Aug. 23 - I recently spent a wonderful time in the picturesque town of Hagi in Yamaguchi Prefecture along the Japan Sea coast.
The Aibagawa neighborhood is one of the most beautiful in Hagi. I enjoyed a quiet stroll along a delightful residential street next to a canal fed by this river. In the past, residents living alongside this canal used its water for cooking, for bathing, and to feed the small ponds in their gardens.
Wild koi seek shade in the quiet Aibagawa canal.
Walking along this canal, I saw many colorful "koi" swimming languidly in the clear, gently flowing water. Some of these koi hid from the mid-afternoon sun in the shadows under overhanging branches.
Crossing the canal over a stone bridge, I entered the old residence of Katsura Taro, a famous general and prime minister during the Meiji Era. He had built a cozy house on the spot where he grew up near the canal.
A Hagi city volunteer guide showed me Katsura's old home with great pride. She explained that although his five-room home was quite small, Katsura included a small room where he could enjoy the tea ceremony.
This is the modest residence of Katsura Taro in Hagi.
She showed me his garden with a pond connected to the canal flowing outside his home. She said that he wrote about his enjoyment at reading in such a quiet relaxed setting.
I shall treasure this memory of a quiet afternoon walk through this beautiful quarter of Hagi.
Until next time,
Jim
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