Trip to Honshu,, Tsuwano

We had one day of rain and bad visibility.  After Izumo we followed the coast to the south-west and turned inland to see Tsuwano. First a duck point in the Takatsugawa river, where we saw... Mandarin Ducks. オシドリ again.

In the town itself we checked into an old hot spring. Did some more exploring the next day and stopped to see the Tsuwano Shrine.

Freshly painted, with a new, nearly modern look about it. Very different. 

It was a wet and grey day, but no lack of color here.

While Izumo Taisha's atmosphere was so gentle and soothing, the shrine in Tsuwano felt cold. Strict. A little scary. Even though there were no foxes. (The significance of foxes in Japanese Shinto eludes me a bit. Somehow they make me feel uncomfortable) And Izumo did have foxes. Still... It's all intuitive. And it reflects my being in Japan. Stuck between 2 worlds, nowhere at home.