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| Izumo Grand Shrine |
Adachi Museum |
Tamatsukuri Spa |
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| Vogel Park |
Matsue Castle |
Hotel Konya |
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Late March in 2013, spring was already in full bloom for the whole Kanto
area. Just early April, all the cherry blossoms fell in one night by the
first spring gale around this area. The next morning, April 3, our plane
took off at Haneda Airport in a driving rain to Izumo "Matchmaking"
Airport, Shimane Prefecture.
When the plane was going down from the stratosphere, we saw through the
window Lake Shinjiko clearly under the blue sky.
The Sanin district facing Japan Sea was a different world.
For the whole two days from the next day, we saw the sights of the scenic spots in full bloom of spring around Lake Shinjiko.
We spent the 4 days as follows.
| April 3 (Wed.) |
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Haneda ¨ Izumo Airport ¨ Tamatsukuri Spa |
| 4 (Thu.) |
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Izumo Grand Shrine, Vogel Park |
| 5 (Fri.) |
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Adachi Museum, Matsue Castle |
| 6 (Sat.) |
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Tamatsukuri Spa ¨ Izumo Airport ¨ Haneda Airport |
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Part 1@Izumo Grand Shrine
& Vogel Park |
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| Izumo Grand Shrine
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2 bows, 4 claps (not 2) and then 1 bow,
at Izumo Grand Shrine |
This year, 2013, is a holy year for Izumo Grand Shrine.
The Sengu (an extensive repair work) of the Main Hall once 60 years is
now in the climax. The shrine will have its Sengu Festival in May, next
month.
The Sengu of Ise Grand Shrine in Mie Prefecture supposedly becomes known
much more all over Japan. How do the gods here in Izumo feel about it?
Anyway, a myriad of gods, including Okuninushi-no-mikoto (a Shinto deity)
will be relaxed after next month, who have been spending busy days in recent
years.
Why is it? The precincts are so quiet with very few people. Is it because
of a weekday? I was rather disappointed.
The grass square outside the precincts was alive with cherry blossom viewers.
The cherry trees were just in full bloom so that men and women of all ages
were enjoying the beautiful weather.
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Three senior close friends.
The lady, right, is 92 years old. |
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Concerning the large-scale Sengu of Izumo Grand Shrine, the statement of
the committee of this event is as follows.
| Currently, Izumo Taisha, is undergoing Sengu (a period of extensive repair
work), which is being conducted for the first time in 60 years. The renovation
work on the main hall, which took almost 5 years, was completed and various
Shinto rituals, rites, and other events were held to celebrate in 2013.
"Sengu" literally means to move the go-shintai ithe sacred representation of the enshrined god) from the original sanctuary to a temporary shrine, while construction of a new shrine building or repair work on the shrine building is conducted. There are various theories about the purpose of the Sengu. Below are some of them:
- To maintain the wooden structures,
- To pass on traditional artisans' techniques,
- To keep the shrine building immaculate and clean (As a result, the power and vitality of the god of the shrine is thought to be renewed).
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In April 2008, Kari-den senza-sai, a ritual to transfer the sacred representation of the enshrined god to the temporary main hall, was held. After the repair work, which took about five years to be completed, Hon-den senza-sai, a ritual to transfer back the god to the main hall, was conducted in May of 2013.
In addition to the main hall, a lot of shrines of various sizes which enshrine
the gods, who are closely connected to O-kuninushi-no-okami, can be found
surrounding the Izumo Taisha. The repair work on the shrines and other
structures will be completed in 2016.
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| Matsue Vogel Park |
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From Izumo Grand Shrine, we took the train of Ichibata Rail for Matsue
and got down at the station "Matsue Vogel Park" after 1 hour.
This park is the first "fureai" bird park (an aviary park, the
park in contact with birds) in Japan.
A falcons' show, a pelicans' walk, begonias in the center house....., it
is truly called a top-ten entertainment park in Japan.
It is well arranged widely, making use of the landform. It is at least
not a common entertainment facility.
As a matter of fact, the park was all hustle and bustle with full of children,
youth, adults and seniors, compared with the quietness in Izumo Grand Shrine.
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According to Wikipedia;
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Amid pleasant green hills on the North shore of the Lake Shinji, Matsue
Vogel Park has paved walkways between four aviaries holding tropical birds
- mostly toucans, turacos, hornbills and ibises.
The park is also home to various birds from around the world, including rare and exotic birds.
There are also a number of waterfowl to be found in the aquatic birds aviary.
Vogel Park also includes such birds as Emus and Penguin. An owl-flight
show is exhibited four times a day.
Vogel Park boasts one of the largest Greenhouses in the world, residence to various flowers of which most are found in bloom year-round. Begonia, Fuchsia and Coleus flowers are an example of some that can be admired at the park. |
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The toilet in Vogel Park was clean. The two signs were before my eyes.
They were word-plays in the Japanese poem style.
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Don't water to the east and west.
All the people seeing you (south)
will feel dirty (north). |
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You have to make sure of
your position before you relax.
Isn't the heart with no impatience
comfortability of a man? |
I don't know how is the Ladies'.
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| Part 1 Reading: 8' 09" |
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