Taking an early ferry from Miyanoura Port

Beautiful morning in the Seto Inland Sea area.

Teshima Island has more to show than modern art

Teshima has been evolving with art and architecture but the island has more to show; rather, you should know what happened to the island in modern times to fully appreciate the artistic transformation happening in Teshima in addition to Naoshima, Inujima, and other neighboring islands in the Seto Inland Sea.

The Sea has light and shadow as any other thing in the world does. So enchanting but once polluted by haste modernization and industrialization. Many islands either suffered from pollution or depopulation. One approach to make them healthier again is the Benesse evolution. 

But you should know first how the islands had to struggle and are still tackling with modern times.
Teshima once suffered a major case of illegal dumping of industrial waste. It was also burned in the open air to erase the evidence of the disposed. For many years, the aged islanders fought, racking their brains to save their once untainted island and its heritage for the sake of future generations.    

Settlement was reached with the Kagawa Prefectural Government who admitted their ignorance of monitoring and instructing the business which was doing extraordinary bad things without any consideration to natural environment and islanders. But the very business and the man who was totally wrong were not punished severely because no such law existed at that time. Now because of this grave case, the law was made strict but the tax money has to be used for cleaning up and making the waste harmless. It was supposed to be over in ten years but more waste was found on the way. Now the first ten years passed and still a few years at least are required for totally closing the case.   

LET US KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.

The prices of the dishes are very reasonable. It's an old eatery and cafe near Ieura Port in Teshima for which an aged woman cooks. The fried noodle was tastier than the fashionable dish at a restaurant which commands a good view of the ocean. 

This is a model of the Ship Taiyo (the Sun) which exclusively carries the waste from Teshima to Naoshima.
On the premises of Mitsubishi Material stands an industrial waste treatment center. 

Part of the site where industrial waste was dumped.
Now removing and making them safe have been going on.

Data about Taiyo

Approach to Benesse House

Architect ANDO looked at the landscape from the private pier of Benesse and thought of the layout of the buildings now standing as the Benesse House complex. Great approach. 

The Shugendo pavilion tucked in the cliff

To go up to the pavilion, you first cross the bridge in the mountain. This signifies the purification or crossing the river to the dead. In either way, you reset the past, get refreshed, come back, and live again. The round trip takes one hour and a half or more. A little kid did this; a ninety-year-old did it too. 

 

AKIYOSHIDO Cavern, the best place to stay while a typhoon is raging

A typhoon came while a tour in August was going on but fortunately it did not hit the destinations of the tour directly. It was amazing but the tour managed to escape the major impact by the typhoon and even gave us more fun when the AKIYOSHIDO cavern was visited. True, it was rainy and windy when the travelers lead by jasmine (it's me) approached the entrance to the cavern. But just five minutes. I thought we could be the first visitors of the day to the cave at 9:00 am when we reached the ticket gate but six already went into the cave on such a stormy day. But we almost occupied the vast cave, the largest limestone cave in Japan and the third in the world. 

Much more water than usual but no rain in the cave.

The cavern is the one let the water gushing out. A lot more water than any other day I have visited. The area leading to the Kurotani exit after the point where the Golden Pillar flow stone stands was particularly mythic and remarkable. More water and more adventurous yet anyone can go. See the pictures of this area below.

And major points:

Tsuwano summer festival, SAGIMAI

This is a really traditional, local, and authentic Shinto festival. Amazing to see the tradition has been handed down and alive. Many tourists come on the occasion but still it has a local atmosphere and retains its original purpose: dedicating the dance and song to the divinity. The repetitive chanting and dancing but but very soulful.

    The troop is soon coming out of the gate behind these ornamnents. 

 The procession

 Dedicating dancing

Miyajima summer festival, KANGENSAI

This year, the festival was on August 1, 2015. Depending on the tidal situation, this day-long festival falls on different days. Two days before the festival, people at ITSUKUSHIMA JINJA were busy preparing, taking advantage of the lowest tide of the day. Here are some of the very dry grounds of the shrine. A large boats consisting of three smaller ones has been prepared. A palanquin for the spirits of the divinity is ready, too.

 To the shrine

 Lanterns hanging

 And the boat

Fukita Pavilion designed by NISHIZAWA Ryue

It's on the island of Shodoshima. It takes time to go there but I decided to go any way as a treat to myself. A happy surprise was the pleasure of the travel to the island itself. Loved the ferry ride. The pavilion was as I expected and did not insist on its existence. Very subtle. 

Crane made of fabric that retains its crane form at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Hall

Stretch this crane but it comes back to its memorized form right away. This is a gift from a company that manufactures this type of fabric to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Hall (not Peace Memorial Museum) located in Peace Park in Hiroshima. There was a metal one as well, again a gift from a company dealing with the metal. People's hearts come together at Hiroshima.

