I returned from my backpacking trip to find that Steve had confirmed with Mom and Dad about caring for Dale and Amy in our absence and booked us both on a flight to Japan in October. It is a good time to be flying Northwest since they are offering double the frequent flyer mileage during this period. Steve is an invited speaker at the First International Conference on Practical Surface Analysis in Matsue, Japan. Since he will be in Japan anyway, he will also be a U.S. delegate for the International Standards Organization (ISO) Technical Committee on Surface Chemical Analysis (TC-201). In preparation for the trip I went to the library to check out books by Lafcadio Hearn, an author who moved to Japan from the U.S. and lived in Matsue. The book that sounded the best, Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan, was in at the SCS library. I called Skip and Joleen and asked if they could check it out for me before roller hockey on Saturday. They checked out both volumes and I packed them for the trip.

I leave behind Blue Ribbon Applications, middle school web pages, school projects, a dirty house, and my children. I had an unusually tough and teary-eyed time leaving Dale and Amy this morning. Our plane took off on time at 3:20 pm. I’ve had a good meal and two glasses of wine and I am starting to relax. Steve and I both watched the movie Primary Colors and then napped.

Somewhere along the way we crossed the international dateline and it is now Tuesday. The first chapter of Glimpses quotes a kind English professor Lafcadio met soon after arriving in Japan:

I hope to follow this advice. I read on the flight, napped a little, and ate a lot. They were constantly bringing drinks and snacks. We had breakfast served just before landing in Tokyo at dinner time. We landed early at 5:10 pm Tokyo time, thirteen hours ahead of Detroit, after a twelve and a half hour flight. It was easy to get through the airport, immigration and customs, and we didn’t even have a personal escort like Yo Yo Ma who was waiting in the same lines as we were. Our luggage was waiting on the carousel for us. We changed money (115 yen (¥) = $1), then hopped onto a limo bus to our hotel, the Tokyu Inn. We did not see much of Tokyo. It has been rainy and overcast and the bus ride was in the dark. It took about an hour to get there. We had a lovely room, but small. There are twin beds, a TV, robes and slippers. At 8:00 pm here it is 7:00 am at home. We are exhausted, relax in the room awhile, then go to bed about 10:00 pm. The beds are comfortable with big fluffy comforters.

I slept well until about 5:00 am and then that was enough. I was awake. Steve was too. We got up, took showers, then walked around the grounds of the hotel. It was warm and overcast. We had a buffet breakfast for 1700 ¥ which had bacon and eggs as well as fish, pickles, cellophane noodles, crabcakes and, of course, rice. Several things were surprisingly sweet, but nothing I couldn’t eat. They also had French fries and mixed vegetables. There was silverware and chopsticks. We were back to our room by 8:00 am. It is weird to think that the kids will be going to bed soon. We read, watched TV (the beginning of a Go match, incredibly boring, unbelievable how long a move can take), and packed up again. We checked out and caught a bus to the Haneda airport. Tokyo was very foggy, so once again we saw very little. We read some more, then boarded our JAS flight and headed for Izumo, the Land of the Ancient Gods. The conference chairman, Kazuhiro Yoshihara, was on our flight and greeted Steve on the plane. An hour later we are there. In the airport we ran into more people Steve knows heading to Matsue, including Peter Coxon who remembers me from France. The bus is full, so we take a cab to Matsue. We go past rice fields, many statues of Buddha, houses with beautiful tile roofs, and Lake Shinji. Driving is on the left. Although it is definitely a land foreign to me, there is much that is the same as home. We go past car dealerships, gas stations, and appliance stores. We arrive at our hotel, the Matsue Tokyu Inn, and Steve runs into Joe Geller and Ken Bomben. Check in and go to our very very tiny room. I had intended to unpack here, but there is nowhere to unpack to. There’s no dresser, no storage under the bed, and barely any closet space. The bathroom is very small but does contain a toilet with a bidet. We went for a walk, first across the street to the train station, and then across the bridge by the convention center, Kunibiki Messe. At six we went to a banquet for ISO TC-201 and TC-202 held on the second floor of our hotel. The food was wonderful. We ate while standing up and using chopsticks. I was afraid I would be wearing my food, but I ended up doing okay, even with the soba, a local dish of buckwheat noodles. If you were shy about helping yourself to food, one of the women in kimonos would fix a plate and hand it to you. We tried both Japanese beer and wine. I saw a few more people I had met in France. Steve introduced me to Cedric Powell’s wife, Marie, and she introduced me to Martin Seah’s wife, Anne, and Siegfried Hofmann’s wife, Uta. They invited me to join them tomorrow. I visited with Marie a bit more when the U.S. Delegation for TC-201 met later in the hotel restaurant for drinks and discussion. She was a middle school principal and has recently retired, allowing her to travel with Cedric. They have already spent some time in Kyoto. Marie and I were both tired, so we excused ourselves and headed to our rooms, both on the ninth floor. Steve came upstairs shortly after me.

