{"id":6302,"date":"2018-02-21T10:12:20","date_gmt":"2018-02-21T01:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/?p=6302"},"modified":"2018-02-21T10:12:20","modified_gmt":"2018-02-21T01:12:20","slug":"%e6%9d%be%e6%b1%9f%e6%95%a3%e7%ad%96","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/en\/2018\/02\/21\/%e6%9d%be%e6%b1%9f%e6%95%a3%e7%ad%96\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Matsue"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hi, I\u2019m Danny. Today, I\u2019d like to talk about the trip to Matsue Castle in Shimane Prefecture.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not very familiar with the names of samurai warlords, but I like to visit castles.\u3000And I\u2019m collecting series of stamps at castles.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/jokaku.jp\/stamp-rally\/\">http:\/\/jokaku.jp\/stamp-rally\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m a collectomania, so I\u2019m filled with a sense of mission when I start collecting things\u2026 (lol)<br \/>\nYes, I visited Matsue Castle to get one of the stamps. Matsue Castle is the latest castle in Japan that is registered as a national treasure.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m14!1m8!1m3!1d12996.712974760754!2d133.0506783!3d35.4751335!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x0%3A0x14102c41ce9afb3d!2sMatsue+Castle!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sjp!4v1513729709886\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5990\" src=\"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1.png\" alt=\"1\" width=\"281\" height=\"287\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I thought that all castles in Japan are registered as important cultural properties and national treasures. However, I was wrong. There are only 5 castles that are registered as national treasures. Matsue Castle is one of them.<br \/>\nI was very amazed to know this fact. (Personally speaking, I\u2019m happy to know that Matsumoto Castle is registered as a national treasure! It\u2019s in my hometown!)<\/p>\n<p>Matsue Castle itself isn\u2019t so big. Well and ishiotoshi (stone dropping shelves) have been preserved in very good condition, so I could tell what they were at first sight. The structure of post and beam was very interesting!<\/p>\n<p>The staircase to the main keep is very narrow and steep. So, I think it\u2019s dangerous to put on slippers that they lend you at the entrance.<br \/>\nYou need to have plenty of time to enjoy looking around the castle since there are many miniatures and exhibitions of armors and helmets. The route to the main keep is intricate, which was fun!<\/p>\n<p>The view from the main keep is impressive. There are no tall buildings, so you can look across the broad panorama of the city. We couldn\u2019t see the wonderful view due to the rain, but we faintly saw the city as in the picture below.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5991\" src=\"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/2.png\" alt=\"2\" width=\"407\" height=\"277\" srcset=\"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/2.png 407w, http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/2-300x204.png 300w, http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/2-320x218.png 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>By the way, you can see Shinji Lake from the castle. The lake is famous for shijimi shellfish.<br \/>\nI felt embarrassed because I mistook the lake for the sea\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>Matsue Shrine is located on the same site as the castle. The shrine was built by volunteers in 1877. It seems that the shrine is relatively new.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5992\" src=\"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/3.png\" alt=\"3\" width=\"397\" height=\"299\" srcset=\"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/3.png 397w, http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/3-300x226.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 397px) 100vw, 397px\" \/><br \/>\nKounkaku is located next to the shrine. It\u2019s an elegant Western-style mansion! I love historical buildings. It was built for a temporary palace of the Meiji Emperor, so that\u2019s why the building is gorgeous. Well, it wasn\u2019t used as its original purpose though\u2026<br \/>\nI wanted to get inside the building, but it\u2019s regrettable that I didn\u2019t have enough time to do that.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5993\" src=\"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/4.png\" alt=\"4\" width=\"230\" height=\"328\" srcset=\"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/4.png 230w, http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/4-210x300.png 210w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 230px) 100vw, 230px\" \/><br \/>\nHowever, I enjoyed the river boat cruise around the castle moat, which was the most important purpose of visiting here on that day\u266a<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5994\" src=\"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/5.png\" alt=\"5\" width=\"333\" height=\"215\" srcset=\"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/5.png 333w, http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/5-300x194.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 333px) 100vw, 333px\" \/><br \/>\nKotatsu is installed on the boat at this time every year. (Kotatsu: a low table with an electric heater installed underneath and covered by a blanket.) It brings on a feeling of winter in Japan.<br \/>\n(It was still cold though. You should wear warm clothes when you take the boat in winter.)<br \/>\nAbove all, it\u2019s unique that the roof of the boat comes down when it goes through under low bridges!! Passengers need to lower their head, too.<br \/>\nWhen people thought about changing the castle moat into a tourist attraction, bridges were already there. So, the people had to lower the roof of the boat\u266a \u2026It\u2019s a change in thinking.<br \/>\nIt\u2019s quite difficult to hit upon this idea. (lol)<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5995\" src=\"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/6.png\" alt=\"6\" width=\"390\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/6.png 390w, http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/6-300x195.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 390px) 100vw, 390px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5996\" src=\"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/7.png\" alt=\"7\" width=\"374\" height=\"274\" srcset=\"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/7.png 374w, http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/7-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 374px) 100vw, 374px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>By the way, you can get on and off the boat freely during business hours.<br \/>\nThere are 3 boarding points. It\u2019s nice that you can hang around different places\u266a<\/p>\n<p>Boatmen and boatwomen tell you about Matsue\u2019s sights and history.<br \/>\nThey sing a local folk song under a bridge, which has good acoustics!<\/p>\n<p>The moat and nature around the castle remain unchanged from when they were first constructed.<br \/>\nYou can see ducks and herons taking a rest around the moat.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5997\" src=\"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/8.png\" alt=\"8\" width=\"391\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/8.png 391w, http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/8-300x201.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 391px) 100vw, 391px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I really enjoyed the 50-minute boat tour, tracing the history of the area. Taking the boat was like riding an attraction, and it was fun.<\/p>\n<p>After the cruise, we went to the inn in Izumo. The first day was over.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hi, I\u2019m Danny. Today, I\u2019d like to talk about the trip to Matsue Castle in Shimane Prefecture. I\u2019m not very familiar with the names of samurai warlords, but I like to visit castles.\u3000And I\u2019m collecting series of stamps at castles. http:\/\/jokaku.jp\/stamp-rally\/ I\u2019m a collectomania, so I\u2019m filled with a sense of mission when I start [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5994,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"5989","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[7,36],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6302"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6302"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6303,"href":"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6302\/revisions\/6303"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evergreenhostel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}