April 26-28
Hi All,
Trivia Facts: There has been a persistent haze since we have been in Japan. We keep asking what is is from and have settled on these 3 possibilites:
1. Air inversion causing fog/haze from the warm Kuroshio current (our friend again) and the cold air from China/Russia
2. Smog/pollution from China
3. Dust from the Gobi dessert in Mongolia….like the red dust from Africa in the Caribbean!!!
We did leave Hagi at 0700 for the 65nm run to Yunotsu….almost trawler conditions….<10kts of wind and North seas in the 1-4′ range from the N so a little on the port bow/beam…..not much splashing but some motion!!!!
The wall we tied up to is well….different….it is a small wall…good but there is a lip on it that is right at the waterline where our fenders keep riding up on top….rather bothersome but so far we have enough fenders to ward off any damage. It’s not the best spot but the one recommended. We did see a lot of open space that looked better but TG we chose to stay put. About 5pm six 60′ fishing boats came in and took up all the empty space….I had a lot of fun wandering the docks watching the boats unload and trying to have conversations but not much English. A lot of small fish they had put in small Styrofoam coolers packed with ice, some muscles and shells, some eels, and some flounder/flat fish….I tried to find out if that is only for one day or how they did and got yes, all in 1 day but average catch….I think….all were using nets!!!
We did make it to the tourist bureau before it closed and had a delightful conversation with this wonderful woman but all in Japanese. We wanted to go to the Iwani Ginzan silver mine about 20k from here. She called a woman who could speak English and they told us to take a cab. The woman called for us and arranged a cab for 8:30am on Friday…..perfect. She also informed us of a local dance, an Iwani Kagura dance that looks interesting on Saturday night. The taxi turned out to be about $87 round trip but we think the bus might have been 1.5-2.5 hrs each way….the taxi was about 25min….a bargain for us!!!
Iwani Ginzan: ‘The Iwami Ginzan (石見銀山) was an underground silver mine in the city of Ōda, in Shimane Prefecture on the main island of Honshu, Japan. It was the largest silver mine in Japanese history. It was active for almost four hundred years, from its discovery in 1526 to its closing in 1923.The mines, mining structures, and surrounding cultural landscape — listed as the “Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape” — became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.”
The mine was discovered and developed in 1526 by Kamiya Jutei, a Japanese merchant. Jutei later introduced a Korean style of silver mining that would become the Haifukiho Method. The mine reached its peak production in the early 1600s, with approximately 38 tons of silver a year which was then one third of the world’s production. Silver from the mine was used widely for coins in Japan. It was contested fiercely by warlords until the Tokugawa Shogunate won control of it in 1600 as a result of the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. It was later secured by fences and barricaded by pine trees. Yamabuki Castle was built in the center of the mining complex. Silver production from the mine fell in the 19th century, as it had trouble competing with mines elsewhere in the world. Mining for other minerals, such as copper, then replaced silver as the predominant material produced from the mountain. The mine was eventually closed in 1923.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iwami_Ginzan_Silver_Mine
The main attractions are divided into three areas. The Silver Mine area includes mine shafts and ruins from the area’s mining period as well as a few temples and shrines. The Omori Town area includes museums, historical residences, and more shrines and temples. The final area consists of the onsen town of Yunotsu and nearby port towns, which have their own attractions such as the mooring stones of Okidomari. The port towns are connected to the mining area by two hiking trails that also lead to castle ruins.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5850.html
We had a wonderful day and we could have spent more time. The taxi driver was 84+ years old, spoke no English, so GT got a lot of use. He took us initially to a guide service and finally a woman who spoke English came to our rescue. It is a bit confusing on how to walk the mine shafts as well as the town of Omori. She eventually sorted us out and armed with an English speaking audio guide we set off for what tuned out to be a 5 mile walk. She said it would take 3 hours, but the book said 4 hours so we told the taxi driver to be back in 4 hours…..we should have said 5-6 hours…..not sure how this can be done in 3 hours….speed walking I guess!!!
Several people/guides stopped us along the way to give us more information…..like in the early 1600’s maybe 600 homes where we were standing near the main mine shafts, when the mine was discovered they just picked up the ore from the ground but in the 1600’s started to dig…..maybe 1000 people at one time digging in up to 600 different mine shafts, maybe 5-6,000 people in all working the mines or in support….hammer/chisel 30cm a day….hard, hard work!!! And ODG….a gazillion shrines/temples….some were in ruins and some had been rebuilt along the way.
The town of Omori was charming albeit there were more closed houses/shops than those open…curious….many, many samurai and merchant residences….side by side which was different as the merchant class was beneath the Samurai class and normally segregated….again, curious!!! Unfortunately we ran out of time to do the small museum as we opted to eat lunch instead….found an Italian place that said pizza…hmmm, pizza/beer or more history after 5 miles….for the YB’s an easy decision….ok, we’re in….haven’t had pizza in a while….but alas no pizza but they had a pasta special…we met the chef who was Japanese….John the cretin had asked for some Parmesan and the chef came out all confused but had fresh Parmesan to grate….I had the spaghetti with marinara sauce and fish and Kathy had the spaghetti with cream and 5 cheeses….absolutely wonderful!!!!