I was awake by six am, showered, and turned on the TV to watch the weather. It was cloudy. Looks like more hot weather (25-27°C) and rain for the next three days. Oh well! There is a typhoon headed this way also. Steve and I went down to the breakfast buffet for fish and eggs, pickles and fruit. Ken Bomben joined us. Then I met the other wives for a days excursion. In addition to Marie, Anne, and Uta, there was Steve Harris’ wife, Vivian, Bob Wild’s wife, Gillian, Hans Jörg Mathieu’s wife, Lea, and K. Kajiwara’s wife, Meiko. Marie lives near Washington, DC. Anne, Vivian, and Gillian are all from the UK. Uta is from Germany but has been living in Japan for a couple years and speaks some Japanese. Meiko is Japanese. Lea is from Switzerland and starts off the morning making fun of the way the British dress. She makes us laugh all week. Meiko and Lea head off to exchange some money. The rest of us go to the tourist bureau at the train station. Even though the women working there speak some English, Uta does most of the conversing. We get on a bus and about 45 minutes and 680¥ later we are at the Kumano Taisha Shrine on the very day the Festival of Fire takes place. The ceremony is going on with a lot of spectators and even a television news crew filming. This is a glimpse of Lafcadio Hearn’s Japan of a hundred years ago. There was much parading from one building to the next by men in mostly white robes and black-lacquered wooden sandals that were removed before entering a building. It was raining and umbrellas were held over their heads. Inside the shrine were men playing instruments. There were lots of people both inside and outside the shrine watching. We were lucky to be there on a day of such festivities. Uta then arranged for two cabs to come and take us to Fudoki-No-Oka, an area of archeological and cultural importance. I went with Marie and Uta in the first cab (2320¥). We checked out the bus schedule back while we waited for the others. The second cab arrived shortly after with Gillian, Vivian, and Lea. She and Meiko got to the shrine before the second cab left. Meiko wanted to spend more time at the shrine but Lea joined us. We toured the museum (500¥) which housed artifacts found in the area. Then we went up on the roof of the museum to view the Okadayana Tumuli (ancient burial mounds) and surrounding area and later walked around the grounds. A full-scale replica of an ancient Japanese dwelling is on display. When most headed back to the hotel I joined Vivian and Gillian in walking to the Rokusho Shinto Shrine. First we looked for a restaurant in the little town. Finding none we went to a small store and bought bananas, corn crisps, cookies, juice, and chocolate for a picnic lunch. We walked out a very narrow road past rice fields and houses to the shrine. It was to have been the site of another festival, but the festivities were no longer going on. The shrine was a lovely, peaceful place right next door to a steel works. We sat on the steps to enjoy our picnic. A car pulled up and the driver helped out an elderly man dressed in robes. We were concerned that we were in the way and not being respectful enough. The man was very friendly, indicated we should stay where we were, and made his way past us. I am reminded of Hearn’s writings about the "seeming joyousness of popular faith." He noted that it is never solemn, but "the bright temple courts and even the temple steps are thronged with laughing children, playing curious games…" So I guess we are not so out of line in our enjoyment of this sacred, but not solemn, place. Across the street and a bridge over the river is yet the site of more ancient tumuli. We followed the paths around, but were at a great disadvantage because we could not read the Japanese Kanji on the signs. We cannot be sure just what it was we saw. We walked back to the bus stop and had a very short wait for a bus. Twenty minutes and 300¥ later we were back at Matsue Station, just as though we knew what we were doing. I had just a little time to read, write, and relax in the room before Steve returned early from his ISO meeting. He made dinner plans with several other U.S. delegates from the meeting. We met in our lobby and walked across the street to a restaurant in the train station. We had two tables of four. Steve and I were with Bill Stickel and Akihiro Tanaka. The Powells, Ken Bomben, and Joe Geller were at the other table. Our table decided to let Tanaka order for us and enjoyed a wonderful eight course meal. Well, they were all wonderful except for one – the pickled seaweed. It tasted okay but had such an unsavory, slimy texture that I was unable to eat it. I did enjoy the sashimi (thinly sliced raw fish), tofu, custard soup with shrimp fish and gingko nuts, cooked fish, and rice with fish and sesame paste. Several were served with a very strong horseradish and one with a ground radish and pepper sauce that was also very strong. Tanaka was interesting when explaining about the Matsue area. Another interesting conversation came about when Tanaka asked what we meant by a good price. We explained that it meant cheap. He said it means the opposite in Japan. A good price is one that is very high and good for the seller not the consumer. After dinner we were very tired and pretty much just went to bed.

