Day 11: Tour of Elder Aoba's studio in Ehime, Matsuyama-jo and Dogo Onsen

Last night our hosts, the Sumidas, called Elder Aoba, an area authority for the church in Japan (click here to read more about Elder Aoba's life and conversion to the church) as well as a local potter, to ask if we could come tour his studio!  We were so excited when he said, YES! They were excited to introduce Trevor to Elder Aoba after Trevor had brought the Sumidas one of his pieces as a gift for letting us stay with them. 

So thanks to our drivers, Sumida shimai and Akiko shimai, we set off north to the inaka or countryside of Japan on Shikoku.  The scenery was so beautiful as we made our way to a small valley that contained the Aoba home in Ehime. Their home sits between beautiful rice paddy fields on one side with a small river on the other.  It is so peaceful here.  Elder Aoba was excited to give us a tour of his studio and show us his kilns and his work.  

The photo above is part of Elder Aoba's noborigama kiln. It contains five separate chambers that he built from recycled brick. He fires the kiln 3-4 times a year. Each time he fires the kiln, people come from all over Matsuyama to watch the firing and enjoy the warmth of the kiln and excellent cooking of his wife, Matsumi.  Elder Aoba puts out pieces for sale and the community enjoys one another's company during the 72 hours that the kiln is fired up. Elder Aoba does not sleep during that time as he has to monitor the temperature of the kiln and his pieces very carefully.

Elder Aoba explaining to us his process.

While we were outside getting a tour and being instructed in the art of Japanese pottery, inside the house Sumida shimai, Akiko shimai, and Aoba shimai prepared the 5 Gaijin a fabulous lunch! Never mind that we had just had a huge breakfast at the Sumidas a few hours earlier, it was time to now enjoy another fabulous meal!

Omurice is an omelet type dish where the egg is cooked thin like a crepe, filled with rice and vegetables, and then wrapped up and topped with a tomato based sauce - like ketchup! Each omelet had a different word on it such as love, hope, and faith. Bruce and I had Japan and America! Inside the bread basket there were the most fabulous rolls I've ever had. It was a yeast dough wrapped around a filling of mashed apple and yam with a dusting of cinnamon and sugar on the outside - oishii! We also had delicious kiwi, Matsuyama oranges, and a green salad with a Japanese type of persimmon.  Akiko shimai had baked us a banana cake for dessert.  There is a perception in Japan that Americans eat a lot of food, and so they cooked us a feast! Unfortunately, lol, we did not fail their expectations!

After lunch we took a group photo: Aoba chorro, Aoba shimai, Tanigochi shimai, Sumida shimai, Bevan shimai,
 Trevor, Katie, Bruce and I.

View of the tallest peak on Matsuyama - it is lightly dusted with snow
although it is hard to see in this photograph.

We drove back to Matsyama as fast as we legally could so that we could visit Matsuyama-jo before it closed. Unfortunately, we didn't make the 4pm closing time, but we were still allowed to go up and walk around the grounds.  Here are some photos of the chair lift we took up the mountainside.

There are no seat belts on this ride - so we had to hold on! We made it up to the top of the mountainside and quickly ran around the castle taking photos before the sun set! Matsuyama-jo or castle was built in 1603 on Mount Katsuyama. The main building or tenshu is five stories tall. Of course, like most of the buildings in Japan, it has been rebuilt a couple of time due to fire from lightning strikes and destruction during WWII. Today there are over 200 cherry trees planted in the gardens around the castle making it a beautiful spot to visit in the spring during sakura.

Beautiful view of the sunset over the Seto Inland Sea

Matusuyama with the Seto Inland Sea in the background - looking west

Matsuyama with the mountains as a backdrop looking east

View of the castle as you climb up the hill

Castle lit up at night

Sarah with Akiko shimai on the right and Sumida shimai on the left!

After we walked down the mountainside Akiko and Sumida shimai drove us to the Dogo onsen.  I was so excited to experience my first public bath in Japan!  The other 4 Gaijin weren't so excited, but they humored me and accompanied me to this famous bathhouse. We entered the bathhouse and the boys went to the left and the girls to the right. There was a large locker room where you remove everything! and then you walk into the bath area with nothing but a small cloth to cover your nether parts -lol!  Around the communal bath (water supplied by a hot spring) there are bathing stations. It is very important to bath and clean yourself first before you get into the communal bath. The bath itself was lovely. The temperature was just right for a long soak. All my tired muscles and aches and pains just melted away. It felt so good! After you soak for awhile you are supposed to get out and go back to a bathing station and this time you soap yourself down, shampoo your hair and rinse before you get back into the pool a second time.

Dogo Onsen is one of the oldest hot springs in Japan. There are records of use of its healing properties for over 1,000 years.  It's not uncommon to see many people on the streets around the onsen in their yukata - or bathrobe kimono - as they travel from their hotel room to the onsen and back. We opted for the cheapest package which was 400 yen just for the bath due to how late it was.  There are higher priced menu options that include the use of a yukata and refreshments or tea service after your bath. It is a beautiful wood building with tatami mats in the dressing area and dark wood floors in the main areas. There are no shoes allowed, everyone must remove their shoes and place them in an outer locker before entering the facility.  

As a thank you to our wonderful hosts we took them to dinner at Sushiro - a local inexpensive  conveyor belt type sushi restaurant. Unfortunately, because we were a large party we couldn't sit together - so we split up into English and Japanese groups! and we lost our translator to the Japanese table. Sarah had a wonderful time with her friends and all enjoyed a delicious dinner. Unfortunately, the 4 Gaijin at the English table were not well acquainted with the whole ordering process, so we ended up accidentally grabbing and eating other customer's special orders that came down the belt because they looked good! and we didn't realize that red bowls meant special order and black bowls meant anyone can eat this! Oh well, those Americans, you can't take them anywhere!