Izumo Region for 4 Days, 2013 (3)

Part1		Izumo Grand Shrine, Vogel Park
Part2		Adachi Museum, Matsue Castle
Part3		Tamatsukuri Spa, Extra

Part 3　Tamatsukuri Spa & Extra

Tamatsukuri Spa & Hotel Konya

Tamatsukuri Spa Town

Hotel Konya, where the god of matchmaking lives.

Tamatsukuri Spa is located in Tamayu Town of Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture.
Just as the JR station is named Tamatsukuri Spa, it is a spa town itself.

"Looks become excellent with soaking in the bath once, and all kinds of illnesses are cured with soaking again," in a book about the history and culture of Izumo Region.
I have wished I would soak in the hot spring here sometime.

I don't say, to be honest, I enjoyed the famous colorless transparent hot spring at the noted hotel to the fullest for all three nights. It was just because I was exhausted in both mind and body at that time. I took every hot-spring bath before dinner, but took it twice in total in every morning.

Ten-odd hotels and inns are located on both sides of the Tamayukawa Stream, and our hotel was "Konya" 10 minutes from Tamatsukuri Spa Station. However, the station was irrelevant to us, because the hotel shuttle bus carried us to and from the airport, and we made use of other bus services to every scenic spots during the stay.

This sign shows Konya is really an inn where lives the marriage-matching god of Izumo.

- - - - -
I walked around the spa town only during the spare time waiting for the shuttle bus to Adachi Museum, and at night after dinner.
The cherry blossoms were at their best and looked dazzling.
Another eye-catching thing was the 9 objets d'art "The Izumo Myths" along the stream. Yes, we are in gods' Izumo Region.


Conquest of the Big Snake Yamata

Queen God	White rabbit of Inaba

Mt. Love	Visit to Nenokuni

God Ohkuninushi	Three imperiial Regalia

Birth of Sata God	Eighty Gods

Hotel Konya is called the hotel where the god of Izumo gives matchmaking. Our couple stayed there 3 nights in a Japanese-style room on the 4th floor.

We strolled along the stream Tamayukawa, while I was slightly drunk and took several pictures of the illuminated cherry blossoms.

Extra

　A certain memory came out to me
at Yasugi Station

After Adachi Museum, we made use of the JR train from Yasugi to Matsue, in order to visit Matue Castle.
On the platform of Yasugi Station in an absent way, I happened to see Hitachi Metal's Yasugi Plant over there.

I remember the name of the plant quite well, though it was half a century ago in the late 1960s, when I was in charge of the production process of steel castings at Tsukiji Plant of Daido steel, Nagoya.

Our greatest rival on stainless valve castings was surely Hitachi Yasugi Plant.
We, both sales and plant, were so sensitive about their quality, price, delivery date, after-sale service and everything, that the sales people reported the rival's situation at the regular monthly meetings every time.

I was stationed in the New York office for 2 years and a half in 1980s. During the days, I made friends with Mr. S of Hitachi Metal for the same business's sake.
He said he had done almost the same job in Yasugi Plant just after entering the company like myself in Tsukiji Plant.

Checking the Travelogue Draft,
While Taking a Footbath

On the 3rd day, April 5, we were on the way back to our hotel from Matsue Castle.
We had to wait for the local bus to Tamatsukuri Spa in front of Lake Shinjiko Station for 2 hours.
Emiko decided to stroll around there. Besides, I found the footbath resting place right over there.

I was actually continuing to revise the draft of my fantasy travel note "Iberia Peninsula 2005" all the way of this trip.

When I checked the first draft, it took me to read the whole for 2 hours and a half. It means the volume is as long as a pocket book. As I had such a work with me, I was rather happy to have an inconvenient transportation in a local area.

I soaked in a footbath and did the revising work, listening to my recorded reading in the iPod.
Emiko took the following picture when she got back.

Other pictures

Izumo Grand Shrine

Around Izumo Grand Shrine

Matsue Vogel Park

Adachi Museum

Matsue Castle

Tamatsukuri Spa and Hotel Konya

Part 3 Reading: 6' 47"

< Part 2

"Izumo Region, April 2013"
End

Part1		Izumo Grand Shrine, Vogel Park
Part2		Adachi Museum, Matsue Castle
Part3		Tamatsukuri Spa, Extra

Japanese		English (here)
Travelogue	Pictures

　Sorry I have only the following Lake Shinjiko map, maybe difficult for you to understand the situation.

* We stayed in Tamatsukuri Spa south of the lake for 3 days.
* We visited the scenic spots along the north coast of the lake: Izumo Grand Shrine, Matsue Vogel Park, Adachi Museum and Matsue Castle.