Steve and I were both awake about 4:30 am. I crawled into his bed with him for awhile, but we were still up early. The beds are very comfortable with plush down comforters. The pillows here are not down, but partially filled with buckwheat hulls. I like them. We watched TV to catch the weather – still cloudy with rain likely. There is a typhoon due to hit here on Sunday. We are not sure exactly what that means. We went downstairs for the breakfast buffet again. Yesterday I saw a snail crossing the road. This morning I ate it. After breakfast we called home. It was Thursday evening there, and only Dad was home. Dolores had been in Algonac and was returning and the kids were out with Mary Alice somewhere. Dad said that all was going well. I met the other spouses in the lobby at nine again. Mieko brought us all gifts her mother painted. Mine was a picture of red bamboo, signifying happiness, and difficult Japanese words that also mean happiness. It is very beautiful. Unfortunately I could not go with the others to see papermaking. Steve is going to take this afternoon off and there was not a bus to get me back in time to meet him. I walked down to SATY, a three story department store. It was interesting walking around looking at everything. I discovered they sell virtually no T-shirts, even though the weather is still hot here. All the sweatshirts I saw were from American universities or American sports teams. A gift for Dale is going to be difficult, but I see lots of things Amy would like. Then it was time to go back to meet Steve. The room was being cleaned so I grabbed my book and read in the lobby until Steve came. By then it was raining very hard. Steve changed clothes and we grabbed jackets and umbrellas and headed out. We bought a one-day pass for the Lake Line City Bus that makes a circle of interesting spots in Matsue. We headed to Matsue Castle. You bag your umbrella and take off your shoes to tour. The castle is a wooden structure that is very dark and austere, originally built as a practical fortress. The stairs, made of a light wood, were very narrow and steep, polished by centuries of stockinged feet, and could be pulled up behind you. There were secret areas from which you could drop rocks on your enemies. From the top of the castle you had a great view of the city. From the castle we walked to the Lafcadio Hearn Museum and Residence. I have been enjoying reading Lafcadio Hearn’s Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan and seeing his home, gardens, and memorabilia was a real treat. Once again we were required to remove our shoes, but this time it was to walk upon the traditional straw mats, thickly padded and comfortable. Though right in the middle of town, this area is very peaceful and quiet. We moved just down the street to Buke Yashiki, the residence of a samurai built in the Edo period. We could leave our shoes on because all of the viewing is from the outside of the building. It contained many items from everyday use that were not only functional but also beautiful. Once again I fell in love with the garden surrounding the house. I was convinced I should go home and dig up all our grass and replace it with gravel, until I saw how much time people were spending removing all the falling leaves and raking the stones. I think mowing grass is probably easier. But I do want to get some large boulders for the yard and add more moss. We got back on the bus and went over to the area of the hot springs on the lakeshore. We did some shopping in a crafts center, purchasing shijimi shellfish and soba noodles. We walked through the lobby of the Ichibata Hotel and enjoyed the view of the lake and the lovely grounds. We then hopped back on a bus to finish the loop back to Matsue Station. Heading back to the Tokyu Inn it hit us that we never ate lunch and are now quite hungry. We went to a different restaurant at the station. Most restaurants have plastic food outside depicting what is offered. We order by taking the waitress outside and pointing. Dinner tonight was tempura with shrimp, sweet potatoes, eggplant, and green pepper, rice with warm soy sauce, mizo soup with shijimi, soba, very gingery pickles, and some seaweed looking stuff. All of it was very tasty. Back in the room Steve worked on his talk. I wrote and read. Both of us fell asleep early.

