2015/06/28

Sightseeing in Gokayama and Inami

This weekend, I enjoyed visiting sites in Gokayama and Inami in Nanto City.  I have not spent much time at these places since I was little.

Yesterday, I strolled around Gokayama - famous for Gasshozukuri buildings - part of a World Heritage site.  The buildings are actually used - as homes, museums, and Minshuku.

Here are Gasshozukuri buildings of a lovely community of Ainokura.



The roof structure does not use any nails but ropes.

Silk was an important trade for the residents - below is the silkworm housing.

Old raingear.

Musical instruments.

The local shrine.

Today, I visited Inami, a town famous for an old temple - Zuisenji and fantastic woodcarving culture that survived with preservation of the temple art.

Zuisenji Temple was established in 1390.


The street leading to the temple has many old stores - mostly woodcarving shops.

A bus stop sign close from the temple.

The sign for the woodcarving museum near by.

A fantastic Ranma featuring the 12 Zodiac Animals on the wall of the museum.

A shop by the museum had a traditional woodcarving shop - the owner artist is working on a Ranma.

But the artist's true love seemed to be chainsaw woodcarving for he mainly talked about that.

Here he is proudly posing next to his Godzilla sculpture he made with his chainsaw.  The dark color was made with a burner, he said.

Gokayama and Inami are fantastic places to visit!

2015/06/27

Yasui Run

I had a relaxing run from my hotel to Yasui area of Nanto City.  The weather was wonderfully cool.

A new Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway entrance.

Pretty little white flowers.

A bus stop in front of a big house has pictures of Rilakkuma.

A historical house by Angoji Temple.

Cedar trees in a hill side.

A little trail.

Hydrangea flowers.

Very nice trees.

A nice little creek.

A trail further into the mountain.

But this is where I turned around - a bear warning sign.

I did not see any bears and it was a very nice run.

2015/06/18

June Flowers

The most common and beautiful flowers in June are hydrangea.  It is almost a symbol of the rainy season in Japan.

This page recommends where to see the beautiful flowers.

We really see them everywhere.

Very pale colored ones.


They are so pretty.

Faint colored ones.

 These are unusual with long petals.

These tall ones are not hydrangea but azalea - their peak has long passed.

Lilies are also beautiful at this time of the year.

2015/06/07

A Beautiful Run in Hyuga

I had a beautiful run in Hyuga this morning.  The weather was perfect and the scenery was just gorgeous.

A memorial of an old railway system - Hoshoshima Line.


Fishing boats at a little port.

The view of the port from the edge.

A coastguard ship was docked.

Fishermen.

Mihokogaura Beach.

A small island - when tide is low we can walk there.

At the tip of Hyuga Cape - Umanose.

The view was spectacular from the tip of the cape.

There were more palm trees.

A monument at the viewing area of Kurusu no Umi.

The view.

The view from above (a photo of the picture) - if turned 90 deg. counter-clockwise - looks like a Kanji Character "叶 (kanau)" meaning "wish comes true".

Today's run - approx. 17 km.

Hyuga, Miyazaki Prefecture is a beautiful place to visit.