Tsuwano
Tsuwano will always have a special place in my heart. It was one of my parents’ favorite spots to visit, and they visited often. The drive from Iwakuni is scenic and doesn’t require tolls. When I was much younger they took me, but I didn’t appreciate its beauty. Years later they took their grandsons whenever they could. My boys loved feeding the carp fish with their grandparents. Walking up to the shrine, not so much. Over time I fell more and more in love with this charming town too. Now I treasure all of the wonderful memories my parents created for us over the years.
It typically takes a little under two hours to drive to Tsuwano from Iwakuni. Driving is highly recommended. It’s not impossible to go by train, but it will take approximately three to four hours.
The town is mostly walkable, so if you do take a train you will have no problem getting around. If you drive, there are a few pay parking lots with day rates of around ¥500-¥600 per day.
Taikodani Inari Shrine
While visiting Tsuwano, be sure to stop by the Taikodani Inari Shrine. It’s a beautiful shrine that is known for being one of the five greatest Inari shrines in Japan. This Inari shrine is very unique because of the kanji characters they use for “Inari”. The characters used for the word “Inari” here mean “granting a wish”. The usual characters mean “rich harvest”. Legend has it, someone visited this shrine and made a very important wish. After days of praying here, his wish came true. This is how people came to believe that this shrine fulfills the wishes of those who visit it.
Taikodani Inari Shrine is also known for offering blessings for prosperity in businesses. This makes the shrine very popular among business owners around Japan. The shrine can be accessed by car or on foot. One thousand red Tori gates line the path up to the shrine for those who choose to walk. It’s almost like a famous Tori gate lined path in Kyoto, but without all of the people.
The views of Tsuwano from the shrine are pretty amazing too.
Tonomachi Street
Tonomachi Street, is another must visit when in Tsuwano. There is a canal on one side of the street that is full of beautiful carp fish. Fish food can be purchased at a shop nearby and at a little stand at the end of the canal. The nearby shop has a basket of fish food outside with a little box to place the money in. Feeding the carp can be fun for children, but I have seen many adults enjoy feeding them too. Guilty! It always brings back wonderful memories of my boys feeding the fish here when they were little.
Komien Kamiryo Tea is a great spot in Tsuwano to take a break, grab a cup of tea or coffee. There is a separate blog post on my site that has information on making your own tea blend here. Highly recommended!
Masuda
A trip to Tsuwano can easily be combined with a visit to Masuda. The drive from Tsuwano is less than an hour. Masuda is home to Grand Toit, which houses an art museum and a beautiful theater for concerts and performances.
The first thing I noticed when I arrived at Grand Toit was the architecture. The buildings were beautiful and the sides are all covered in… roof tiles. Never would have guessed roof tiles, but I really like it a lot. The roof tiles are all the same, but they look different depending on how the light hits them. Even in the photo you can see how different they all look. The tiles are called Sekisyu-kawara and are the same tiles used on the roofs of houses in Shimane. Depending on the light they can look red or orange and sometimes they have a gold or green hue. These tiles get their characteristics from the clay that is used to make them.
Grand Toit was designed by a famous architect, Hiroshi Naito. The inside of the building is beautiful and I love that local items were used in building Grand Toit.
So much care went into designing the Main Hall, which is where concerts and performances take place. The walls were constructed a specific way to improve the sound quality.
There is also a museum here that has special exhibits regularly. Please check their website for upcoming exhibits.
Masuda also has some beaches.
Even on a gloomy day the water here looks pretty.
I hope this information helps when planning an adventure to Shimane Prefecture.
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