Mitarai Historic Preservation District

Mitarai is a well-preserved historic district on an island in the middle of the Inland Sea, its location being one of the main reasons it escaped redevelopment and modernization

Mitarai rose to prominence in the Edo Period as a safe harbour for the ships of this busy marine travel route. Mr Miyamoto, who unfortunately is no longer in business, was a boatbuilder who then turned to making realistic scale models of the kinds of vessels that plied these waters.

Mr Miyamotos premises were formerly one of the many waterfront teahouses that the port was famous for.

Of course "teahouse" really had very little to do with tea but is a codeword for brothel.

While ships would wait in the harbour for favorable tides and winds, the sailors and passengers would be entertained by young ladies.

A ranking system for "nighttime entertainment" districts was regularly published, like sumo rankings after which it was modelled, and Mitari was considered one of the top such districts in all of Japan.

Even after the introduction of steam-powered vessels, when the need for the harbour ceased to be, ships would still stop here.

Wakaebisuya was one of the top "teahouses" in Mitarai and catered to the high-end of the clientele, and it is said more than 100 girls worked here. There were many other teahouses and so the total number of prostitues was in the thousands. The 5 photos below are of Wakaebisuya, which is now open to the public.

It is said that in Wakaebisuya the daimyo of Kumamoto once spent 1,000 gold pieces in a single night.

sailors who had to stay on board their boats were served by girls who were ferried out to the ships in a kind of boat called Ochirofune.

The town continued to be known for its entertainment right up until the 1956 anti-prostitution law which put vpaid to many such districts across Japan.

Mitarai remained forgotten until 1999 when a series of bridges connected this group of islands to each other and the mainland.

MItarai was recognized as a Historical Preservation District not long afterwards and started to attract some more visitors, but still there were very limited options for eating or accommodation.

However, the 2021 Oscar-winning movie "Drive My Car" was partially filmed here and now there are several more lodging and dining choices.

As well as Wakaebisuya, there are several traditional buildings open to visitors.

Though only built in 1937, the Otome-za is a traditional Japanese theatre that was converted briefly into a cinema but has been restored to its former glory.

There is almost no public transport to easily reach Mitarai. There are some small ferries that connect to Omishima on the famed Shimanami Kaido route, and you can drive across the bridges from near Kure in Hiroshima.

Many people visit by bike as the Tobiishima Kaido is a cycle route along the islands, and of course its possible to connect with a short ferry ride to Omishima.

There is not much else to see on the island, but at the other end of the Tobiishima kaido the Shotoen is  well worth a visit.

The previous post in this series was on the walk along the islands to get here.

Inland Sea Views on a 2 Day Walk Across the Aki Nada Islands

 

The Aki Nada Islands are a chain of islands in the Inland Sea between Hiroshima on Honshu and Ehime on Shikoku. Pictured above is Sannose Port on Shimo Kamagari Island with the bridge to Honshu in the background.

A series of 7 bridges connect most of the islands and the cycling route along the islands is called the Tobiishima Kaido. Kamikamagari is the next island after Shimokamagari. Pictured above is Oura on the eastern edge of the island.

From the bridge connecting Kamikamagari Island to Toyoshima, looking north to Honshu.

At the end of the first day I reached Toyohama on the eastern edge of Toyoshima, looking across at Osaki-Shimozima Island.

Next morning, looking back at Toyohama from the bridge connecting to Osaki Shimozima.

Looking back at the bridge connecting Toyoshima with Osaki Shimozima.

All the following shots are from the southern coast of Osaki Shimozima Island.

The final photo is of the harbour at Yutakamachiocho on the NE coast of Osaki Shimozima.

The previous post in the series was on Shotoen the garden and museums on the first island.

Shotoen Garden & Houses on Shimo Kamagari Island

 

Shotoen is an absolute delight. Four traditional buildings of different types connected by a raked sand and pine garden overlooking the sea.

Not only that, but each building houses a different museum.

Shotoen is located in Sannose, a small port on Shimokamagari Island in the Inland Sea not far from Kure, Hiroshima.

It is connected to the mainland by a bridge, and a further series of bridges connect to other islands in the chain and is a somewhat popular cycling route, but off the radar for most tourists.

During the Edo Period Sannose was a kaieki, the maritime equivalent of a post station, and home to honjin, guest houses for elite travellers.

Daimyos and their retinues heading up to Edo would stop here, as did the Dutch traders from Nagasaki, and the gifts left by the Dutch seem to have become the impetus for several of the museums.

One shows many examples of Imari Ware, Japan's first domestically produced porcelain. Produced in Arita but named after the port where it was shipped from, readers with an interest in Imari Ware can check my post on Arita which has a bunch of relevant links.

 

The most interesting museum, to my mind at least, was on the Korean diplomatic missions.

Emissaries, often with a large entourage, from Korea visited Japan many times during the Edo Period.

On 11 different occasions they stayed here on Sannose, and it was the obligation of the local Daimyo to entertain them.

The cost was so exorbitant that it is said that if any more Korean delegations had visited it would have bankrupted the domain.

The displays include a replica of the feasts offered and a scale model of the kind of ship used.

I am guessing the several Korean-style Buddhist  statues are also a reference to the Korean connection.

There is also an obligatory display of farming utensils, straw hats etc.

There is a joint entry ticket that also gives entry to several other museums and other tourist sites in Sannose.

I believe there are a few buses to and from  the mainland, but you need to walk, cycle, or drive...... which is why there are so few tourists....