Yamaguchi Prefecture - Hagi City

More from Yamaguchi Prefecture!

It was our last day of our 3 day tour and we started out the morning visiting Hagi City. The first place we visited was "Kikuya Residence".

It's a National Important Cultural Property and the first thing I thought is that I need to improve my technique for taking pictures of Japanese gardens.

It's a nice place to visit, even the entrance to the public restroom is picturesque.

The small side streets in this area are lovely.

And, here comes the love of my life.

And, then there's me.

Many of the shops in this area set up tables full of the traditional Hagi pottery on the side of the street.

There was a cozy looking coffee shop near where our tour bus was parked. Unfortunately it wasn't open yet and I was really in the mood for a good cuppa coffee.  Oh well.

There are bilingual signs a plenty to help foreigners get around.

Next up - we got back in the bus and drove across town to visit Shoin Shrine.

There is so much to see at Shoin Shine I started with this picture of an old school house.

Then I moved on to the more traditional shrine type photos with the Torii gate.

The best thing about visiting a Shinto Shrine is the tranquil atmosphere.

As I walk around I feel calm and comfortable. I feel at peace.

Prayers on paper tied to a rope.

A purification station.

A torii gate closeup.

A peek inside the shrine (no flash).

It's very quiet. I could walk around here for hours.

Another purification station with a view to a shrine.

Mini umbrellas hanging from a branch of a tree.

I don't know why and I don't care. I just enjoy what I see and then move on.

A stone torii gate.

There are some small shops near the entrance of the shrine selling various local products.

There's a large variety of the local Hagi pottery.

Walking back to the bus I couldn't help but notice how clean it is here.I haven't seen a single scrap of litter anywhere in Hagi city.

The last place we visited in Hagi city was Yuzuya Honten factory.
http://e-yuzuya.jp/en/
Yuzu is a kind of orange and the use it to make tastey juice, marmalade and other stuff.

There is still more to come Yamaguchi Prefecture so stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by!
Mike

Bonus shots!
From a dreary day (yesterday) in Yokohama.

Yamaguchi Prefecture - Motonosumi Inari Shrine

As part of a group tour we visited Yamaguchi Prefecture. One of the stops on the tour was at Motonosumi Inari Shrine. The shrine is famous for it's long stretch of Torii gates.

However, when we arrived at the shrine the fist thing I noticed was a seawall being blasted by wind and waves.

The seawall protects the entrance to a fishing port and I decided to move down this slope to get a better picture.

I got a better picture but the wind was so strong out here it nearly lifted me off the ground.

So, back to the Torii gates. Time to walk through them from the bottom to the top.

Looking back at the entrance.

Some of the members of our tour group ahed of me.

These members behind me are in a part of the path that is unprotected from the wind.

Getting closer to the top.

One dead torii gate.

Looking back down from the top.

Panning to the left.

Still panning...

Last shot of panning to the left.

Once one reaches the top of the torii gate path there is a big torii gate with a money collection box between two foxes. I'd guess that it's about 6 meters from the ground to the money box and if one can toss a coin in the box your dreams will come true.

A shot from the backside of the torii gate. The little black dot above the telephone pole is an incoming coin.

Many try, few succeed.

Looking back down at the beginning of the trail I see a new group has arrived.

And, it's time for us to get on our bus and head on down the road.

More of the Yamaguchi trip in the days to come.

Thanks for stopping by!
Mike

Bonus shots!