The core of Kobe : Shin-Nagata Area

Today, I visited Shin-Nagata Station Area in Kobe City. It is truely unpretentious town. My priority location is Marugo Market, but unfortunately it is closed on Turesday....!! I didn't know that. So this blog may be like a trailer for the next trip.
Shin-Nagata has an unique history, it is adhered to Margo Market, so I will describe it next time. I'm telling simply this area was destroyed two times with air-raid in WW2 and Great Hanshin Earthquake. The locals helped each other and recontructed their home town every time.

This is a Tetsujin 28-go, as known as Gigantor, it is a monumet of revive after the earthquake disaster.
Honestly I felt very strange when it had been completed at that time, but I think it matches this town now. Maybe it would be not enough if it had been the Phenix by Osamu Tedzuka or Godzilla. Iron, robust and humor are suitable for Shin-Nagata.

There are many arcades around Shin-Nagata, they are neat in some places, rustic in other places. People are lively and the air smell nice  everywhere. I got very hungry! Shin-Nagata is known as old style Okonomiyaki and various local foods. I took Okonomiyaki and Soba-meshi for lunch. Yum-yum.

I found a Vietnumiese diner. It seems to have a commercial spirit : ) There are tons of Vietnumise restaurants in Sannomiya Area, but it is rare on this area.  BTW I remember I troubled there were no diners in the ruin of Sannomiya right after the earthquake, I found Spanish and Vietnamiese restaurants barely. I was grateful to them. They have guts!

Old Post Station Towns on Inaba Kaido Rute extra: Itaibara Hamlet, Tottori

I got interested in a spot on the guide board in Chizu. I didn't have any information about it, but I felt something by instinct. The weather was getting worse, but I dared to go there.

Itaibara Hamlet is very small and isolated in the mountains. Acording to local legend, they are relative with Heike Ochūdo, which was ancient samurai Taira Family ruined by Minamoto Clans. That prosess was told in famous "the Tale of the Heike(Heike Monogatari)".

After driving through path, I had to walk for a while in a drizzle. There were dotted snow on the ground, I was feeling uneasiness on the way.

It is said, there are 100 families living there, but it seemed few people living there. I saw workers cleaned another recently vacant house. Perhaps aged family had gone there.

This is a former sericurature house, is a cafe for tourists now. this building is a typical early Showa stile. It looks like a film set. There are dotted snow on the ground as you see.

This hamlet is just starting to repair and preservation in this seral years. It is known as good site as autumn tint.

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Old Post Station Towns on Inaba Kaido Rute #3 Chizu-shuku, Tottori

I didn't have plans to visit Chizu-shuku where it is heavy snowfall area, but I changed my mind since the locals of Fukuhara told me there was no trouble on the road to Tottori Region yet.
Actually the road was Okey, but it was drizzling and dim when I reached there.

Every house hang "sugidama" which is balls made with ceder needles. They are usually sign of new brew on sale at sake breweries, but those buidings were definitely residental houses. Actually Chizu Town is a forestry town of ceder wood, there is a rare shrine "Sugi Jinja" which is deity of ceder spirits. Perhaps these ceder balls are talisman or blessing like "Simenawa" in the other areas.

Chizu is a small town but there are many old mansions. Roof tiles are typically red in San'in Region. They are called "Sekishu Gawara".

It is a museum, former mansion of Ishitani Family which was a rich merchant. Think why it has black roof tiles differently from other houses.
Unfortunately I didn't enter there because it demand toll. Maybe I'll visit again next time.

Old Post Station Towns on Inaba Kaido Rute #2 Ōhara, Mimasaka City, Okayama

I left Sayo-cho, Hyogo Prefecture, to Ōhara, Mimasaka City, Okayama Prefecture. These area is on border of 3 prefectures, Hyogo, Okayama and Tottori. Each town has ecconomical relation with bigger city in the same prefecture, like Tuyama City, Tottori City or Himeji City. However, they have culutural influence each other.
Ōhara  and Hirafuku are known as places remembered in connection with famous samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi who is a master of dual wield. I didn't take photos but there are many historical spots all over this area. Mussashi or samurai arts fans may like to visit those sites. As for me, the priority is seeing old post station towns and new location hunting in limited time.

Former route of Ianaba Kaido is hidden with modern buidings from the highway. It was harder to find a bit. Meanwhile, old street is well maintained, there is no electorical wire. It is very good. Strangely I never saw any tourists there differently from other towns I visited this day. I felt uncofrtable like missing something.

It started drizzling. I quickly leave to next location, Chizu......

Old Post Station Towns on Inaba Kaido Rute #2 Hirafuku-shuku Sayo-cho, Hyogo

Hirafuku-shuku is the first location I visited after lunch in Sayo. This area is very close to Chugoku Mountains but it is rarely snowy in winter, so I was droving in carefree.

Unlike other post station towns, it is clearly different outlooking from the highway, so tourists never miss to catch it.
There were tons of post station towns all over Japan once, but the most have no trace of the old days. only stone monuments barely remain. Regarding Hirafuku-shuku, it is good condition.

HIrafuku is small village, but there are many feature to see. These are stonehouses with super-thick mud wall which called "dozo", samurai dramas are often taken at this riverside.

That dozo is used as soba noodle restaurant. The locals eager to preserve old street view. Modern houses are very rare there. 

Another feature is this ruin of the castle. It is located on the top of the mountain. It is high place and close to the town, so very conspicuous when people visit Hirafuku. It is no tresspassing to preserve and repair. 

There are many other feature in this small village, unfortunately I didin't prepare and have enough time, so I'll visit there agin soon.

Old Post Station Towns on Inaba Kaido Rute #1 Sayo-cho, Hyogo

First of all, Google + will shut down in April 2019, So I move my SNS activity to Blogger here. It is maybe hard to read Japanese for most of my readers, so I do apologize to Japanese readers for my English contentes here. I have some accounts at other SNS, I'll paste the link of this blog.

Now for the main topics, I visited post towns called "shukuba-machi" on former Ianaba Kaido Rute. They are on the prefectural border area, Hyogo, Okayama and Tottori. As always, I avoided toll roads   as possible, because I love to pass through small towns and villages.

At the first location Sayo, I took local specialty Horumonyaki-udon for lanch.

 Horumonyaki-udon is flied beaf offal with udon noodle and vegitables. They are served as optional order  as simiar system as okonomiyaki, I chose heart and cheek meats since I don't like chewy intestine and tripe so much. 

Yum yum! Tender udon noodle match very well with meats and vegetables. I think I could eat unlimited. I usually get tired of eating yakiniku ( Japanese style grilled beaf) so soon, but it was very good. I can say, meats are main focus of horumonyaki-udon, which is not a sort of noodle dishes, but udon noodle is a must for a good foil.