Deer on Miyajima

Some interesting photos of Miyajima deer. They are incredible cute but can be naughty. Be alert!

Sanuki UDON: best for lunch!

This Udon noodle eatery was so good. All the udon places in Takamatsu and the vicinities serve good udon but this udon restaurant was the very best. They make the noodle themselves and food is served in the help-yourself style. You even warm up your noodle by putting it in a strainer ready for use by the customers and dipping it in hot water in the container. While the chilled type comes in a bowl with a bit of chilled thick soup or on a plate made of thin bamboo bars knitted together for drainage with a cup of chilled dipping. You can choose toppings - mostly tempura of many kinds. Condiments like grated ginger, green onion, and fried dough crumbs are available. The store kindly let the travelers see the backstage. It's a unique udon noodle cafeteria you have to try!

SHIMANAMI scenic sea route - off the major course

 Iwashijima bridge

This was an easy fun course with a little ups and downs. 

First two of us went to Mukaishima island by car and parked the car at KOKORO Center;

Then we took out our bikes from the car and off we went;

from KOKORO Center in Mukaishima to Iwashijima island via a small bridge;

cycle around the island;

to the In-no-shima Grand Bridge;

crossed the bridge - round trip

and back to KOKORO.

This will be just about 20 kilometers. 

Iwashijima is one of the common islands in the Seto Inland Sea. But that's the point. It was totally fun to ride a bike looking at vegetable fields and local waters. 

Then the In-no-shima grand bridge, one of the major bridges along the SHIMANAMI route, gave a satisfactory feeling that we were visiting SHIMANAMI. 

These two different experiences made our bike ride today very rewarding.

Loved the course.

Camellia japonica 'Benikarako'

This is one of the burial ground of the Mori clan who were headquartered in HAGI where the town layout has not changed largely from its feudal days. This stands on the premises of TOKOJI temple behind the main hall. 

This camellia is different from those commonly seen in mountains. This tree was brought about when a Tokugawa princess married into the Mori clan in the 17th century. 

To see the details of the flower, please go to the following site. 

http://aquiya.skr.jp/zukan/Camellia_japonica/Camellia_japonica_Benikarako.html

Backstreet strolling in Kurashiki

Kurashiki has one tiny but immaculately preserved section of its old rice-merchant quarter, which prospered in the Edo period. There are about 300 old houses and granaries. The oldest is about 300 years old.

Old Kurashiki today consists of dozens of characteristic whitewashed, black-tiled kura, or rice granaries, centered around a willow-lined transport canal. Many have been converted into museums, shops, teahouses, and inns, injecting contemporary vitality into these relics of traditional Japan. 

There are backstreets and allies that you shouldn't miss. 

The quarters have a right size to take a stroll and sit down for coffee or tea.

 Denim clothing store

Naoshima in spring

This is also Naoshima, the northern part of the island where Mitsubushi Materials (copper refinery) stands.

FROG AND CAT was the first outdoor installation in naoshima. This one was installed in 1990 when camping activities for children were held here on this ground. The former ground is now dotted with colorful artworks

You need an approach to go to somewhere special. Closer to you is the Benesse House. The photo was taken at the entrance to the Benesse House, a complex of art galleries and a hotel.

And on your way back from the Benesse House Museum, you might see the evening scene like this. 

KUSAMA's pumpkin sits on the old embankment which is now too low when the tide is very high. Due to global warming? 

Hiroshima Carp !

This is a special train infused with Carp spirit, captured at Hiroshima Station.

Grassy Korakuen garden

One fifth of the garden is covered with grass at present. But three quarters of it was rice and vegetable field when it was built in 1700. The lord loved to see the farmers work. And he wrote, "I almost forgot to go back to the castle when I was looking at their daily work." The garden went through transformation due to the interest and preference of successive Ikeda lords. The founder's son built a small hill in the middle of the garden. At the same time, a watercourse, which linked the two existing ponds and was made into additional pond later, was naturally formed since the soil was dug up to make the hill. Another lord made most of the field into grass due to financial reasons. He laid off the farmers for streamlining. Some interesting shift can be observed but basically the garden retains the style as the strolling type garden of the feudal lords in the Edo period. The Ikeda clan was dispatched to Okayama as the governor of The domain by the then central government Tokugawa Shogunate and they were here for most of the Edo period. Glass spreading over the garden and meandering streams which show sensitive dynamism by flowing rapidly or slowly have to be the visible characters of this garden. 

Gunkan-jima or Battleship Island off Nagasaki

This gives you a different type of experience. Several businesses offer cruise tours, most of which include landing on the island. This island used to be a mine which supported Japan's modernization. Mitsubishi employed a lot of miners and their families lived there. The workers were paid well and the vendors who brought food, clothing, and so forth to the island enjoyed their good business.