This morning we slept in until 6:30 am, so we both got a lot of sleep last night. Skipped the big breakfast buffet and ate granola bars we brought from home. Did a little laundry in the room. Steve’s session today was scheduled from 10:30 am – 6:00 pm and he didn’t expect to get out early. I met with the other spouses in the lobby at 9:00 am again. Meiko has planned to go to a shrine, tea house, and then out to a Japanese lunch using the Lake Line bus we were on yesterday. I talked Vivian into going to the Adachi Museum with me since we will both be gone on Wednesday for the trip scheduled to go there. We went to the tourist bureau and found that our bus didn’t leave until 11:09 am, so we went into the Ichibata department store and wandered around for awhile. There is a lovely grocery store in the basement. We walked around all the other floors too, just enjoying looking at everything. A few minutes before our bus was scheduled we went to the designated stop. As each bus pulled up we pointed to the brochure and asked Adachi Museum? The third bus driver said yes and we hopped on. The buses run right on schedule. I have thought they were running a few minutes late, only to realize my watch is running fast. We watched the time and the fare on the bus as well as the scenery we could see through the rain and the fog. We were told it would be about 900¥. When we got to 850¥ I asked the driver again. At 900¥ he stopped at a bus stop and pointed to a building for us. We had gone through a more industrial section of town, past a large body of water, and through a more rural area. Our passports were useful here, getting us in for half-price (1100¥). We entered the museum and a different world. The view of the meticulously groomed gardens was serene and even more incredible knowing that just on the other side was a busy road, electrical wires, and a bus shelter. You were made to believe that the waterfall that was on the other side of the road was really a part of this garden. Surprisingly there was a lot of fall color, mostly reds. In addition to the lovely gardens, there was also interesting and beautiful art work – carvings, paintings, ceramics. There were several tea rooms and we went in one and ordered one piece of cake to split, much to the dismay of our server. We did not realize it would be bright green, but it was actually quite good and the view of the garden was wonderful. I am grateful to Vivian for joining me. The trip was nicer with her company. We caught our bus back with no problems and were feeling quite proud of ourselves for successfully undertaking this adventure. Vivian commented that she was ready for some fish and chips and I told her I knew where she could get French fries. We went in and both had fries and a Coke with a bunch of schoolgirls. Steve and Vivian are staying in the Washington Hotel. When she left to walk back I went to our room to rest. Then I decided to go back to the grocery store to get some fruit for breakfast. I bought two huge apples for 180¥ each, then walked around the store some more. There was a women from Ireland demonstrating the making of Irish Dresden porcelain. She said, "Hello! What language do you speak?" I think she really enjoyed chatting with someone who spoke English. She said her plane out tomorrow has already been cancelled because of the typhoon. Hope she made it home safely. When I returned to the hotel I met Steve in the lobby. His session did get out early. We met the other U.S. delegates for drinks. When we went back to our room before dinner we found a note under the door from Bob Wild. Bob, Gillian, Steve, and Vivian were meeting in our lobby at 7:30 pm for dinner if we wanted to join them. We did. It ended up a group of twelve went across the street in pouring rain to the top floor of the Ichibata to an Italian restaurant for dinner. Besides the six of us there was Joe Geller, Bill Stickel, Vince Crist, and Richard Payling. Steve and I picked more Japanese looking dinners but the pizza actually looked good. Viv and Steve had us in stitches talking about their seven cats and Vivian’s color blindness. We had a fun time. The others are talking about getting together in Spain next year for the ISO meeting and ECASIA99. I said we wouldn’t be there because GM doesn’t financially support travel like this. So the plan was to talk to Hans and Martin and get them to invite Steve to be a speaker again. The only major glitch with this plan is Steve. He doesn’t have anything to talk about. Oh well, Spain would have been fun. We headed back to the hotel still in pouring rain. If this is as bad as the typhoon gets, we’ll be okay. Went to bed shortly after returning. Woke around midnight and the rain seemed to have quit, but it may just have been a shift in the wind direction so that it wasn’t beating on our window quite so hard.

