Itoshima Winter Tour 2016

Last Sunday with a perfect weather behind us, a team of Explore Itoshima conducted a Winter Tour. We started off our morning by gathering in Chikuzen-maebaru station where from there we went on a bus trip to Mt. Tateishi. Mt. Tateishi is just about 200m high, where the bus took us to the mid-point where we didn’t have to climb so much to see the great views from the top of the mountain. It took us about 1 hour back and forth while going past other hikers who came to climb up on the way. From the summit looking back at the civilization across the mountain, it was pleasant just looking at and made me calm where I felt like I was very close to nature. I felt like I have achieved something big.

The next place where we visited is the oyster hut nearby the mountain. Due to the fact that it was weekend, it was very crowded and was full of cheerful eyes waiting for the Oysters to cook. We first went inside and dressed up with a coat they provided us to prevent ash powders on our clothes. Then we started ordering Oysters and other menu which was available. The oyster costs 1000yen for 1kg which is a good price for Itoshima’s Oysters. I personally did not like Oysters so much but after I tried Itoshima’s special Oysters, I gradually changed my mind. You must try these oysters if you are visiting Itoshima!

Once we were done with taking a short break, we were back on the bus heading towards the Kobo Tottan factory to learn about their awesome hundred year old technique to make salt, and to try the salt puddings they make. The technique was little bit out dated in terms of efficiency, yet it produced salt that no other artificial salts can produce. One of the participants said, “Kobo Tottan factory gave me interesting experiences, how they use traditional salt harvesting methods is really awesome”. Many people lined up to buy the pudding, and even though the place was a little distant from public transport, a lot of families came to enjoy and relax.

After we visited Sakurai Shrine, we arrived at our last destination Futamigaura where we spent about an hour walking along the beach and taking rest looking at the sunset. Many people visited the area at the time where it felt like we were back into our civilized society.