Diary Entry Courtesy of our host Jane :

Nikki and Laura arrived in Matsue the Wednesday before
last and stayed a week. They were on the first leg of
their world trip, with Japan being the first stop.
After a brief stop in Tokyo, they spent a few days in
Kyoto before coming south-west to Matsue. I booked the
week off work; had enough time-in-lieu built up
without having to use annal leave which made it all
the sweeter. Those puddings were worth it!

We had a really fabulous week. Arriving on Wednesday
night, I met the girls and we dined in one of the most
popular 'izakaya's' (restaurant-come-bar) here. We
ordered a range of Japanese dishes, for Nikki and
Laura's sake of course.

We went skiing on Thursday and Saturday. It hadn't
snowed in Matsue since December 29th, but there was a
snowfall that Wed night- perfect timing! There was a
sharp cold snap, which was in this instance, most
welcome.

It was an early start- 5:30 a.m. in order to make the
first train to Yonago, in the neighbouring prefecture
of Tottori. There, we caught a bus which drove up
Mount Daisen, terminating at the ski area, perfect.
We got kitted out and were on the slopes by 9 a.m.,
not bad at all. We skiied for the day. it was the
girls' first time and they got the hang of it and
really enjoyed it. On the Saturday, a few of the other
JETs were there too, both skiiing and snowboarding.
The girls enjoyed day 2 much more nautrally, and
really got in the swing of things. There is a great
variety of slopes on Daisen, and one of the
intemediate slopes is really beautiful and is like a
private trail. We got home to Matsue about 9p.m. each
night, and were exhausted! But was definitely a
healthy tiredness. It had snowed right through
Thursday and Friday, so there was plenty of snow on
the slopes. the conditions on Saturday were all you
could ask for- plenty of snow and blue sunny skies.

The Friday snow, however did hamper sightseeing in
Matsue! We were totally unprepared. By the time we had
reached Matsue Castle that morning, we had been caught
in a snowstorm, and our feet were soaking and cold.
The next stop was the department store for snow boots
& wellies. We then felt like a million dollars....
The kaiten sushi went down a treat, contrary to the
girls feelings prior to going to the restaurant! that
evening the girls came along swimming and checked out
what my swimming lessons were like- a bit different to
home.

The boat trip around the Castle moat and city's
waterways was really enjoyable; it was a beautiful day
an we were the only passengers. In addition the boats
are equipped with 'kotatsu' tables/ heaters during the
winter months. A 'kotatsu' is a low table with a
heating element underneath, and the tabletop is set
upon a quilt. Very cosy.

We also visited Izumo Taisha Shrine, Shimane Winery
(there is free tasting there, but it sounds better
than it is, seeing the produce apparently tastes
nothing like wine- even the sake tasting in Matsue was
slightly more pleasurable) the famous Kitamura camera
shop, the best camera shop in Japan (Laura made a
purchase), as well as the traditional outlets. The
sunset at Lake Shinji was beautiful. The girls also
really liked Matsue Onsen footbath. This is a public
footbath located outside Matsue Onsen train station.
It is kept in immaculate condition, and is more than
safe to use; something that would be unimaginable at
home. You can drop by anytime, and give your feet a
soak, and exchange greetings with people. It was the
first time is has happened to me, but while we were
there, a guy asked was I the Irish CIR- he had read my
article in the local paper- so the girls were suitably
impressed! It created a timely illusion if anything.
Nice to know ONE person has read it.....

Of course I felt a duty to expose the girls to as much
Japanese cuisine as possible- we tried many types of
food- the yakisoba, ramen, karaage, tempura, onigiri,
corokke, okonomiyaki, sushi were a hit, but the rice
mochi-covered ice-cream, red bean confectionery,
Matsue clams and flying fish roll weren't quite so
popular! We walked practically everywhere, and with
the two days skiing we balanced things out well.

Speaking of duty, the girls were obliged to come along
to tin whistle practice on the Monday evening. The
content of the Irish culture class for members of the
San-in Japan-Ireland Association has been adjuested
since Christmas- we have put the Gaeilge to one side
and are concentrating on the music between now and St.
Patrick's Day. The Irish girls also come- and Marie
from Antrim is a world-class tin whistle player. The
Japanese members are also excellent. Marie also plays
bodhran, and I bring the guitar along. We have about
15 tunes going, and hope to be able to perform them on
St. Patrick's Day. The visitors were inspired and left
with 2 tin whistles and music with which to grace
Australia and beyond.

We finished off the last night in true Japanese style,
onsen baths followed by karaoke..... the girls left on
Wednesday afternoon...we had a buffet breakfast in a
hotel overlooking Lake Shinji and then visited the
Shimane Art Museum, located on the banks of the lake,
en route to the station. It was such a refreshing and
fun week. Reminds you that life is really good when
you meet up with your friends on the other side of the
world.