When I woke up at 5:30 am I crawled in bed with Steve for awhile. The sky looked like it might be clearing, but that didn’t last. Soon it was very overcast and raining again. From the TV weather map the storm appears to be now past though. They also showed much damage from the wind, water, and mud slides, but we don’t know where. I took my book to the lobby to read so that Steve could go over his talk, as if I would be a distraction. It did allow me to see a wedding party in the lobby. There were many women in kimonos, one that was all white with a large headpiece. There were many men in suits and one man in traditional dress. They all got on a bus. I witnessed what I believe was a healing. There was never any laying on of hands, only holding them away from his body, and much conversation throughout. I had the opportunity to chat with Ken for a few minutes before he left for the airport. The ISO meeting is now over. My new friends, Gillian and Vivian, are leaving today too. Steve came down for a break and we went for about an hour walk. It rained quite hard at times but was still enjoyable. We walked to the lake shore and then back along the river. We passed the Gensuke bridge and a memorial to Gensuke, the human sacrifice to keep the bridge from washing away. In the same little park was also the Oba stone, made so heavy one-thousand men couldn’t lift it. By the time we were back at Tokyu the sun even came out for a few minutes. After more work on his talk, we walked over to the station and bought a box lunch to share. In the room Steve pulled the string on the box and it immediately heated up our rice, beef and vegetables. Then we went to the lobby for the scheduled bus trip. The weather turned out to be very nice the rest of the day. The guide only spoke Japanese, so a volunteer, Emiko Notsu, translated for us. She explained to us the meaning of clapping – once is to kill a mosquito or fly, twice to pray at a shrine, three times to call the barmaid, four times to pray at the Izumo Taisha Shrine, and five or more to cheer or celebrate. She spoke of the seven delicacies of Lake Shinji and how carp are revered in Japanese culture because they do not struggle on the chopping block. This area is known for the agate accessories that have been made here for 2000 years. For over 1000 years tourists have come to this area for the hot springs. The month of October is know in the Izumo region as Kami ari zuki, or The Month of the Gods. Elsewhere throughout Japan it is known as Kannazuki, or The Month Without Gods, because every year all of the gods (8 million) gathers at Izumo Taisha Shrine to deliberate on the coming year’s events. We are lucky to be going to the shrine during this time and hopefully our luck will get better. At the shrine we drive past the largest torii, but not under it although a road does pass through. There are a series of toriis leading to the shrine. This must be the place Hearn refers to as Kitzuki. I ask Emiko about this and she explains that Kitzuki means mountain side, and yes this shrine is built at the side of a mountain. At most shrines you can purchase a fortune. If your fortune is bad you should tie the strip of paper to a tree on the grounds of the shrine and the gods will make it better. If it is a good fortune you can still tie it to a tree and the gods will make it better. If you are married you should tie it to a pine tree, and if single a cedar. Trees on the grounds are just covered with fortunes. There appears to be more single folk though. On each side of the shrine were very long windowless buildings. They are where the gods are staying. Many people are wandering about the area and yet it is very peaceful. Hearn had commented that you cannot see the place all in one day and we are here for only an hour. We are now off to tour the Shimane Winery. I have never been on such a perfunctory tour of any facility. We walked through a windowed corridor overlooking the wine-making facilities, and ended up in a shop for wine tasting. You were handed a cup and could ladle eight or nine different wines out of punch bowls to taste. All were very sweet. We did purchase some red wine pickles and dried black seaweed. Vince Crist purchased a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and shared it with everyone on the bus. It was the best. It actually tasted like wine. I would like to mention that the Japanese believe water of a high pH to be very healthy. We frequently saw bottled water of pH 8 or higher advertised. Steve had some that was actually pH 9 and said it tasted very bitter. I guess no one ever said good and good for you were the same. After our return from our bus excursion, we rested up a bit, then walked to Kunibiki Messe, my first trip to the convention center. Steve registered for his meeting, Practical Surface Analysis (PSA-98) and we went to the reception. There was more drinking and eating with chopsticks while standing. I tasted sake and enjoyed it very much. I couldn’t drink very much because, unlike the wine we tasted earlier, it seemed very potent. I ate and visited with other wives as we tried to figure out activities for tomorrows free time. My three new friends are Atsuko, wife of the meeting organizer Kazuhiro Yoshihara; Masako, wife of Heizo Tokutaka; and Setsuko, wife of Ryuichi Shimizu. When it ended at 8:00 pm we walked back to the Tokyu Inn satisfied enough to not need anything else to eat. I tried organizing the room a little. Steve fell asleep before me, surprisingly, since his talk is tomorrow morning.

