Remote Feudal Town of Hagi - Part 2: Samurai Quarters

Day 2 at this little-known enclave of potters and former Samurai clans, and we saw why Hagi may just be the most underrated destination in West Japan.



After all Hagi boasts perhaps Japan's best-preserved feudal town aside from Kyoto's Higashiyama district, not to mention its centuries-old heritage of high culture and some fantastic seafood. And considering the tiny fraction of visitors compared with world-famous Kyoto, this is almost a dream for independent travelers.



Getting here though could be more of a nightmare, especially during rainy season when mountain roads, and occasionally JR train tracks, could be subject to sudden closures due to rockslides. Even at the best of times the nearest Shinkansen station is still 90 minute away by highway bus -- and don't even think about arriving by train unless you're prepared for multiple transfers taking twice as long.



Those who make the journey would be discover a fascinating town full of legends such as the Choshu Five, a group of young Samurai smuggled by a defiant feudal lord out of seclusionist Japan to study at University College London, and later returned to become great statesmen of their era. For history buffs, this is the birthplace of modern Japan.



We opted for two nights at one of Hagi's numerous hotspring Ryokans in the autumn foliage season of late November, which also coincided with the local season for sampling poisonous Fugu fish, a delicacy so deadly that I wasn't even permitted to bring some back to Canada. Day 1 took us to the town's historic eastern neighborhoods, and Day 2 would be spent at the Samurai quarters surrounding the former castle.



Starting out from our Ryokan on Kikugahama beach, the historic quarter begins literally one block to the south where centuries-old alleys are flanked by the stone defensive walls of Samurai mansions, many still occupied by modern descendants of the old feudal domain's warrior-retainers.



The image of yellow Natsu-Mikan overhanging grey earthen rooftiles is a quintessential street scene in Hagi. Originated with the Meiji Restoration when the Samurai class lost their livelihood and were encouraged to take up orange farming, these fruits would not become edible until next May despite their ripening appearance.



Just beyond the outer moat is the town's most popular attraction, a 400-year-old merchant district of whitewashed earthen walls and latticed wooden gates leading to feudal Hagi's most affluent trading houses, best exemplified by the meticulously manicured courtyard garden of the Kikuya Residence.



Holding the monopoly as the feudal domain's official buyer for centuries, the Kikuya clan amassed great fortunes and built this enormous walled estate that encompassed everything from accounting offices to secret underground safes to its own silk farm. To this date the Kikuya Residence still occupies most of its block, only one third of which is open to visitors.



While the main residence was expectedly crowded even on a weekday, the expansive rear garden and Zashiki, normally off-limits but open to visitors for a couple months a year during late spring and the autumn foliage season, remained relatively serene as it was skipped by the legions of domestic Japanese tourists on tight itineraries.



Occasionally the Shogun's emissaries were housed here when on official business, bestowing honour upon the host and strategically segregating the emissaries from the secretly insubordinate feudal lord residing within the castle walls.



Centuries of isolation and animosity towards the Shogun fostered a free-thinking culture and nurtured the bravest and brightest revolutionaries towards the end of Japan's feudal era, when this neighborhood became the hotbed for a regional insurgency that gathered momentum across West Japan, overthrowing the ruling Shogun and propelling Japan into the modern era.



Now elevated to UNESCO World Heritage Site status, this modest neighbourhood of former textile makers and Sake breweries produced no less than four eventual prime ministers, in addition to prominent nation builders such as Takasugi Shunsaku, whose rifle militia units proved instrumental in defeating the Shogun's forces during a small civil war.



The 400-year-old Enseiji temple served as the childhood school for Takasugi and Ito Hirobumi, one of the Choshu Five sent overseas by the feudal lord to study western science and technology. Upon returning from University College London, Ito and his four associates went on to become respectively modern Japan's first ever prime minister, foreign minister, infrastructure minister, father of Japanese railways and head of National Mint.



