This is Mt. Fuji taken from Kummi Coast in Izu in March. The day before, the heavy rain cleared up like a lie, and Mt. Fuji over Suruga Bay was so beautiful that I couldn't move for a while. #Spring #Photo Contest

Koyasan Promenade: A village called Yakiyama in the upper reaches of the Iwashina River, which was once called "Yakiyama" because the mountain was burned and cultivated. About 3 km into the mountains from the village, a cliff of Strange Rock rises up facing a mountain stream, and there is an unknown quiet area. This place is called Mt. Koya, and it used to be a place where Shugenja of Shingon esoteric Buddhism went, and there are many stone Buddhas. ☆ Legendary land related to famous monks ☆ There is even a legend that Kobo Daishi once visited here, but left because the smell of Fertilizer wafted from the nearby farmland and it was unclean and the depth of the valley was unsatisfactory, and eventually he went to Kishu (Wakayama Prefecture) and opened Mt. Koya. As if to confirm this good story, there was a statue of Kobo Daishi in the "Enma Shingyo" in the middle of the cliff, but it has now been moved to Eizenji Temple in Yagiyama and enshrined. Furthermore, at the end of the Edo period, a monk named Renren practiced in this "Enma Shingyo" and walked around praying for his presence, but his new spiritual experience became popular, and he was called a great master and respected, and the number of believers reached 200. And when he left this place, he left the scriptures and dharma robes as a memorial to the local Taguchi family. There is also an inscription on the same house stating that "Resigned was a person from Mikawa (Aichi Prefecture), and that he visited the area in the first year of Tenpo (1830) to worship the statue of Kobo Daishi, visited for about a year, and gathered many believers..." According to one theory, it is said that during the Kenkyu year (1190~1199), a man of letters also visited here, and when he was about to leave after completing his training, he could not leave because wild roses were entangled in his robe. So he took refuge in the cave again and continued his journey. Since then, the locals have called it "Bunkaku rose".

Mt. Fukino is a 550-meter-high mountain that rises near the boundary between Matsuzaki and Nishi-Izu towns, northeast of Matsuzaki City, along with Mt. Chokuro in Amagi. Located at the top of the mountain, the Soto School Fukino Mountain Treasure House is an ancient temple opened by Kukai (Kobo Daishi) in the 3rd year of Datong as a sacred place for esoteric Buddhism, and was originally called Fukino Jizo Secret Temple. In the Muromachi period, it flourished as a large sacred site with 88 temples, but after that, it was deserted and rebuilt by the monk Iwanaka. In the Bunki year (1501~04), the 4th generation monk Kiyoyasu of Kawazu and Fumon-in converted from Shingon Buddhism to Soto School, and from this time on, it became Hozoin. In the precincts, the largest cedar in Minami-Izu (circumference 6.5 m, height 34 m), which is estimated to be about 400 years old, and Oshima cherry trees that are 150 years old are densely grown, and it is rare to see more than 180 "wild Buddhas" lined up around the approach. Dainichi Nyorai, Yakushi Nyorai, Amitabha Buddha, Jizo, Kannon, Kobo Daishi, etc., all of which look like mossy stone Buddhas, seem to be singing a chorus of heartlessness in the human world. It is also the 7th sacred site of "Izu Yokodo 33 Kannon".

In the western and southern parts of the Izu Peninsula, the ejecta of ancient submarine volcanoes is widely distributed. After a long period of undersea volcanoes, the whole of Izu rose and emerged on land, and subsequent erosion gave it its current appearance, allowing us to see firsthand the beautiful internal structures that would have been buried underground. Among the submarine volcanic ejecta, volcanic ash and pumice that fell on the seafloor were transformed into stone over a long period of time, retaining the stripes and other patterns that were formed on the seabed. The stone made in this way was useful as a soft, easy-to-process, and fire-resistant stone (Izu stone), and was produced and shipped in various parts of Izu until the beginning of the Showa era. Muroiwa-do is a quarry that was in operation from the Edo period to Showa 29, and is one of the few places where you can visit it while retaining the state of that time.