When we got back to the boat we took pictures with the taxi driver and were immediately met by a policeman….oh no, here we go again…but he just wanted to see our passports and record everything and look at the Japan entry stamp. Then 2 “men in blue” showed up….Customs….from Hamata….about 20 miles away….one old, one young…..we were on guard now for sure….we showed them our “domestic” papers but it did not faze them….they wanted to come aboard….wishing not to be confrontational we said ok….they came aboard and sat in the 2 cockpit chairs while we stood…..the older one spoke Japanese and the younger one attempted to translate….but we used GT a lot as well…..the line of questioning was about where we had been yesterday and today….curious….they did not seem to have any history about Mystic Moon…after about 10 minutes they left…..we think Customs is still very interested in the drug/contraband smuggling trade and thus where we had been and possible contacts!!!
On Friday we explored the charming town of Yunotsu….wow….one of favorites along with Yakushima and Hirado!!!
“Part of the Iwami Ginzan World Heritage Site, to the west of the mining area lies the pleasantly old-fashioned onsen town of Yunotsu (温泉津). Already known as an area of relaxation during the Edo Period, today the town offers a couple of public baths, several ryokan and an attractive setting for an evening or morning walk through a townscape reminiscent of past decades.”
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5854.html
Basically it was a port to ship away the silver. The town has many, many, historical buildings and is famous for the onsens…..public baths. I was going to experience my first onsen….think hot springs but gender separate unless they might have a private room. We met a woman who ran one of the 2 onsens….the water is between 110-115*F, that’s 43-46*C….ODG….she said you really just splash the water over you but not near the heart as that might shock you and you might not recover….oh geee, say more you almost have me sold. I also read on their website that you only get in for 2-3 minutes, then cool off and repeat……hmmm…..well, they say the waters are full of minerals and very therapeutic….but think I’ll pass on being a lobster.
We had another interaction with a Mr. Allen Naito….18th descendant of the Naito family and lives in the Naito Family manor…..over 270 years old and dates back to 1747….he is in the process of having it declared a World Heritage site and opening up to the public….unfortunately he could not give us a tour but it looked huge from the outside!!! However, the wealth must have been handed down through the years…as we stood talking with him we noticed in his garage an Aston Martin, Mercedes and a Porsche…and he said he went to school in Cambridge….and he just bought property in the port….the old abandoned shipyard and asked us about some possibilities….wow….we guess he is over 80 years old but he looks much younger!!!
The woman who ran the onsen also told us how to get to the pottery/kiln area…..we eventually made it after a few wrong turns and came across many kilns as we saw in Hagi….these are called climbing klins and evidently were built in the middle 1700’s….but, they were used for everyday pottery…..glass jars, roof tiles, clay pots et al. There was a shop where Kathy did bu a small tray….cool!!!
Oh….and many, many more temples/shrines!!!!
Iwami Kagura Dance: Kagura is the traditional sacred service dance (called Kagura-Mai) to the God/Goddess of the local Shinto shrine during annual rice-crop growth festivities.The traditional Shinto ritual ceremony takes place at the main alter of the shrine during the day by Shinto priests and female attendants who perform a simple yet graceful sacred service dance called Mai. Then, a series of Iwami-Kagura dance episodes(or stories) follows this ceremony and runs on the Kagura-Den (sacred stage) in the precincts of the shrine from early night to dawn. Each episode is vividly orchestrated by dynamic drum beats and beautiful nostalgic melodies of the bamboo flute accompanied by stimulating metal sounds of small brass hand-claps. A series of episodes is performed by a group of 15 to 30 members of local villagers or town people of various professions such as rice growing farmers, fishermen, salary men, store keepers and truck drivers.
According to legend, Kagura originated when the Goddess Ameno-Uzume-no-Mikoto danced merrily in order to lure the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu-Ohmikami, to reappear from the heavenly cave where she was hiding. For the local villagers, Kagura-Mai(a Shinto dance, while Mai is a Noh dance) is a part of Shinto ritual for agricultural fertility dedicated to the god/goddess of a shrine.
http://iwami-kagura.com/?page_id=12
This was a wow…..for 2 hours we were spellbound…..the costumes, the music, the dance rituals….all in Japanese so I didn’t understand exactly but through the costumes, music and routines you got the message.
Te Plan: Next stop is Taishacho and the Imuzo Shrine and then we have to make a decision as there is another LO coming so we need to be safe and sound by Wed and maybe even Tues…..ugh!!!
Hope all is well!!
John
Mystic Moon
Taishacho Shimane Japan
PS: Many pictures on the website: http://mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/Yunotsu-and-Iwami-Ginzan