One delightful distraction at the Samurai quarter was the abundance of outlet shops for locally fired Hagi-yaki earthenware, highly treasured by tea ceremony masters and now by beer drinkers for its tendency to change colour over time. Cautiously we purchased two bowls and a cup and specifically instructed the shopkeepers to bubble-pack them for our return flight ... and they did arrive safely at our kitchen.



For lunch we took advantage of discounted Teishoku offerings at a classy Ryotei, centered around fresh local seafood in the forms of Shioyaki or Tempura, to be reviewed in an upcoming article. We then hopped on the trusty community shuttle for a few stops towards the old castle grounds, passing by various Samurai residences such as the pictured weapons storehouse of the Masuda clan.



The castle itself had long been dismantled during the Meiji Restoration, leaving the massive stone foundations as testimony to a mighty fortress on its own little peninsula, once considered impenetrable before the arrival of Western warships with their cannons.



Nowadays the castle grounds is surrounded by pottery kilns and their showrooms for upscale tea bowls, inheriting a distinguished tradition from Korean artisans captured and brought to Hagi during Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea in late 16th century. Masterpieces fetching for a million yen or more is quite the norm for quality Hagi-yaki from the hands of well-known ceramists.



In the late afternoon we hopped on the community shuttle again, stopping by a neighbourhood of upper class Samurai residences known for these iconic Kaimagari alleys, angled specifically for staging ambushes and slowing the enemy's advance towards the castle.



We finished our day with a peaceful sunset at the old residence of the Kuchiba, a prominent Samurai clan whose descendents still occupy a large modern mansion next door. After two busy days of sightseeing I still wished for more time to visit the Aibagawa district, perhaps even a third full day to visit the karstic caves of Akiyoshido, as Hagi simply has too much to offer.



Back at our Ryokan we snatched up more Mikan/Yuzu-flavored drinks and condiments, as well as ready-to-eat Fugu as souvenirs from this remote and slightly exotic corner of Japan. Along with our Machiya-on-a-hill at Kurashiki, historic Hagi ranked among my favorite destinations in West Japan, more so than the immensely popular Hiroshima or Miyajima. And I haven't even started with the incredible seafood, the subject of the next two articles.

Remote Feudal Town of Hagi - Part 1: Birthplace of Modern Japan

Unknowingly we did save the best for last on our 8-day excursion down Japan's rugged San'in Coast.

The seafood capital of Matsue was appetizing as promised, and the unfamiliar Yunotsu and Iwami Ginzan surprised us with 1300-year-old hotsprings in addition to an exotic theatrical spectacle, but as a well-rounded package of photogenic townscapes, fascinating local culture and an abundance of fresh seafood, nothing could beat this distant little gem known as Hagi.



I knew Hagi as a UNESCO World Heritage Site prior to arrival, but nobody told me to expect arguably Japan's best-preserved feudal town on a grand city-wide scale, ten times larger than Takayama's Sanmachi and a hundred times friendlier than Kyoto. For fellow independent travelers wishing to fully immerse into traditional Japanese culture, this is actually my top recommendation in West Japan -- above Miyajima and its world-famous Torii in the sea.



For centuries this isolated corner of Western Honshu has been happily ignored by the rest of Japan, thanks to its notorious inaccessibility that once frustrated ruling Shoguns and still thwarts modern day visitors. The Shinkansen is two train transfers away, and the nearest highway interchange can only be reached via treacherous mountain passes that occasionally get cut off by landslides in Tsuyu season or by heavy snow, even in the 21st century.



Fortunately we were less hurried than the average Japanese traveler, and managed to combine Hagi and nearby Tsuwano, another picturesque feudal town, into a 3-day side-trip before swinging back towards Hiroshima for another 4 days. From Tsuwano we opted for the 90-minute bus ride through winding mountain roads; the alternative would have been 4 hours by train with a transfer at Masuda.



