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.