Visiting Kagami-jinja, a Shinto shrine in Karatsu

Before going to Mount Kagami, we went to a nearby spot, Kagami-jinja (鏡神社) Shinto shrine. The shrine is located at the foot of Kagamiyama, a 280 meter mountain.

Ichi-no-torii at the entrance of the shrine.

The second torii on sando (=road approaching a Shinto shrine) that leads to the main shrine.

A tiger-shaped Komainu statue. I wonder why they called Kosodate (子育て) which is meant to smooth child rearing, but there's nothing found for childbirth!

Kagami-jinja's Chozuya. I wash my hands before going to the main shrine.

The spring of water. It is a common water basin for purity, but having said that it is good for a pregnant woman to drink this water.

Now we're going down a narrow path to the shrine.

Finally we came here. There are two main halls in the shrine, the main one (一宮 Ichinomiya), enshrining Empress Jingu, the wife of Emperor Chuai, is on the right, and the secondary shrine (二宮 Ninomiya) dedicated to Fujiwara no Hirotsugu (藤原広嗣) is in the front end.

 

I found a monument of the Tale of Genji in front of the main shrine.

The sacred tree of the shrine. I was so surprised that camphor tree looks like a big pregnant belly!

A brand new Tategami hokora on the precincts. Tatagami-sama (立神さま) is a god who heals you. Ask him if you want.

Going to Mount Kagami, Karatsu

On April 15, we had decided to take a drive to Mount Kagami, Karatsu, Saga. Kagamiyama (鏡山) is a 280 meter mountain that looks like a trapezoid, and along with Nijinomatsubara (虹ノ松原) and Karatsu Castle, it is a typical tourist attraction of Karatsu.

Driving on Nishi-Kyushu Expressway, National Route 202 and Saga Prefectural Route 50 from my home and passing some gentle curves, we came to the top of the mountain. There is a huge red torii gate standing on the way, so you don't miss it.

We visited at a shrine first, then we went to the main observatory where we can see the panoramic views of Karatsu city center and Nijinomatsubara.

Ichi-no-torii at the entrance of the shrine.

The second torii on sando (=road approaching a Shinto shrine) that leads to the main shrine.

Haiden or the hall of worship.

After that we went to the Western observation deck.

A statue of Princess Sayo in front of the main observatory. Look at the picture. She's waving to the sea. She's like a woman with a legend of sad love.

The view from the terrace on the first floor is like this.

Nijinomatsubara seen from the platform. The beautiful pine beach looks like a green belt.

Well, we'll go to the Hirefuri observatory on the other side of the main one. From here, you can see a great view of the entire beach in front of your eyes.

We found a small shrine called Sayohime-jinja (佐用姫神社) on the way back.

Seeing Hinamatsuri dolls festival at the Old Fukuda House, Saga

After seeing Hinamatsuri dolls festival at the Saga Folklore Museum, I went to another place, the Old Fukuda Family House. It is a little bit far away from other places, located in the south of Yanagimachi, Saga's historic district.

I saw a beautiful old house called Nanri-tei (南里邸) on the way. The house was built in the Edo period and is the oldest Machiya buildings in the city.

Nonaka Usaien (野中烏犀圓) is a pharmaceutical company along the old Nagasaki Kaido highway. Founded in 1626, the company still makes nourishing medicine that is only available here.

I finally came to the house of rich man.

I already bought a common ticket for Hinamatsuri so I can go inside without additional pay. Here are gorgeous Hina dolls made from Saga Nishiki, a traditional craft of the prefecture.

Seeing Hinamatsuri dolls festival at the Saga Folklore Museum

We say goodbye to the Mietsu Navel Dock, and we were going to see the Hinamatsuri festival in the Yanagimachi area of Saga city.

We visited to the Old Koga Bank building/Saga Folklore Museum, a venue which the doll festival is held. This year, they will feature the Sylvanian families, a dollhouse series which continues to be loved by children and adults alike since its launch in 1985.

Seven-tiered Hina doll set on the stairs.

Cute dolls of the families on display at the exhibition.

This is a Hina doll made from Saga Nishiki (佐賀錦) local materials clothes.

After that I headed to my next visit, the Old Fukuda House.

Mietsu Navel Dock, a world heritage site in Saga

In the afternoon, we had decided to go to the Mietsu Navel Dock/Shipyard in Saga. This is one of newly added world heritage site in Japan, designated as Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and steel, shipbuilding and Coal Mining.

We came here at 2 o'clock. There is a museum about Japanese shipbuilding industry in the late 1800s, but it was closed because of Monday! In Japan, most public facilities such as museums, libraries are officially closed on Mondays except on public holidays.

The Sano Tsunetami Memorial Museum (佐野常民記念館 Sano Tsunetami Kinenkan) 

We parked a car in front of the museum and walked around the neighborhood. There has only a riverbed of the Chikugo River so it has nothing to see here. Therefore it is called the place of unseen world heritage site.

The site of Mietsu navel dry dock shelter. The revetment remains of the navel dockyard were made of wood therefore it will be dry and weather if exposed to air on the ground. In order to prevent the weathering and protect it, the remains are buried in the ground.