This was late November, a season synonymous with fiery autumn foliage in most of Japan except here in Yamaguchi Prefecture, where all attention is on the seasonal gastronomic speciality of Fugu, the mildly sweet yet deadly poisonous fish with an avid following especially west of Kansai. Our itinerary of Hagi would follow conventional Japanese wisdom: Fugu Sashimi, Mikan juice and shopping for Hagi-yaki earthenware.



Our bus from Tsuwano dropped off at Higashi-Hagi train station where we simply handed our heavy luggage to the tourist info counter. A major benefit of booking with a reputable Ryokan in Hagi was the luggage forwarding service to our inn, leaving our shoulders light and hands free for sightseeing.



We started our day at a humble yet iconic house now protected as UNESCO World Heritage. As modest and inconspicuous as Shoka Sonjuku Academy may appear, this was the indisputable epicentre of revolutionist movements that gave birth to modern Japan, 160 years ago in the twilight years of the Tokugawa Shoguns.



Under a leaky thatched roof the academy nurtured some of the brightest revolutionaries of the era including one Ito Hirobumi, who went on to become Japan's first ever Prime Minister in its modern era. Shoin Sensei never lived to witness the fruits of his own teaching however as he was beheaded by the Shogun before the age of 30.



Nearby stands Ito Hirobumi's former residence, still partially fitted with a thatched roof in 1850s fashion and graced with the former prime minister's family photos. The little village road would continue east past a number of historic pottery kilns en route to one of Hagi's most photogenic sights.



Situated at the town's eastern edge and thus undeservedly ignored by most visitors, the 300-year-old temple of Tokoji is best known for one of the most gorgeous cemeteries anywhere, the hallowed resting place of the Mori lords who founded Hagi as a feudal stronghold in the early 1600s.



Adorning the burial grounds are 500 stone lanterns erected individually by the Samurai and bureaucrats serving the Mori clan, once the most feared military presence in West Japan before being demoted by the Shogun to govern little Hagi and Yamaguchi. The Mori laid low for centuries, secretly holding their grudge against the Shoguns until time was ripe for a revolution ...



It was the Mori who spearheaded the revolt against the Shogun and smuggled Ito Hirobumi and four of his contemporaries out of feudal Japan to attend university in London, producing some of the greatest statesmen of the coming Meiji Era. Four years after Ito's return from London, the Shogun was forced to abdicate and Japan was on its way to become the only industrialized nation in the Far East within a couple decades.



From Tokoji we took to Hagi's historic town centre by the cheap (100 yen!) and trusty community shuttle known as Maru Bus, the town's only public transport with two routes that essentially cover all major sights. Thanks to an excellent tip from a local resident we found an impossibly cheap lunch spot for poisonous Fugu and Abalone Sushi, which will be reviewed in an upcoming post.



Hagi is one of the only Japanese cities where one can still navigate by 200-year-old maps from the Shogun's era, as its medieval townplan has remained largely untouched for centuries. These traditional Machiya houses with slatted windows and whitewashed walls, now extinct in most Japanese cities, are still quite common.



North of town centre stands arguably the most underrated attraction in an underrated city, a 400-year-old feudal neighborhood that has somehow survived into the 21st century. Once a bustling harbour district under the Mori lords, Hamasaki was a maritime crossroad for merchant fleets swapping smuggled medicine from Qing Dynasty China for dried seafood from Hokkaido and beyond.



We met the first of several exceptionally friendly curators at the former residence of Umeya Shichibei, a Sake-maker-turned-revolutionary-hero vital in smuggling a thousand British firearms that secured victory against the Shogun's armies. His 200-year-old house has now been partially modernized as a model for the protection and renewal of heritage residences in Hagi.



This charming waterfront district is just one of four neighborhoods in Hagi nationally designated as Important Traditional Architecture. The only other cities with the same level of distinction? Kyoto of course, plus beautiful Kanazawa.



Further down the street we were greeted at the Yamanaka Residence by another cheery curator, who subsequently introduced us to two more elderly curators eager to present their cultural heritage to two awestruck Canadians, despite mutual difficulties in communication.



