Day trip in Tsuwano

 Tsuwano is a must-see on any vacation in the Iwami region in Japan. This 'little Kyoto' of Shimane is bursting with shrines, and temples, traditional houses, museums, art galleries, and plenty of nice cafes and inns.

I went to “Yu-ki　(遊亀)” to eat lunch. It is located near “Katsushika Hokusai museum.” It takes about 5~10 minutes from Tsuwano station. This restaurant has a quaint atmosphere and they serve traditional food. A small river flows through the restaurant, so the staff catch carp and trout from there and make a dish. You can eat very fresh fish!

       You can also eat Tsuwano’s traditional food “Uzume meshi” (うずめ飯) which includes vegetables, cooked fish and rice. And the restaurant displays traditional Japanese things. If you want to enjoy a quaint atmosphere and traditional foods, I recommend “Yuki(遊亀)”!

Hours of opening: Monday to Sunday

Lunch 11:00~15:00 Dinner 18:00~20:00

Call 0856-72-0162 in Japanese only

※dinner is only by reservation Average budget 1000~2000yen

(written by Ruri)

Iwami region is home to one of Japan's 'little Kyotos', smaller scale versions of the delightful city. Tsuwano has outstanding shrines and temples, incredible festivals, hot springs, sake breweries, a Christian history, an amazing garden, and even a steam train.

In Tsuwano, it’s good to use bicycle to visit many places. It’s very popular so in long vacation a lot of people rent bicycle. Kamai store owns 300 bicycle and almost all of them are rented then. We can rented a bicycle for 500 yen for 2 hours. You can extend this time for 100 yen per hour. But if you rent it for a day, you need only 800 yen. Please pay attention to the closing time of the rental shop.

Kamai store

Address:i-49-6, Ushiroda, Tsuwano-cho(town), Kanoashi-gun (county), Shimane

Tell: 0856-72-0342

Shop hours: 8:00~19:00

note: in front of the Tsuwano station, one minute walk from the station

Tachibana cycle

Address: i-269-1, Matida, Tsuwano-cho (town), Kanoashi-gun (county), Shimane

Tell: 0856-72-1154

Shop hours: 8:00~17:00

Auto cycle Oniwa

Address: ro93-3, Ushiroda, Tsuwano-cho (town), Kanoashi-gun (county), Shimane

Tell: 0856-72-0466

Shop hours:8:00~18:00

Ogai village Hurusato

Address: ro77-1, Morimura, Tsuwano-cho (town), Kanoashi-gun (county), Shimane

Tell: 0856-72-1860

Shop hours:8:00~17:00

notes: It’s near the Ogai Mori’s house. You can buy souvenirs and have some food.

Iwami region is home to one of Japan's 'little Kyotos', smaller scale versions of the delightful city. Tsuwano has outstanding shrines and temples, incredible festivals, hot springs, sake breweries, a Christian history, an amazing garden, and even a steam train.

This is spectacular shrine in the hills above Tsuwano. If you are fit, tackle the ascent from the bottom through hundreds of red gates. You can pause and admire the view if you get out fo breath. Little kids do it, so it's not too steep. However, if you have mobility issues, you can drive or take a taxi round a back road to the shrine and get almost to the top. The view from the top is amazing. You can see all over the town, and across the valley to the red torii gate.

Taikodani-Inari Jinja Shrine was founded by a local lord in the hope that his people and clan would live in peace and prosperity. There are five major Taikodani-Inari Jinja Shrines  in Japan, but this is the only one in Shimane..Fushimi-Inari( 伏見稲荷大社 ) in Kyoto, Kasama-Inari ( 笠間稲荷神社 ) in Ibaragi, Takekoma ( 竹駒神社 ) in Miyagi, Yutoku-Inari ( 祐徳稲荷神社 ) in Saga, and Taikodani-Inari Jinja.

Inari-Okami ( 稲荷大神 ) Inari-Okami (Okami = God ) had faith as God of the productiveness of grain and prosperous business since Edo era. Taikodani-Inari Jinja shrine is enshrined as God of wish fulfillment.

・History of ‘ Inari (稲成) ‘

We usually write Inari like this 稲荷. But Taikodani Inari Jinja Shrine’s kanj for 'Inari'i is 稲成. A long time ago, a man who was the guardian of warehouse lost the key. Because of this, he was sentenced to death to take responsibility. The man prayed fervently to find the key. But he couldn’t find the key until execution day. Finally, he found the key because he prayed devoutly. He got his desire (＝wish fulfillment, 願望成就 ). Thus Tsuwano's Taikodani-Inari Jinja kanji is 稲成.

We can obtain Omikuji or fortune-telling papers at this shrine. Omikuji is like a fortune cookie. At Taiko Inari shirien there is unique vending machine. This machine looks like Shishima lion.  The lion will chooses your Omikuji instead for you. Please try it!I

 Tsuwano is a must-see on any vacation in the Iwami region in Japan. This 'little Kyoto' of Shimane is bursting with shrines, and temples, traditional houses, museums, art galleries, and plenty of nice cafes and inns.

【Chair lift / Tsuwano castle ruins (チェアリフト/津和野城址)】

TEL : (0856)  72 – 0376 (in Japanese only)

Ticket :  Adult 450    Child 400

Open : 10am ~ 5pm

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To reach Tsuwano Castle Ruins, there is a  chair lift on the back road to Taikodani inari jinja. As you know, the old castles were usually built on high mountains. So, you have to go up by chair lift.

Of course, you could also climb up on foot. However, it takes 40 minutes.   It should be fine as you can enjoy walking and sightseeing all the way from the shrine. In spring, flowers of various colors, and in autumn, many colored leaves delight the eyes of climbers.

 Before going up to the mountain, the receptionist may hand you a bell at the reception desk. Ring this as you walk so as not to encounter bears. Ring a bell all the time and you’ll keep away from danger. The lift entertains visitors  with 5 minutes ‘walking’ in the air. Travelers should prepare him/herself mentally before if he/she has a fear of heights. Small children should ride with an adult. It is a little steep in places.

It is a 15-minute walk  from the end of the chair lift  to the top of the mountain. The road is quite rocky and bumpy so make sure you have suitable footwear. There are a lot of walking sticks for free.

The view from there is beautiful. The mountain commands a view of the whole town.

【Tonomachi – dori ave. (殿町通り)】

津和野町観光協会　　〒 699 – 5605  島根県津和野町後田イ71 – 2

TEL : (0856) 72 – 1771           FAX : (0855) 72 – 1191      Website: http://www.tsuwano.ne.jp/kanko/

 Tsuwano is a must-see on any vacation in the Iwami region in Japan. This 'little Kyoto' of Shimane is bursting with shrines, and temples, traditional houses, museums, art galleries, and plenty of nice cafes and inns.

Azemichi Rest House is an eating place. It takes about 8 minutes from Tsuwano station to Azemichi Rest House on foot and the restaurant is located near the convenience store, POPLA which is green. So, you can find it easily.

The restaurant is famous for “the croquettes which took the NHK Gold award”. It has Uzumemeshi”, which is the local dish of Tsuwano.

The popular items in this restaurant:
Croquette 150yen
Uzumemeshi 1000yen
Handmade soba noodles 700~900yen
Croquette set 600yen
and so on.

Information

Phone number: 0856-72-1884 (Japanese only)
Address:
〒699-5605
Ushirodakou64-2, Kanoashi County, Tsuwano town, Shimane prefecture

Nearest station: Tsuwano station

(written by Nori)