We were up at 6:00 am and Steve went over his talk once more. We went to the breakfast buffet downstairs, then called home again. This time we were able to talk to Dad, Dale, and Mom. All is going well or they are just not telling us if there are any problems. Amy is out with Mary Alice. The spouses met in the lobby about 8:15 this morning to catch an early bus to the Adachi Museum. I decided I enjoyed it with Vivian enough that I would like to see it again. Our group consisted of Marie, Anne, Lea, Uta, Atsuko, Setsuko, and me. The Japanese women were horrified when part of our group crossed over to the station in the middle of the block! It is more dangerous here, because people don’t do it, and drivers don’t expect pedestrians except in crosswalks. The bus trip was fun with everyone chatting away. I noticed different things this time with nicer weather. The city does not appear to have a zoning board and is not always the most picturesque with its jumble of wiring. There would be a house next to a shop, a couple more houses, and a factory. Once inside the buildings it is always a pleasant environment. The houses are not landscaped to enhance the view of the house, but rather to enhance the view from the house. I enjoyed the museum again. The gardens did look different in the different light, and the sun even came out a little bit. I think I preferred the atmospheric quality of the rainy day though. It was nice being with friends who could share what the signs written in Japanese said. I left the group to take an earlier bus back and thought about Steve during my trip. He should have been giving his talk at the time. When I returned, I walked to the Shimane Public Souvenir Center and bought a few souvenirs. Then I walked back to the Kunibiki Messe in hot sun. I was very thirsty and couldn’t find a drinking fountain, so bought a can of water. It was very sweet. I saw Steve for a few minutes, then met up with Anne and went to the Tea Ceremony. It was quite informal. I would not have learned nearly as much if I had not been with Anne, who was quite knowledgeable. Thankfully we were able to sit rather than kneel. We were given a small round sweet cake made of red beans. Then we were served green tea in more of a bowl than a cup. You place the cup on your left palm and turn it with your right hand to admire the pottery. When you sip the tea small slurping sounds are acceptable. Although Anne is from England, she doesn’t like tea and tried to put it down after a couple of sips. That was not acceptable and she was encouraged to finish it. The purpose of eating the sweet first is to cut the bitter taste of the tea. The taste from the sweet does remain and I didn’t find it difficult to finish the tea. We talked to our hostesses for a while, then headed back to the hotel. I dropped off one set of purchases and headed off to buy more at SATY. When I got back I just had time to write one postcard before heading off to KM for the sunset boat cruise. Earlier in the day it had been unknown if we would go because the water was too high. We walked back across the bridge and down the river a bit. We had to wait a few minutes for the boat to come. Hans Jörg and Shimizu joined us on our trip. After boarding the boat, we went inside, took our shoes off, and sat on cushions on the floor. It was not only uncomfortable, but we couldn’t see out of the windows. Shimizu got permission for us to sit on the tables and encouraged us to. It was too heavily clouded for a good sunset, but it was still a pleasant voyage. We went out into Lake Shinji, cruised by the small island near the eastern shore, where snowy egrets were covering one tree. The island is known as, "Yome-ga-shima, or "The Island of the Young Wife," by reason of a legend. It is said that it arose in one night, noiselessly as a dream, bearing up from the depths of the lake the body of a drowned woman who had been very lovely, very pious, and very unhappy. The people, deeming this a sign from heaven consecrated the islet to Benten, and thereon built a shrine unto her, planted trees about it, set a torii before it, and made a rampart about it with great curiously-shaped stones; and there they buried the drowned woman." It has also been known as Mosquito Island, although the more romantic name is preferred. I especially enjoyed the small fish that jumped great distances, apparently to get away from our boat. It was getting quite dark during our return voyage and the city was lovely all lit up, especially the castle, although it was only visible between the tall buildings. I spent the end of the trip on the back deck in my stocking feet enjoying the pleasant night air. When going under the bridge there was only about ten centimeters clearance. From the dock it was a short walk to our hotel. I had a few minutes to rest and then Steve was back from his meetings. We walked over to Ichibata just before they closed and bought more apples. We went up to the Italian restaurant again and split a pizza. Then we walked down to SATY just before they closed and bought gifts for Dale and Amy. We watched some of the Japanese World Series before turning in.