The friendliness of the staff went miles beyond what one would expect at tourist-crazy Kyoto or worst still, metropolitan Tokyo. Our curator simply asked a friend to cover his post, lent us a 2-person umbrella and took us around the neighborhood as our personal guide for free. The first stop was a large stone structure with a locked gate which he had the keys to open.



Revealed before our eyes was a medieval dry dock, capacious enough for the Daimyo's seafaring ships, now situated three blocks from shore as the river delta became silted over the centuries. It was a shame to see these heritage buildings locked up most of the time, rarely visited even among domestic Japanese tourists.



Our curator then brought us to another locked building, a discreet 19th century warehouse holding some colossal lanterns and an obviously antique Mikoshi shrine, ornamented with sparkling gold leaves and fashioned in the form of a fishing boat with wheels. Apparently this was the sacred centerpiece of the parade at their annual Natsu Matsuri festival.



We must have spent nearly two hours in the neighborhood before bidding farewell to our gracious curators, certainly the friendliest we encountered on our 16-day journey. In better weather we could have taken the free ferry that bridged Hamasaki with the residential neighborhood of Tsurue across the river, but on this drizzly day we opted for the next Maru Bus to our hotspring Ryokan.



As expected our luggage was already waiting for us at the Ryokan ... along with the allure of a hotspring bath. Needless to say we lost the willpower to set foot outside our Ryokan for the rest of the day, spent mostly between the communal bathhouse and the dining hall where a traditional dinner of (what else?) poisonous Fugu was served. Most of the sightseeing would be left for Day 2.

Tsuwano - Apartment Rental, Sushi-ya and Japanese Pizza

This article is for fellow travelers searching for good deals on an overnight stay, as well as restaurant recommendations for the charming but slightly touristy destination of Tsuwano.

As photogenic as historic Tsuwano may appear to would-be visitors, the small town of merely 7500 residents can also get easily overwhelmed by day-tripping armies of domestic (mostly from Hiroshima) and American (mostly from the military base at Iwakuni) tourists, resulting in a) a shortage of cheap accommodations and b) a shortage of authentic restaurants catering to locals rather than visitors. We managed to find both with help from the local residents, and here are our honest recommendations.


RENTAL APARTMENT IN TSUWANO


This was the largest apartment we had rented anywhere in Japan. Period. You may be familiar with the typical 6- or 8-jo (Tatami) rooms for two people, but how often do you come across a 22-jo room?

Probably for the first time ever, our Tatami was so wide that we didn't need to stash the bedding into the usual cabinet to make way for a sitting area. We're talking an entire apartment with a Tatami space that comfortably sleeps four, a separate room that could sleep another two or three, living room, dining room, kitchen, Genkan for wet clothing and luggage, laundry area, toilet and bath, all within a 2-minute walk from the train station for an unbeatable price. Too good to be true?



You knew there would be a catch -- a deal this good would only be bookable from a Japanese booking site. But the hassle was definitely worthwhile as we enjoyed this incredible spaciousness at a price cheaper than many business hotels. Behind the dining table and vanity dresser was a well-equipped kitchen with all the Japanese family essentials, including an entire wall of cabinets stocked with seasonings, a rice cooker and a broiler for grilling fish.



To anyone familiar with standard apartment sizes in Tokyo or Osaka, this was a ginormous cavern occupying the entire upper floor of a cafe/souvenir store operated by the same owner. WiFi was probably too much to expect, but I was able to watch local (i.e. San'in Region) TV channels affiliated with the usual Fuji or Asahi. Did I mention that it came with a balcony where I watched Tsuwano's famous steam locomotive pull into the train station?



And we're not done yet. Sandwiched between the living room and the bathroom was another semi-enclosed section of floor space, including this very traditional 10-jo Tatami with sliding panel doors and wooden latticed windows, an area for hang-drying clothes, and the independent traveler's best friend, an old but functional washing machine. There was even an old piano, though I suspect that it wasn't recently tuned.



