Hamahara Bridge to Hamahara Dam

 

Behind me is Mount Sanbe, the highest mountain in Iwami, a volcano that last erupted about 4,000 years ago.

The first 3 days of my walk upriver, the river, though wildly twisty at times, roughly headed east to northeast. Now for the next few days walking it heads south to southeast.

It's cherry blossom season, and they are not hard to find. Japan went on an orgy of cherry tree planting in the early years of the twentieth century, and then again in the postwar period.

At this point on the river, this bank continues to be the less settled bank, with the quieter road

However, I do pass through Takibara.

Big enough to have a shrine and a temple. 

I passed on the opposite bank a few days before writing up this post, and now Takibara is home to a big, modern canoe centre, but it was not there when  I passed through on this trip.

I have a dislike of Hamahara Dam. It floods my garden.

For some reason it cannot release floodwater until it is full, so it then releases so much water we get flooded downstream. It does not start releasing the water slowly as it builds up so the river would rise slowly and not flood downstream.

Apparently 70% of dams in Japan are built this way.

It was completed in 1953.

Water in the reservoir behind the dam travels in pipes through the mountains to a gravity-fed hydro power station further downstream. I passed by it on day 3 of my walk, but didnt take a photo.

The previous post in this series was on the section from Kasubuchi to Hamahara Bridge.

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Roller Coasting Westwards

 

I use rollercoasting in the title because, turning west, the road now goes repeatedly up and down as well as turning back on itself many times.

Coming down the mountain towards the north often had switchbacks and changes of direction, but at least it was always downhill.

The scenery is still changing, and somewhat dramatic, but with more open spaces as I cross valleys.

The photos that look like early morning light burning off the mist in the forest,... something I have seen and photographed a couple of times, is actually smoke.

Someone was burning dried weeds on agricultural land...... technically illegal I think, but common anyway.

....makes for very cinematic photos....

Not much else to report.... no shrines or temples....

Some rice being harvested...

and plenty of cylindricall white, plastic bales..... for the cows to eat in winter in the many dairy farms in the area...... not sure if it is forage or silage...

My final stop for the day as I reach the plain extending to Kurayoshi, the site of the next pilgrimage temple, is at an interesting shrine with a remarkable tree..... that's the next post in the series...

The previous post in the series was on the morning descent from Daisen.

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Jodogaura Sunset

 

The Jodogaura Coast is one of the many scenic coastlines on Dogo, the largest of the Oki Islands.

The gulls were settling in for the night.

As was I. This was as far as I reached on my first day of a 3 day walk around the coastline of the island.

Fortunately, there was a free campsite here, and I was the only guest.

So, some more boring sunset photos.....

Living in a narrow valley, I see neither the sunsrise or sunset, so either are a treat for me...

The previous post was on the coastline, Paradise Bay in English, in daylight...

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Mizuki Shigeru Road

 

Sakaiminato, the small town and fishing port in the very west of Tottori, is the childhood home of Mizuki Shigeru, a manga artist who concentrated a lot on yokai, a term that covers all manner of otherworldly creatures and forces from ghosts and poltergeists to demons and gods.

In his work he revived many of the myriad yokai that have been around Japan for centuries, but he also created some new ones of his own, the most famous being Gegege Kitaro, the character who has featured in big screen movies along with a whole cohort of new yokai.

There is a museum in Sakaiminato dedicated to Mizuki Shigeru and his work, and the street that leads from the train station to the museum has been renamed Mizuki Shigeru Road.

Dozens and dozens of bronze statues of yokai line the street, and I have covered many of them in three earlier posts.... Gallery of Yokai 1, Gallery of Yokai 2, and Gallery of Yokai 3.

So in this post, some of the bronze statues I have not posted before, and some of the other yokai artwork along the street...

The first photo shows one of the many streetlamps made to appear like Daddy Eyeball, the father of Gegege no Kitaro. The second photo, in black and white, is Gashadokoro, a yokai from a village in Hiroshima that is the collected resentment of all who died working in the fields. Photo three is a tableau called Kappa Spring and feature a variety of yokai, predominantly kappa.

Photo four is of a couple of stainless steel sculptures with the shape of yokai depicted as a hole. There are many of this type of sculpture in the park that runs along the beach from Yumeminato Pavilion and Tower. The fifth photo is of ema hanging at Yokai Shrine, not registered with any religion, but said to be a power spot. Sixth photo is of Iju, a yokai from the Niigata area. When given food it carried a mans heavy pack for him.

Number seven is a painting set in the sidewalk depicting a variety of yokai. Sakaiminato has a bunch of manholes with yokai designs that you can view in this earlier post. Not at all sure what the next painting is of, but it was on the wall outside a shop.

The yokai above is Makuragaeshi, a yokai that moves your pillow while you are asleep.

Numerous stores sell yokai merchandise like the masks above, and even a bakery sells buns with yokai faces and shapes.

The Kubire Oni in the painting above is formed from the malice of people who died by hanging and cause depression and suicidal thoughts in people.

Above is Nononba and a young Mizuki. She lived near to him and introduced him to many yokai stories.

Tsuchikorobi, pictured above, seems to be a harmless yokai that rolls down a hill ahead of you.

Above is Harionago, a beautiful woman with disheveled hair that has hooks at the ends to catch and carry men away.

Above is Kajuu from Nagano, which can walk but not swim.... 

Above is Iwami no Ushio, a yokai from my region of Iswami. It has the face of a cow and a body of an Earth Spider and attacks people on beaches. Below are a group of small Daddy Eyeballs, and the final picture is of Kajiga Babaa, a yokai from Kochi. A blacksmith's wife got lost at night and was eaten by wolves. Her spirit possessed one of the wolves and began to devour travellers.

Every time I visit Sakaiminato, there are many new yokai sculptures added, so if you have an interest in yokai it is well worth visiting or revisiting.

The previous post was on the nearby Ferry Terminal.

If you would like to subscribe by email, just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published or made public. I post new content almost every day, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the last ten posts