Obscure Kyushu : Yatsushiro
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January 2, 2019 - Obscure Kyushu : Yatsushiro
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For my fourth day in Kyushu, I drove around around one hour from Amakusa to Yatsushiro - a reasonably sleepy town found south of Kumamoto city. This small town started off as a large disappointment, but a few sites at the end of the post made it a nice location to visit.
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My first stop for the post was Shihinken, which is a traditional teahouse with garden which costs 500 yen to enter. Unfortunately, it was closed until January 5th but this site would be best visited during warmer weather anyway.
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Right across the road from the teahouse is Yatsushiro City Museum which is closed until the beginning of April. It normally costs 300 yen to enter.
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Located close by is Yatsushiro Castle which is not built on raised ground. It's also home to a shrine which is normal since the Meiji restoration.
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Due to New Years celebrations, the food stalls are out in force. I've almost can pick which stores there will be. There is normally: Tokoyaki, meat on a stick. Chocolate Banana on a Stick, Pastry in the shape of a fish, fries, fried chicken, octopus on a stick, yakisoba and sometimes okonomiyaki.
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My third stop for this post was Shinkoji, located a few kilometers from the centre of town. It does not look like much, but it home to the Lords of Yatsushiro Castle which was also known as the Mitsui Clan.
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The clan graves. One thing which I like about small towns in Japan is that you get to see places such as this, there is no-one here, parking is free and normally so is the entry.
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Located directly adjacent to the temple was this picturesque Inari Shrine. Note that it's around 240 odd stairs to the main shrine and it's possible to go hiking further but I did not try that with such cold weather today.
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At the rear of the main shrine was a walkway which feels similar to Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto - just not as well kept or large.
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My last stop for this post was Yatsushiro Shrine, which has large crowds waiting to pray for New Years. It's also home to a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Property which is a dance that occurs once a year. English at this shrine is reasonably strong as a result, even though it's not near a train line (I think).
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One thing of interest was the bright colors found on this shrine - which is very different than most shrines in Japan. It's almost reminiscent of the shrines in Nikko.
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Yatsushiro was a nice diversion for a couple of hours, but visiting the teahouse would have made my day as I'm waiting to discover a good quality garden which I have not found YET on this trip. But of course - it's only a matter of time. For my next post, I'll be covering Hitoyoshi.
Further Information:
Yatsushiro Tourism Bureau (English): http://www.kinasse-yatsushiro.jp/en/
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