Yumeminato Pavilion

 

Attached to the Yumeminato Tower in Sakaiminato, Tottori, is the Yumeminato Pavilion.

They are both remaining structures from an Expo that was held here in 1997.

In front of the pavillion are several sculptures. They take the form of metal boxes with holes in the shape of Yokai.

Sakaiminato is a Yokai capital in Japan as it is the birthplace of Mizuki Shigeru, a manga artist responsible for reviving many traditional yokai and for creating many ne yokai. Similar statues can be found in the Yumeminato park that runs from here down the coast a ways, and along Mizuki Shigeru Road.

When we visited on this trip, about 20 years ago, the lower floor was devoted to sales of souvenirs and local specialities

On the upper floor was an exhibition that included a full size Mongolian yurt.

There was also a collection of national costumes of countries of East Asia available for visitors to try on and be photographed in.

I was unsure why the focus on Asia, but then I later learnt that a Japanese anthropologist who specialized in Iran and Mongolia and the Silk Road, was born near here.

Later I was to visit a large, but decaying, museum near here dedicated to him.

Yokai made their presence known a little around the building, but at that time I was more interested in the  geometry and light and shadow of the architecture.

The previous post in this series was on the Yumeminato Tower.

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Honishibashi Residence & Gardens

 

Momen Kaido, Cotton Road, is a small historic district of Hirata that was once a bustling merchant area trading in cotton.

One of the oldest remaining houses is the Honishibashi Residence, the oldest part of which was built in 1750

The earthern-floored entrance foyer has a nice example of the local folk art, Isshiki Kazari.

As well as serving as the home and business premises, the Daimyo would stay here sometimes and so the inner parlour was used as his official reception room.

The gardens were constructed in the early Meiji Period.

The Sou no Niwa, pictured above, is located to the east of the inner parlour. There is a small tea room that alsolook out onto it.

The main garden, the Gyo no Niwa, is located to the west of the inner parlour.

Not surprisingly, it is an Izumo-style garden. The large stone is said to have been a gift from local fishermen after the Ishibashi family paid for the construction of a tunnel that greatly aided the fishermen

I visited in June and so caught the last of the azalea blossoms...

The previous post in this series on the delights of Matsu and Izumo focused on the views from Matsue's tallest building.

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

Yumeminato Tower

Yumeminato Tower

Japan has a lot of observation towers, a few, like in Tokyo, are not on the coast, but the vast majority are.

Yumeminato Tower is located in Sakaiminato, the port town in Tottori, now famous for Yokai.

At 43 meters in height, it is one of the smaller towers.

On clear days there are great views of Mount Daisen, the highest mountain in the Chugoku Region. Unfortunately, on the day I took these pics, it was cloudy, and Daisen could not be seen.

However, there was a good view down on Yumeminato Park.

The park, tower, and adjacent exhibition building were all built for the Japan Expo Tottori 97, which ran over the summer of 1997.

While not huge, I did enjoy the interior structure of the tower with its steel interior and wooden exterior.

It was designed by Hirofumi Sugimoto.

There is a cafe at the observation deck level. Entry is 300 yen for adults....

This is the first post in a small series on the delights of Sakaiminato. Earlier posts of mine cover the huge number of yokai statues along the Mizuki Shigeru Road. Yokai 1, Yokai 2, and Yokai 3.

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.

Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts & Culture

 

When I visited this place, when all these photos were taken, it was called the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Shigureden, and it had just opened.

Momen Kaido Hirata Cotton Road

 

Hirata lies close to the north shore of Lake Shinji, Japan's 8th biggest lake, and for a while it was a bustling trading port exporting Hirata Cotton up to Osaka and beyond.

A small secrtion of the old town along the navigable river that fed into Lake Shinji has now been renamed Momen Kaido, "Cotton Road".

There is a large merchant house and garden open to the public which I will cover in the next post in the series.

For me, the most interesting thing about Hirata is the unique folk art called Isshiki Kazari, which I need to do some more posts on.....

Hirata is served by the scenic Ichibata Railway that follows the lakeshore between Matsu and Izumo Taisha.

On a hillside overlooking the town is a really good folk-art museum as well as mansion and garden that is REALLY worth visiting.

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The previous post in this series on the sights of Matsue and Izumo was on the observation deck overlooking Matsue and Lake Shinji.

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