About 1,200 Someiyoshino trees are planted about 6 kilometers from the mouth of the Nakagawa River, which flows through the center of Matsuzaki Town, to Osawa Onsen, and it is a famous place for cherry blossoms that bloom from late March to early April. Fun together with the "Flower Garden Using Rice Fields" held at the same time. During the flowering season, the cherry blossoms are lit up at night, and the cherry blossoms reflected in the Nakagawa River are also fantastic.

In a vast rice field of about 30,000 square meters during the off-season, the seeds of six types of flowers, "Afuri Oyster Senka", "Ruri Karakusa", "Hime Goldfish Grass", "Tsumashiro Hinagiku", "Hinageshi", and "Yagurumasou", are sown in order from mid-February every year, and as far as the eye can see, it becomes a flower garden, and it is a famous place for flowers that Representative a Matsuzaki that will delight everyone who visit. In the flower garden, there is a realistic scarecrow that looks exactly like humans and animals, a flower garden shrine (flower Torii (shrine gate)), a foot bath, and you can pick flowers for free from May 1 to 5 during Golden Week. Also, from late March to early April, you can enjoy the rows of cherry blossom trees along the Nakagawa River (about 6 km, about 1,200 trees) together, and it is crowded with customers every year.

【Sea Cucumber Wall】 The name "sea cucumber wall" comes from the style of sticking flat tiles to the wall and plastering the joints to make them look like sea cucumbers. It has excellent fire prevention, heat retention, and moisture retention, and is a construction method for exterior walls that was seen in various places from the Meiji era to the early Showa period, but it has decreased year by year due to aging and rebuilding. Currently, it is found in Matsuzaki Town and Shimoda City in Izu, and in Kurashiki City in Okayama Prefecture and Higashihiroshima City in Hiroshima Prefecture nationwide. There are still more than 190 buildings left in Matsuzaki, retaining their old-fashioned taste. Sea cucumber walls have become rare in Japan. It is regarded as an important resource in the town and is actively engaged in conservation activities. Even now, there are plasterers who can make sea cucumber walls, and in addition to passing on techniques and improving the cityscape by repairing them, the "Matsuzaki Kura Creation Team" made up of local volunteers is promoting conservation and awareness-raising campaigns. The sea cucumber wall exists as a matter of course, but it is only because of the desire and efforts of these craftsmen and townspeople to "leave local resources for the future" that they can be preserved.

Kawazu cherry blossoms bloom in the Ishibe Terraced Rice Fields, where the scenery changes with the four seasons

【Izu Bunya】 Built in Meiji 43 (1910) (1910), the Izubun Residence was once run by a kimono merchant. In Matsuzaki Town, the building was donated by the owner and the interior was developed as a valuable historical building representing the Meiji era. Currently, it is open as a free rest area. In the park next to the Izubun residence, there is also a foot bath.

【Meiji Merchant House Nakase Residence】 The Nakase residence was built in Meiji 20 (1887) as the residence of Naokichi Yoda, a wealthy merchant who made a fortune as a kimono wholesaler. Since the trade name of Yoda Naokichi Kure Clothing Store was "Nakase", it is now called Nakase Residence. In 1988 (Showa 63) (1998), Matsuzaki Town purchased a mansion consisting of seven buildings, including the main house and a storehouse, and the main house is open to the public as an ethnic museum. The buildings are lavishly furnished, from timber to fine carvings and hardware, and you can get a glimpse of the life of a wealthy merchant at that time. In particular, the black plastered sea cucumber wall of the storehouse built in the main house can only be seen here in Matsuzaki Town.

【Shizuoka Prefecture Designated Cultural Property Former Yoda Residence】 Heisei 22 (2010) (2010) The buildings of the Yoda family residence were designated as Shizuoka Prefecture designated tangible cultural properties (buildings). A total of five buildings were targeted: the main house built 300 years ago, the detachment built as a guest room 200 years ago, and the three warehouses (utensils, rice warehouses, and miso warehouses) built at the end of the Edo period. It is said that the main house was built over 13 years around the time of Genroku, and although the exterior is a private house with sea cucumber walls that is often seen in Matsuzaki, it is a complete fireproof building with plaster to the rafters of the eaves, and a copper plate fire door is built at the eaves. This building is a large-scale private house that was used as a residence for a wealthy lord, and is the second oldest private house in the Izu area.

【Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property Iwashina School】 A school of sea cucumber walls and shrine-like architecture completed in Meiji 13 (1880). Incorporating the traditional architectural methods of Matsuzaki Town and Western architectural styles, it is known as the oldest school building in the Izu area as a masterpiece of wooden architecture. It is a two-story wooden hipped building, the building is symmetrical, and the exterior is a "sea cucumber wall". The Tonshi of "Iwashina School" displayed at the main entrance is the calligraphy of Sanjo Sanetomi, the Minister of Taisei at the time, and the dragon on it is said to have been carved by Chohachi Irie by borrowing the "chisel" of the building beam. It is an impressive building with a Western-style design, and is known in Japan as the second oldest after the former Rikuzawa School in Kofu and the former Kaichi School in Matsumoto, and was designated as an important cultural property of Japan in Showa 50 (1975). In Matsuzaki, there was a high enthusiasm for the promotion of education in the village, and donations were collected for the construction of the school building, and more than 40% of the total construction cost was covered by donations.

【Chohachi Memorial Hall】 You can see the works of Chohachi Irie, a native of Matsuzaki who made a name for himself as a master plasterer craftsman in the Edo period. Chohachi Irie went to Edo at the age of 23 to study the paintings of the Kano school, while mastering the art of sculpture and plasticity, applying it to the work of plastering, and perfecting Chohachi's unique art of painting with plaster and trowel. Chohachi worked tirelessly in Edo, but at that time there were many fires in Edo, and most of the works were destroyed by fire, and the remaining works were lost in the earthquake and war, so there are very few surviving works, except for the works that remain in Matsuzaki Town. The memorial hall is located in Jokanji Temple, the last temple of Jodo Shinshu Nishi Honganji. This is because when Chohachi rebuilt Jokanji Temple (2nd year of Hiroka), he brought in two disciples from Edo and left the ceiling paintings, sculptures, and stucco work in the temple. In addition, in Heisei 23 (2011), "Unryu" and "A pair of statues of Hiten" were designated as Shizuoka Prefecture Tangible Cultural Properties.

In Showa 59 (Showa 59) (1984), it opened as "Hall of Fame of stucco trowel painting, Izu no Chohachi Museum of Art". About 50 works by Chohachi Irie (Chohachi Irie), a native of Matsuzaki who made a name for himself as a master plasterer in the Edo period, are on display. Chohachi has developed his own discipline of stucco trowel, which incorporates plastering techniques and the techniques of the Kano school of Japanese painting, and is highly regarded artistically. The building is a museum that brings together talented plasterers from all over the country and makes use of traditional plastering techniques, and has been awarded the Yoshida 58 Prize, which is said to be the Akutagawa Prize of the Architectural Society, as a "building that fuses Edo and the 21st century," and is attracting attention as a world-class building.

Ishibe Rice Terraces are located in the town of Matsuzaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, located at the western tip of the Izu Peninsula. The 370-sheet, 4.2-hectare rice paddies spread over an altitude of 120~250m are masonry terraced rice paddies that are rare in eastern Japan. It is a terraced rice field with a superb view overlooking Suruga Bay below, and on a clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji and the Southern Alps. In 2000 (Heisei 12), the 4.2 ha terraced rice fields that had been abandoned for cultivation and covered with thatch were regenerated and used as a starting point for village revitalization. In 2010 (Heisei 22), the "16th National Terraced Rice Fields (Senmaida) Summit" was held.

Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property Iwashina School A school of sea cucumber walls and shrine-like architecture completed in Meiji 13 (1880). Incorporating the traditional architectural methods of Matsuzaki Town and Western architectural styles, it is known as the oldest school building in the Izu area as a masterpiece of wooden architecture. It is a two-story wooden hipped building, the building is symmetrical, and the exterior is a "sea cucumber wall". It is said that the plaque of "Iwashina School" displayed at the main entrance is the calligraphy of Sanjo Sanetomi, the minister of Taisei at the time, and the dragon on it is said to have been carved by Chohachi Irie by borrowing the "chisel" of the ridge beam. It is an impressive building with a Western-style design, and is known in Japan as the second oldest after the former Rikuzawa School in Kofu and the former Kaichi School in Matsumoto, and was designated as an important cultural property of Japan in Showa 50 (1975). In Matsuzaki, there was a high enthusiasm for the promotion of education in the village, and donations were collected for the construction of the school building, and more than 40% of the total construction cost was covered by donations.