The dated bathtub and toilet was just something to be tolerated, though there is a hotspring bathhouse within a 5-minute drive for anyone with a rental car. That said, we would gladly take this 100 m2 apartment over a cramped business hotel of comparable pricing (less than 8000 yen!), especially for its unbeatable location in a tourist town. If you're interested, go to Jalan.net and look up Takasegawa in Tsuwano ... while this impossible deal lasts.


Food Review: YAMAMOTO FUMIDO (Tsuwano)
Address: Ushiroda ロ-479-1, Tsuwano-cho, Kanoashi-gen, Shimane Prefecture
Hours: 09:00 to 19:00. Closed on Tuesdays.
Map: from Google Maps
Directions: From the train station, walk south along the road parallel to the train tracks for 250m. Yamamoto Fumido is on the right side, though you may smell the freshly made crepe before you recognize the shop.


Our favorite gourmet discovery in Tsuwano wasn't a proper restaurant, but a delectable little snack that has endured the test of time, 300 years to be exact.

We're of course referring to Tsuwano's time-honoured confection, a Wagashi of rolled Japanese crepe known as Genji Maki. Among the half-dozen shops in town specializing in this centuries-old fusion between Portuguese sponge cake and Japanese Azuki beans, we picked one where the master confectioner was handcrafting the dessert in front of our eyes.



First, a perfectly rectangular layer of Castella batter had to be poured onto a sizzling hotplate to form the wrapping.



While the surface of the batter was being seared and browned, a filling of sweetened Azuki beans were gently kneaded on top of the batter.



The final step was one that took serious skills -- flipping the batter and rolling into a tubular form, with little more than a pre-measured wooden block.



Look at the flaky crust on the perfectly browned Castella-like wrapping, paired with a smooth filling of sweet Azuki jam! But here's the best part -- this was warm and steaming in our hands amidst the cold mountain air in November! If you ever pass by one of Tsuwano's many confectioneries and catch one of the artisans making a fresh batch, do your tastebuds a favor and spend the 260 yen (CAD$3) for a piece of heaven.

Bill for Two Persons

Genji Maki

260 yen (CAD$3)

The Genji Maki was just the timely snack that allowed us settle into our apartment, after which we went for an unconventional lunch that may surprise many readers.

Food Review: PINOROSSO (Tsuwano)
Address: Ushiroda ロ-284, Tsuwano-cho, Kanoashi-gen, Shimane Prefecture
Hours: Open for Lunch, Afternoon Tea and Dinner. Closed on Thursdays.
Map: from Google Maps
Directions: From the train station, walk straight out of the station, cross the street and walk along Route 226 away from the train tracks. Walk for one block then cross the road and turn south. You'll see Pinorosso's red signage on the left side of the street.


This easy-to-miss restaurant -- and its prior incarnation -- has been a fixture in Tsuwano for a quarter century. It's not a Japanese restaurant per se but a Japanese-Italian osteria hidden in the mountains of West Japan. Pinorosso is Italian for the Japanese surname of Akamatsu or Red Pine, namesake of the owner and chef.

Frequent readers know that my choice for restaurants are usually deliberate and local -- Okayama-style Tonkatsu at Okayama or Flying Fish Ramen at the seafood capital of Matsue would better fit the norm. So why did I pick an Italian fusion restaurant in the middle of rural Japan?



Because this is where the Japanese themselves do lunch. This place is authentic not because it serves Japanese food, but because it primarily serves the Japanese locals with good food. While day-tripping tourists scatter amongst generic Japanese restaurants serving Tsuwano inventions such as Uzume-meshi, the locals themselves crowd this osteria to the point that it won't even take reservations on weekends. My wife was surprised too at the choice, though she became an instant convert at the first bite of the crusty yet pillowy-soft bread. She did spent 23 days in Italy last year so she should know what authentic Italian bread tastes like.



Part of Pinorosso's lunchtime popularity had to do with the price-quality-ratio of its set lunches, offering choices among 3 pastas for 1200 yen (CAD$14) or pizzas for 1400, all including salad, dessert and an authentic Italian espresso. The unmistakable aroma of Gorgonzola already filled the room before my Quattro Formaggi arrived with perfectly crisp edges from the brick oven. This was legit Italian fare.



