Entrance to Yunotsu....hmm...really.....where is it???
Mystic safely tied to wall in Yunotsu
Soon there were 6 fishing boats offloading their daily catch
Mainly small fish already packed in ice
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But some bigger flat/bottom fish....maybe flounder??
Lot's of eels!!!
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Big ice cubes going to a grinder then blown onto the boats
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This woman came to say hi and then for a tour.....we think she was on holiday to visit the onsens!!
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She came back with her husband bearing gifts.....fruit flavored Sake....3% alcohol......pretty sweet tasting!!
Views of our 5 mile walk at the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and town of Omori
Too many shrines/temples to count.....most built in the 1500-1700's and in ruins
Some have been renovated!!
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Shimizudani smelting ruins
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We both had an audio guide to help explain all the history
Beautiful Sensuji Temple
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Beautiful ceiling tiles
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Over 600 mine shafts were dug
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This man turned out to be a guide and with his Ipad guided us and a few others through the mine shaft describing the history
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Main mine shaft entrance
A bat
Small tunnels
Snake.....yikes!!
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Something shiny on the ceiling.....maybe gold???
Maybe silver ore rubble??
Great pictorial deions of life in the mines during the 1600-1700's
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Silver ore.....very heavy...needed both hands!!
Other examples of silver ore
That is Mt Shinyokoai where the main mine shaft is located.....1500' high...they dug as low as 1200'!!
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Views of the town of Omori.....many merchant and samurai residences side by side...very unusual!
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Large and impressive Shrine
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Rice fields on the drive to the silver mine
Our taxi driver for the day!!
Gray Heron......loved the boat next to us.....always posing for us!!!
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Afternoon marine layer coming over the hills!!
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Views of the town of Yunotsu......one of the ports the silver was shipped from
Someone dug this shrine into the rock hillside...wow!!!
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We had a lovely chat with this man....Allen Naito.....18th descendant of the Naito family......this was his house.....note the cars!!!!
Naito family house.....270 years old!!!
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This was the temple we watched the Kagura Dance later in the evening
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Lovely Japanese Maples growing on the hillside overlooking an impressive temple
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One of the famous onsens.....public baths.....water temp was 110-115*F...we passed on the lobster thing:)))
2nd famous onsen.....water temp here is 105*F....yikes!!!!
We chatted with this woman for a while....she ran the 1st onsen.....when asked about the water she said you just splash it on your body parts but far away from your heart!!!
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We hiked up to the climbing kilns!!
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Many kilns and shops!!
This area was known for "everyday" use pottery.....pots, tiles, water jars!!!
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Lunch at a very nice restaurant/inn.....excellent sashimi, fired fish, soup et al
Happy and contented John
Fisherman off the dock next to us....caught many small fish!!
Sunset from Yunotsu harbor!!
Pictures of the Iwami Kagura Traditional Dance
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We were spellbound for 2 hours!!
Impressive samurai warlike moves
The costumes were amazing!!
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The last dance was a spectacular slaying of "snakes"
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