Trip to Matsue

During the final leg of our trip we headed to Matsue, a quaint seaside town in Shimane prefecture about 25 minutes from Yonago by train. The big attraction in Matsue is the imposing castle in the center of town. Built in the early 1600s, the castle is high on a hill, surrounded by a wide moat, and continually circled by large kites nesting nearby. We also visited a nearby samurai house that's been preserved as it was and walked by Lafcadio Hearn's house and museum. After lunch we headed to Owl Pottery studio to visit with Pete's friend Hara-san and his cat Tao. Next stop was our hotel and a relaxing onsen bath. On our last day we spent the afternoon at Kashmir Darbar, the Indian restaurant where Pete spent many hours in Yonago with great friends back in his JET days. We had a fantastic meal and a great visit with Hiroko-san, Tim, and Zack. Great trip!