While the choice of pizze tended to be classics such as Margherita or Napoletane, the pasta sauces took on distinct Japanese-influences such the pictured Koebi-no-Cream with local shrimps or Bolognese with Satoimo (Japanese Taro). As a fusion dish this wasn't quite as spectacular as the Beef Tongue Stew in French Demi-glace my wife had at Onomichi's Aoyagi, but her skepticism towards Yoshoku-ya (i.e. Western restaurants in Japan) became largely dispelled by the end of our trip.

Bill for Two Persons

Pizza Lunch	1400 yen
Pasta Lunch	1200 yen
Tax	208 yen
TOTAL	2808 yen (CAD$33)

Dinner options were desperately few in a tourist town where most visitors either come for day-trips or stay in traditional Ryokans where dinner and breakfast were already included. As usual we sought recommendations from the locals and ended up at one of the town's two Sushi-ya.

Food Review: AOKI-ZUSHI (Tsuwano)
Address: Ushiroda イ−78−10, Tsuwano-cho, Kanoashi-gen, Shimane Prefecture
Hours: Open for Lunch and Dinner. Closed on Tuesdays.
Map: from Google Maps
Directions: From the train station, just walk south along the road parallel to the train tracks for 200m. Aoki is on the right side.


If you're questioning the wisdom of having sushi at an inland town 40km from the coast, honestly that was my fear as well ... until we spotted a live fish tank at the entrance! Immediately catching our eyes were the unique zebra stripes on the swimming Ishidai, a fish with incredible survival will even after its head had been chopped off ... but that's another story.



Everyone in town, including our apartment landlord, had known this Sushi-ya as a Tsuwano institution for four decades, as evidenced by an entire wall of congratulatory messages and signatures from visiting celebrities over the years. Besides the typical assortment of Sushi Neta, Aoki also served up rustic local specialties such as Imo-ni (boiled taro) and Konnyaku Jelly Sashimi.



My favorite way to appreciate a Sushi-ya, if I could afford it, was to order its top-of-the-line Omakase, which happened to be advertised on the blackboard tonight at a discounted 1700 yen (CAD$20). Note that beautiful white marbling on the Hiramasa on the right -- this was quality Neta at near conveyer-belt-sushi prices.



Nobody should expect fish market freshness here at landlocked Tsuwano, but the quality of Neta was surprisingly comparable to any coastal town. The Omakase came with an assortment of ten local catches from the Sea of Japan such as Buri and Akagai, instead of the usual Pacific Ocean Chutoro or Katsuo ubiquitous among Sushi-ya in Tokyo or Osaka.



We also ordered the house special Tsuwano Teishoku, a cornucopia of local farmhouse recipes including Konnyaku Jelly Sashimi, Wasabi Leaves, Chawanmushi with Gingko Seeds, and Tsuwano's signature Imo-ni, taro roots simmered in a flavorsome broth of grilled sea bream and Yuzu citrus rinds.



Sometime during dinner I asked our Taisho about a heaping platter of deep-fried fish sitting on top of his counter, which he referred to as "Bokko." I had no idea what Bokko was, and there was only one way to find out.



Refried for a second time and served with a spicy Ponzu for dipping, the Bokko Karaage turned out to be an excellent Izakaya-style dish designed to be washed down with a glass of local Jizake wine, which went especially well with the thunderously crunchy fins and bones. The bargain price of 400 yen (CAD$4.7) was exemplary of the overall price-quality-ratio at this humble Sushi-ya in Tsuwano, a rare find in a notoriously touristy town.

Bill for Two Persons

Tsuwano Teishoku	1640 yen
Omakase Sushi	1700 yen
Bokko Karaage	400 yen
Umeshu (Glass)	540 yen
Jizake (Glass)	450 yen
TOTAL	4730 yen (CAD$55.6)