20. TOMONOURA, THE INLAND SEA

Tuesday December 3rd, 2013 continued.

Here is Dohi and Goto, touring us around Tomonoura, a charming quiet little fishing port with a history that dates back 1000 years.

A Shinto temple with it's host...

...the dragon.

 

 

Patchwork roof tiles.

The harbour.

Our happy happy friends...

Lots of narrow old streets lined with traders shops and homes.

Narrow but possible to pass if you drive a small Japanese car. No wonder they are so popular around these parts...

We love the timber window screens. In traditional Japanese architecture, wooden lattice windows made with removable vertical slats serve as one of a series of layers easing the transition between indoors and out. And wouldn't you know it, Japanese traditions inspired the work of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright who also used slatted window treatments.

 

Segue...

You may have noticed in some of our previous blogs that the exterior timber walls of some old Japanese buildings looks black, as if it had been burnt. That's because they have been burnt. The ancient Japanese art of Shou Sugi Ban or burning actually makes the timber last longer and you never need to paint it... And it looks great . The process involves charring the Cedar or Cyprus cladding, cooling it, cleaning it, and finishing it with a natural oil before it is attached to the frame.

 

 

This finish is simply called rust. It has a certain wabi sabi style to it don't you think?

And this one, we'll, is called neglect...

Special sake in Tomonoura, called Homeisyu, which is made from natural remedies. Free tasting available... Very nice.

Sake warming.

 

 

 

Joya-you, the night lamp, and some stonework and stepped pier at the Tomo Port have been left as they were.

Fisherman's home. Friendly people.

They even let Alex help with the catch.

The brother in the middle is a metre reader. He put us on his blog this very evening so the least we can do is reciprocate...

 

These guys were barbecuing octapus by the side of the road. They insisted we have some.... And they even gave Alex a beer... Pretty hospitable...

 

So hospitable they even have a visitors book... Who knew?

Just who is running these temples?

 

 

A delicious Japanese feast.

Meet Akizumi, Dohi's roommate. He brought a Japanese 3 stringed instrument called a shamisen along to play for us.

 

It's played with a plectrum called a bachi.

 

Back row; me, Hirohisa Dohi, Akizumi, Hideaki and Goto

Front row; Rei-na, Alex and Toshie

The end of another beautiful day.

Lloydnalex

 

19. FUKUYAMA CASTLE

Tuesday December 3rd, 2013

After a brief visit to a local congregation we left Onamichi. We are off to Fukuama.

A happy bunch of pioneers.

 

This is Fukuama Castle, built 1622. We prefer small traditional asymmetrical Japanese traditional buildings to the large symetrical symbols of wealth and power but we figured that we should take a look...

Japan once had about 5000 castles, now there are around 100. Like so many others, Fukuama was a military base during WWII so it was bombed in an air raid and burnt down. To look at it you would wonder how it could possibly burn down since it appears to be stone. Well, above the stone base, Japanese castles are all timber overplayed with plaster.

As with the Hiroshima castle, this one was later rebuilt in reinforced concrete so the interior is a bit sad... Never the less, the view from the top is great.

Interesting juxtaposition of old Japanese and European buildings.

Sujigane Gomon gate.

Our new friend Dohi, a regular pioneer working in the Tagalog field and our other new friend Goto, a special pioneer. This area is famous fo Ramen noodles and we fully understand why...

Ramon noodles are made of flour. Here is some Wikipedia trivia for you to digest if you want;

After World War II, cheap flour imported from the U.S. swept the Japanese market. At the same time, millions of Japanese troops had returned from China and continental East Asia from their posts in the Second Sino-Japanese War. Many of these returnees had become familiar with Chinese cuisine and subsequently set up Chinese restaurants across Japan. Eating ramen, while popular, was still a special occasion that required going out. In 1958, instant noodles were invented by Momofuku Ando, the Taiwanese-Japanese founder and chairman of Nissin Foods. Named the greatest Japanese invention of the 20th century in a Japanese poll, instant ramen allowed anyone to make this dish simply by adding boiling water.

A great lunch.

Next stop