Atami Plum Festival and Kinomiya Shrine

Last weekend I took the train to Atami, to go to the Atami Plum Festival. This year, the festival runs January 10 - March 8. The admission is 300 yen during the festival. There are about 470 plum trees and 60 varieties. Here is a Google maps screen shot of the garden and park area -

This maintenance hole cover is in front of the Kinomiya train station, near the Atami Plum Garden.

Umemi Falls is a small waterfall area, with a cave walkway behind the falls.

View from inside the cave, looking out.

The Korean Garden area

Next I walked to the nearby Kinomiya Shrine. I visited two years ago and posted pictures here.

The legend is that if you walk around this 2100 year old tree, you will get an extra year of life, so I wanted to walk around it again.

Amagasaki Castle Ruins Park

Historical notes from J-Castle website -

Amagasaki Castle was built in 1617 by Toda Ujikane. It completely enclosed an earlier Sengoku period castle built by the Hosokawa clan under Hideyoshi. Amagasaki Castle was located at a strategic point where 2 rivers flow into the ocean. with boat landings in the castle grounds so boats could enter the moats directly. The castle had three baileys and three water moats that spiraled around the honmaru bailey which housed a four level main keep and large 3 level yagura. The castle was dismantled in 1873 under the Castle Abolishment act. Much of the stone in the stone walls was repurposed to make an ocean break wall.

The castle was reconstructed between 2018 and 2019.

Work in Progress Wednesday

The Tale of Genji

More cross stitch ornaments on leftover fabric

Suetsugu Shrine

This shrine was on the path to my hotel in Matsue. According to some information online, the shrine is dedicated to Izanami. I’m sure the shrine is older than the hotel.