We woke up about 5:30 am and Steve joined me in my bed. Sadly this is our last day in Matsue. We had a breakfast of apples and granola bars in our room. At 7:00 am I left Steve in the room reading abstracts, bought stamps at the front desk, walked over to the station to mail postcards, then walked across the bridge to photograph the men in boats gathering shellfish. At a light I asked two schoolgirls on bicycles if I could take their picture. They giggled, gave the sign for time out, and got mirrors to check their hair. All of the students look so nice in their uniforms. Most of them are navy and have a military look to them. Lots of the girls wear big, slouchy, white socks with them. Many people travel by bicycle, even men in business suits. Before you can buy a car you must show proof you have somewhere to park it. At 9:15 I met the other ladies in the lobby. We got tickets for the boat trip through the moat around the castle, as well as an all day bus ticket. We did the Lake Line bus to the Matsue castle. Lea did the castle tour with the Japanese ladies, except one guide, who went with Uta, Marie, Anne, and I strolling around some streets known for shopping for an hour. Then I broke off from the rest of the group to do the boat tour. I didn’t do the entire circle trip, but got off at another landing. Then I caught a bus to Gessho-Ji-Temple, the cemetery that is home to the turtle sculpture with the obelisk on his back. It was a beautiful, calm place, but I had to hurry through to catch another bus back. The trip back was about 40 minutes, but very enjoyable because of four schoolgirls. We attempted conversation. Their English, though limited, was way better than any Japanese I could attempt. I did get the phrase book out to try to answer or ask questions. I found out they were 14 and live in the country in a town named Odo. They wanted to know my name, where I was from, and did I know the Spice Girls. They asked to take a picture of me and I took pictures of them. I gave them my cards to show them my name and they said they would write some day. I hope they do. They wrote down their names for me – Fuyuki, Haruka, Rie, and Chiaki. They got off at Matsue Eki and joined other girls in similar uniforms, I believe to catch a train back home. I met Masako in the lobby at 1:30 pm for our trip to a public bath (Onsen). No one else cared to join us. We took a taxi (2800¥) back out the road toward the airport, then a left up into the mountains. We went past a lot of Inns on a beautiful cherry tree-lined street. The onsen we went to has only been open two years and is very modern. It also served men and women separately. We went to the fifth floor, paid 600¥, took our shoes off, put them in a locker, and gave the key to an attendant. She gave us a key to a locker inside to put our clothes in. We bathed sitting on a very short stool and using a bucket and a hand held shower with an adjustable temperature control. Once all clean we went into the first bath indoors. It was warm but not terribly so. Then we moved outdoors to a warmer bath. It had waterfalls you could sit under and massage your neck, shoulders, and back. Another waterfall from a bath up above us was warmer yet. Then we went up and sat in that bath and it was hot, increasingly so the closer you got to where the water was coming in. The baths are fed by natural hot springs. There was no mineral odor to the water. I never got closer than half-way to where the water inlet was, but other ladies would walk right over there and sit down. When we had enough relaxing we went back to the showers and shampooed and cleaned off in fairly cool water. It too felt fabulous. The floor of the locker room was a mat of bamboo that felt wonderful on bare feet and never got wet. I had a glass of iced green tea and Masako had iced coffee while we dressed and got ready. We went by a room on the fourth floor where you can lay down and nap and they have a masseuse, but we didn’t indulge. We walked through a little shop on the first floor before getting a taxi back into Matsue. Masako was such good company and would not allow me to pay for anything. I really appreciate the opportunity to experience this part of the culture with her. I gave her gifts of a calendar from Michigan and a bracelet I made. She immediately made a gift of some sweets she had bought earlier in the day, even though she had already paid for the whole afternoon. I was sooooo relaxed and refreshed. In contrast, Steve’s meetings ended a little early, but he arrived back at the hotel quite exhausted. We rested a bit before dressing and heading over to Kunibiki Messe at six for the banquet. We arrived in time to see the award of the Powell Prize to a Japanese man named Suzuki. Steve said he had a very clever technique that he’ll have to try when he gets home. The banquet was begun with a toast. The food was arranged very beautifully as a buffet and once again we were standing as we ate. Though tiring, it does allow you to mingle and visit with more people. Everyone said I looked radiant and wanted to know how my afternoon at the spa was. I met Masako’s husband and he asked to meet Steve. Steve had wanted to talk to him at his poster, but it was always too crowded. Steve introduced me to Dae Won Moon from Korea. Steve told him we had adopted children from Korea and his initial reaction was surprise. But he said when we visit Korea we must let him know and he will show us around. He got his PhD under Nick Winograd after he had moved to Penn State. I spent much time talking to my new friends and saying good-bye. Lea was making us laugh so hard that Atsuko said her cheeks hurt. The food was not only beautiful but delicious and plentiful. My favorite dish was a rice one with the seven delicacies of Lake Shinji. The eel in it was especially tasty, and I am glad to be certain I ate eel. We also ate some of the persimmons we have been seeing on trees everywhere. It is sad to be leaving tomorrow. I have enjoyed spending time with these women from all over the world as well as experiencing Japan. Back at our room we must pack for our return. The suitcases are more jammed. I put all our souvenirs in my carry-on bag. We have been waking early every day, but Steve set an alarm.

Although I was awake several times throughout the night, I was asleep when the alarm went off. We were ready quickly, checked out, and ordered a taxi even though many assured us the limo bus would get us there in time. We actually got to the airport a few minutes before the doors opened. The flight left on time, was a little bumpy, but got to Haneda Airport on time. We were bussed from the plane to the terminal and our luggage was waiting for us when we got there. We bought tickets for the limo bus to Narita Airport and just had a few minutes to wait. The trip is much more interesting in daylight. At one point traffic was backed up and I noticed a truck driver next to us reading a book. But it opened up and we were there in a little over an hour. We checked in, paid our departure tax, went through passport control, security check, and were to the gate before we realized we hadn’t seen a money exchange. We split a huge bowl of Japanese noodles and beef. The airport TV at Izumo had a long segment on how difficult it is to eat noodles with a fork. We had chopsticks and spoons and still had a hard time with the very slippery and long noodles. Spent most of our remaining coins on dried squid to take home. Once again our plane took off on time. All week we have been thinking we get home at midnight. Steve started thinking about our departure time, the duration of the flight, and the time change and figured out we will be back at noon. That will be much nicer. Although only 10.5 hours instead of the 12.5 hours going, it is still a long flight. Announcements are in English as well as Japanese. It seems odd to hear the English. I never tired of listening to Japanese spoken, and their writing is truly beautiful. I doze, read a little, and squirm a lot. The flight attendants are a mix of American and Japanese with one Steve thinks is a Romulan. We do land about 11:30 am and try calling home to warn Mom and Dad. There is no answer so we just go on home and surprise them when they return. We are there for Amy’s return from school and in time to see Dale’s football game.

