On the way back around Hagi, I passed through the gentle mountains and took the road in early summer where the idyllic rural scenery spreads, and I reached Tsuwano, which is called Little Kyoto in the Sanin region.  It is a beautiful hidden town in the calm mountains of western Shimane prefecture.  Tonomachi-dori, in the center of the town, is a very attractive place that retains the old appearance of the castle town era.  White walls and green trees are reflected in the canal that flows along the street, and countless carps of various sizes swim in groups, and white and purple iris flowers are in full bloom.  The old castle town that produced the literary master Ogai Mori, the philosopher Amane Nishi, and the painter Mitsumasa Anno can be seen as having a calm life like a time slip.

萩を回っての帰り道、なだらかな山間部を抜け、のどかな田園風景が広がる初夏の道を行くこと１時間、山陰の小京都と呼ばれる津和野に至ります。島根県西部の穏やかな山間にある美しい隠れ里のような町です。町の中心部にある殿町通りは、城下町時代の古いたたずまいを残すとても魅力的な場所です。その通りに沿って流れる掘割には、白壁や並木の緑が映り込み、色とりどり大小無数の鯉が群れ泳ぎ、白や紫の花菖蒲の花が咲き誇っています。文豪森鴎外や哲学者の西周、画家の安野光雅などを生み出した古い城下町は、タイムスリップした様な落ちついた暮らしぶりが窺えます。