggage management on city buses is not ideal, and I wish we had taken the subway with its wider aisles even though it would have meant a transfer. After the fact, I found out that there is a luggage delivery service within Kyoto from the station to hotels in order to keep luggage off the buses and out of the subway.

Kyoto is another city with a flat fee bus fare, so you get on at the middle door, and tap off through the front door. It was nice to get off in a familiar neighborhood and make our way to The Cross Hotel, where we had stayed previously. It is located just off a main street with many bus connections, and there is a subway station a few blocks away. The modern, comfortable rooms are a nice size with good lighting. The staff are accommodating, and there is free coffee and tea in the lobby as well as a tea kettle in the room. There is an onsite restaurant which we have never eaten at.

We opted for a quick dinner at Sushizenmai, took a walk, and planned for the next day.

November 11 – Day 20 – Kyoto

On our previous trip we had not been to Arashiyama so that was the plan for this day. Both of us agreed that we would skip the bamboo grove. Some people thrive on the energy of large crowds. I’m more of a “get me out of here now” type. We decided to start by finding the preserved streets, but just before we were to make the last turn from the train station I saw a large temple at the end of the road, so we changed our route. Fortuitous for us.

We had Seiryo-ji, or Sagashakado Temple, to ourselves. There was a giant revolving sutra cabinet which can be turned for 100 yen, so we definitely played tourist for that. The main building is beautiful in a simple, rustic way. Surprising to us, there is a beautiful garden at the back which made the entrance fee more than worth it.

Our next stop was Nison-in. Upon entering the gate there is a wide, tree-lined arcade that must be spectacular when the foliage is in full autumn color. There is a huge bronze bell that you are invited to strike three times – for oneself, for those around you, and for all humanity. I spotted three women who were so obviously enjoying each other’s company and delighting in the color of a particular tree that I asked if they wanted a photo of themselves. They acted like I had offered them a pot of gold. They had some English, and we had a short conversation, and we all went our separate ways. This was to be our first of many interactions with them as we wandered from temple to temple through-out the day. The next time we crossed paths, they made sure to tell us “Good photo. Thank you very much.” Yet another encounter had them ask us where we were headed. Our last meet-up of the day was when we were leaving one temple as they were paying their way in. They wanted to make sure that we made time to stop for a rest and to eat. Each time we passed them, we all had a good laugh. It was such a nice encounter, and the type of thing that can make one’s day. I am kicking myself for failing to get a photo of them for myself, but these three ladies dressed in lovely kimono on a “girls day out” will be forever remembered.

After a brief stop at a little gift shop where we purchased beautiful postcards, we headed up the preserved street to the temple at the end of the road – Otagi Nenbutsuji. This has to be one of my favorites, with the 1,200 little statues called rakan, each with its unique face and expression. Navigating the steep, narrow pathways in the crowd took some patience, but wasn’t too bad except for three women who basically parked at a choke-point taking, and editing, photos of each other in multiple poses. This type of behavior brings out the curmudgeon in me.

We finished our temple tour for the day at Adashino Nembutsuji, with its own small bamboo grove. This is a solemn space with its final resting spot for over 8,000 grave markers from around the area. It was peaceful, and uncrowded in mid-afternoon, making the uphill walk through the bamboo pathway almost meditative once past the woman in the bright red coat who could not get her companion to take the exact pose she wanted. In the twenty minutes we spent walking up, taking in the top of the hill, and coming back down she was still in the same place, still trying for the perfect photo. I wonder if she actually took in the beauty of the grove, but then I tell myself that I am not walking in her shoes, and perhaps getting a particular photo of the spot was exactly what she needed to make her own trip to the temple fulfulling.

We had a good, quick lunch of curry right where the road splits leading up to the moss temple (Kokedera). If I return to this area, I would like to make an early morning reservation for the moss temple, and perhaps take in some of the night illuminations at other temples. Our return trip to the hotel took a bit longer than expected because we took the wrong train – my fault – but it ended at Kyoto station, and at least we now knew how to get to the right bus.

Dinner was at Bistrot la Boucle just on the other side of the arcade near our hotel. It had a good atmosphere, friendly chef, jazz in the background. We had a prefixe, but I think I would have been happier with ala carte. Everything was good except for the main course, a choucroute with a very tough piece of wild boar meat. The cheesecake was to die for – light and fluffy. Note: the restaurant’s outdoor signage could be confusing as the large type says “Wine & Gibier”.

I love that you were able to find some hidden gems in Kyoto and the serendipitous moments with the three ladies. These are what makes our travels unique and memorable.

Thanks for sticking with me, tripplanner001. I have a few more days to report on.