…the castle, which stands today on the summit of its citadel hill – the Oshiroyama- solid as when first built long centuries ago, a vast and sinister shape, all iron-gray, rising against the sky from a cyclopean foundation of stone. Fantastically grim the thing is, and grotesquely complex in detail; looking somewhat like a huge pagoda, of which the second, third, and fourth stories have been squeezed down and telescoped into one another by their own weight. Crested at its summit, like a feudal helmet, with two colossal fishes of bronze lifting their curved bodies skyward from either angle of the roof, and bristling with horned gables and gargoyled eaves and tilted puzzles of tiled roofing at every story, the creation is a veritable architectural dragon, moreover, full of eyes set at all conceivable angles, above, below, and on every side. From under the black scowl of the loftiest eaves, looking east and south, the whole city can be seen at a single glance, as in the vision of a soaring hawk; and from the northern angle the view plunges down three hundred feet to the castle road, where walking figures of men appear no larger than flies.

The grim castle has its legend.

It is related that, in accordance with some primitive and barbarous custom, precisely like that of which so terrible a souvenir has been preserved for us in the most pathetic of Servian ballads, "The Foundation of Skadra," a maiden of Matsue was interred alive under the walls of the castle at the time of its erection, as a sacrifice to some forgotten gods. Her name has never been recorded; nothing concerning her is remembered except that she was beautiful and very fond of dancing.

What has most impressed me is the seeming joyousness of popular faith. I have seen nothing grim, austere, or self-repressive. I have not even noted anything approaching the solemn. The bright temple courts and even the temple steps are thronged with laughing children, playing curious games; and mothers, entering the sanctuary to pray, suffer their little ones to creep about the matting and crow. The people take their religion lightly and cheerfully; they drop their cash in the great alms-box, clap their hands, murmur a very brief payer, then turn to laugh and talk and smoke their little pipes before the temple entrance. Into some shrines, I have noticed the worshipers do not enter at all; they merely stand before the doors and pray for a few seconds, and make their small offerings. Blessed are they who do not too much fear the gods which they have made!

Lafcadio Hearn

Kitzuki temple being far too large a place

to be all seen and known in a single visit.

Lafcadio Hearn

When Horió Yoshiharu, the great general who became daimyo of Izumo in the Keicho era, first undertook to put a bridge over the mouth of this river, the builders labored in vain; for there appeared to be no solid bottom for the pillars of the bridge to rest upon. Millions of great stones were cast into the river to no purpose, for the work constructed by day was swept away or swallowed up by night. Nevertheless, at last the bridge was built, but the pillars began to sink soon after it was finished; then a flood carried half of it away, and as often as it was repaired so often it was wrecked. Then a human sacrifice was made to appease the vexed spirits of the flood. A man was buried alive in the river-bed below the place of the middle pillar, where the current is most treacherous, and thereafter the bridge remained immovable for three hundred years.

This victim was one Gensuke…

The vapors have vanished, sharply revealing a beautiful little islet in the lake lying scarcely half a mile away, - a low, narrow strip of land with a Shinto shrine upon it, shadowed by giant pines; not pines like ours, but huge gnarled, shaggy, tortuous shapes, vast-reaching like ancient oaks. Through a glass one can easily discern a torii, and before it two symbolic lions of stone (Kara-shishi), one with its head broken off, doubtless by its having been overturned and dashed about by heavy waves during some great storm. This islet is sacred to Benten, the Goddess of Eloquence and Beauty, wherefore it is called Benten-no-shima. But it is more commonly called Yomega-shima, or "The Island of the Young Wife," by reason of a legend. It is said that it arose in one night, noiselessly as a dream, bearing up from the depths of the lake the body of a drowned woman who had been very lovely, very pious, and very unhappy. The people, deeming this a sign from heaven consecrated the islet to Benten, and thereon built a shrine unto her, planted trees about it, set a torii before it, and made a rampart about it with great curiously-shaped stones; and there they buried the drowned woman.

It is still the season of mists in this land whose most ancient name signifies the Place of the Issuing of Clouds. With the passing of twilight a faint ghostly brume rises over the lake and landscape, spectrally veiling surfaces, slowly obliterating distances.

…the monster tortoise of Gesshoji temple in Matsue, where the tombs of the Matsudairas are. This stone colossus is almost seventeen feet in length and lifts its head six feet up from the ground. On its now broken back stands a prodigious cubic monolith about nine feet high, bearing a half-obliterated inscription. Fancy –as Izumo folks did- this mortuary incubus staggering abroad at midnight, and its hideous attempts to swim in the neighboring lotus-pond!

…the monster tortoise of Gesshoji temple in Matsue, where the tombs of the Matsudairas are. This stone colossus is almost seventeen feet in length and lifts its head six feet up from the ground. On its now broken back stands a prodigious cubic monolith about nine feet high, bearing a half-obliterated inscription. Fancy –as Izumo folks did- this mortuary incubus staggering abroad at midnight, and its hideous attempts to swim in the neighboring lotus-pond!