Nice to meet you all! This is the Matsuzaki Tourism Association! Matsuzaki Town, Kamo District, Shizuoka Prefecture is located in the southern part of the Izu Peninsula, facing Nishiizu Town, Kawazu Town, Shimoda Town, and Minami Izu Town. Sixty-four percent of the town is forested, and the population is the smallest in Shizuoka Prefecture, with about 6,000 people. We will send you recommended information on Matsuzaki Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, which is surrounded by nature, which is the best place to spend a peaceful time away from the hustle and bustle of the city. === Sightseeing spots in Matsuzaki, Shizuoka === There are many popular sightseeing spots in Matsuzaki that you should visit! Ishibe Terraced Rice Field, a beautiful stone terraced rice field that conveys the traditional agricultural landscape of Japan to the present day, Chohachi Memorial Hall, which exhibits the works of Chohachi Irie, who was famous for his stucco paintings at the end of the Edo period, Namako Kabe Street, where a building made by the technique of stretching square flat tiles on the wall and raising the seams into a kamaboko shape with plaster, Matsuzaki Onsen, where you can spend a luxurious time at a day-trip hot spring, minshuku, or hotel, Matsuzaki Town is full of recommended sightseeing spots, such as the "Inashimo Shrine", where the 1,000-year-old ginkgo tree in the precincts is designated as a prefectural designated natural monument. The Izu Peninsula, where Matsuzaki Town is located, has been certified as a "Japan Geopark" for its topography and geology, which characteristically show traces of earth activity such as submarine volcanoes, and in Matsuzaki Town, there are geospots such as "Senganmon", "Muroiwa Cave", "Mt. Eboshi", "Ishibe Rice Terraces", and "Bentenjima", where you can feel the wonders of nature firsthand. === Recommended gourmet food in Matsuzaki, Shizuoka === When you visit Matsuzaki Town, you can't miss the gourmet food that can only be tasted here. About 70% of the cherry leaf pickles, where you can enjoy the traditional taste, are produced in Matsuzaki Town. Matsuzaki-cho has a wealth of gastronomy that will make foodies groan, such as the uniquely flavored "kawari" that grows in the clear river near the mouth of the Nakagawa River and the Iwashina River, the fresh "sweetfish" that is also caught in the Nakagawa River and the Iwashina River, the sweet and juicy "Eikyu Ponkan" original from Matsuzaki Town that is produced only in Matsuzaki Town, and the "Dioscorea japonica" that is grown with the blessings of nature in Matsuzaki Town. Souvenirs are also recommended. === Recommended Events in Matsuzaki, Shizuoka === Events and festivals held throughout the year are also one of the attractions of Matsuzaki Town. Events such as the "Flower Garden Using Rice Fields" where seven kinds of flowers bloom in the rice fields during the off-season (usually from mid-February to May 5 every year) and colorful flowers are in full bloom, the "Cherry Blossom Trees along the Nakagawa River" where about 1,200 cherry trees bloom in the spring season and are lit up during the blooming season, and the "Osawa Cherry Blossom Festival" where you can enjoy the cherry blossoms in full bloom of a large cherry tree that is more than 80 years old. The town of Matsuzaki 2012 (Heisei 24)in Shizuoka Prefecture declared "the town where Mt. Fuji can be seen the most beautiful in the world" on Mt. Fuji Day, February 23. The large panorama of Mt. Fuji that can be seen over Suruga Bay is a superb view that you should actually visit and see with your own eyes! The natural beauty of the four seasons, the geopark where you can experience the grandeur of the earth, the delicious local food, and heartwarming events. From now on, we will send out information that will make you captivated by Matsuzaki Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, so thank you!

It is a terraced rice field of Ishibe in West Izu that I stopped by when I went on a family trip to Izu. The sky was blue, the weather was good and the cherry blossoms were beautiful.