Tottori Yokai Travelogue: Izumo Part 1 (The Pine Monster of Tsukiji)

To spread knowledge about yokai
I made full use of the perks of being a freelancer. A reporting trip to Shimane and Tottori!
Shimane is home to Izumo Taisha Shrine, where Japan's eight million gods gather.
Tottori is the hometown of Shigeru Mizuki, the creator of Gegege.
Sakaiminato City is a town where the entire town is dyed in the colors of yokai.
My travel companion is Shintaro Nakamura, a writer (blog:Dove)Mr. Miss
He had little interest in monsters.
While he was helping me practice my Yokai business presentation,
Before I knew it, I had gotten myself involved. (Sorry, Jizo.)
I will report on their unusual journey in several parts!
So let's start with the first sunrise at Izumo Taisha Shrine!
 

Monster Bus Driver

It starts with the sudden arrival (lol) Kasai ⇛ Haneda Airport
Riding the bus
I'll skip that part because there was very little to it.
So... I arrived at Izumo Airport.
I got on a direct bus to Izumo Taisha Shrine,
What!!! I suddenly encountered a monster!
This is a good start.
The monster is the driver of this bus.
This driver was no ordinary guy.
As soon as we departed, I was told about the terrain and current situation of Izumo like a bus guide.
He talks and talks with a unique intonation (lol)
On the way from the airport to Izumo Taisha Shrine,
There are pine trees planted that have been pruned into strange shapes, like this.

Before you even start to wonder, "What is this?"
The bus driver said, "This is called Tsukiji Pine Tree..."
He began to talk about how the pine trees are being eaten by pine-eating insects and are dying every year.
Nowadays, people don't plant trees anymore because their houses are so sturdy.
He explained a lot of things to me. Aside from his unique intonation,
The explanations were clear and engaging.
I felt like I had suddenly encountered a monster with the full power of Shimane.
By the way, the pines in Tsukiji are a windbreak.
From Izumo Airport to Taisha Shrine
The area is a plain and the wind from the sea
It's very strong.
Behind Tsukiji Pine, the framework is exposed
The branches are like this.
So, in a drunk state
If I saw this in the middle of the night, I would probably mistake it for a skeletal monster.
 

More visitors than the population of Shimane

As we walked, we arrived at the entrance to the shrine.
We talked about Shimane's population and tourists, and what surprised me was
According to the bus driver, Shimane has a population of 700,000,
It is said that the shrine receives just under 3.5 million visitors per year (as of 2012).
Of these, about 750,000 people visit in a month.
This year (2014) the number is said to be over 800,000. That's amazing...
They are handling more visitors than the population...
That bus driver is starting to look like a monster.That's right.
 

First, the food

Arriving in front of the shrine,
When I got off the bus, it was already lunchtime.
Izumo soba is the best here!
That's what happened.
I strolled down to the town and said,Enishi"
I went in. It's called Wariko Soba, and it's a little bit smaller than Wankosoba.
It is served in three tiers in a large bowl, with grated maple leaves and seaweed.
I slurp it up. It's so delicious.
I think they also pull buckwheat husks together.
The greyish noodles have a good amount of flavor and are firm.
It's slightly thick and filling.
The two men were eating it and groaning, saying how delicious it was.
So, please take a look at the delicious looking images (images only)

So, with our stomachs full and full of energy, we finally headed to visit Izumo Taisha Shrine.
To be continued in Izumo Part 2.
(Currently, one post per day would be too long and disorganized, so I am considering how to structure it. The sequel will be posted later.)