Let me introduce myself . My name is Hitomi Mimaya.

I was born in Takamatsu City. Kagawa Prefecture. Japan on July 31 1984.

I am a first year student at kagawa Junior Callege.

My major is Nutrition.

My hobby is cooking .

PREFACE

Visiting  or living in Shikoku is some thing special Japan has been　

My Favorite Region

Quoted from the Shikoku Bilingual Guidebook by Akiko Takemoto and Steve McCarty

Visiting or living in shikoku is something special , for this island has slways been the spiritual sanctuary of the Japn

nease peaple. No other pliritual sanctuary of the Japaneas peaple .No other plase in Japan has been visited by somTany generations of peaple from all over the country.

They have often spent more than 60days walking along the whole circuit of the eighty -eigit temples that compose the longest ,oldest ,oldest and most popular pilgrimage in Japan.Even those who have arrived here in weariness of life ,in unhappiness or weak health, have usually left the island with alighter health, more enlightened ,and in many casews in improved health.

Though today the island is quiete accessible and travering around it can be very easy,some of the

Kagawa

Takamatsu City

-the Gateway to Shikoku-

Takamatsu is the capital of Kagawa Prefecture,which has tabitionally been called the gateway to Sikoku, with the whole land of the prefecture jutting out into the Seto lInland Sea like a prch.

JR Takamatsu Station next to Takamatsu Harbor is the terinal of the Kotoku Line for Tokushima Pref ., the Yosan Line for Ehime Pref. and the Dosan Line for kochi Pref.,while serving as the bus terminal to Tokushima, Matsuyama and Kochi City. Takamatsu Chikko just opposite JR Station is the shetrminal of Kotoden trams to and from Seoul, Korea.

Another place in Takamatsu appropriate as agateway to Shikoku is the Takamatsu Heike Monogatari Historical Museum that features not onli thefamous historical literature calledheike Monoga tari but also about 50 great historical figures closely associated with Shikoku.

Takamatsu became the capital in 1587 wite the advent of lord ikoma I as governor of sanuki Province. the castle he buite on the harbor wassucceeded by 4generations of matsudaira lprds, governing Takamatsu Province with a fite of 120,000 koku.

One ninth of the former castle ground is preservend as Tamamo Koen Park across the street from JR Takamatsu Station. The dojon is gone, but two of the 15turrets and Mizute Gomon Gate from the 17th century (Important Cultural Properties) survived the air raid in 1945. Admission:100.

Traditionally the popular sightseeng spots in Takamatsu are Ritsurin Koen Park near downtown and Yashima Plateau overlooking the c ity and the Inland Sea. They are accessible by bus or tram, with terminals at Takamatsu Chikko Just oposite JR Station.

Ritsurin Koen Park

30 minutes' walk from JR Takamatsu Station .

The busy street in front of JRTakamatsu is the main street of downtown Takamatsu, and leads to the main gate to Ritsurin koen Park, a National Special Scenic Spot. This spacious garden laid out withshapely mounds, cool ponds and dbout 160 Varietien of trees and fiowers prvides aclassic example of a Japanese garden or even aChinese Taoist paradise fit formeditation.

Originally it belonged to a local warlrd, and then to Lord Ikoma. When it was transferred to the Matsudairas, theyspent five generations developing it into a larger stoll-type garden for their villa.

Seasonal charms of flowers and blossoms such as ume (Japaneas plum blossoms ) in Feverary, camellias in March,cherry blossoms in Aplil, wisteria and azaleas in May, lrises and waterlilies in June, giant lotuses in August,and Japanese bush clover in September, and b rilliant maple leaves in November add to the pleasure of stolling.

kikugetsu -tei ,one of the pond -side teahouses ,was originally one of the Matudairas formal buildings. Themuseum just insaide themain gate houses avariety of mostly local handicafts. there is azoo, too,inside the gate.

Open daily. Admission to the park :About \300.

Bus:30 mintes'ride from Chikko to the terminal (kotoden bus for Yashima -Sanjo or Yashima

Tram+cadle:30 minutes' tram ride from Chikko to Yashima (Shido-sen Line )+5mnutes' cadle-car ride.

Yashima, a pine -wooded tableland to the northeast of downtoun Takamatsu ,is one of the world' rare lave mesas ,about 290 m high,3 km wide jutting 5 km out into the sea.

The hilltop, overlooking the archipelago of the Inland Sea ,features Yashima -ji an aquarium and observatories, Dankorei commands a vies of the inlet fringet with memorials to the Gennpeyi War fought beteen the two rivat clans, the Minamotos and the Tairas).

Once a British poet ,Edumud Blunden, visited yashima and wrote a poem that was engraved on a stone here at Dankorei observatory:

Like along roof ,men say,and will they say,

This hill of warrior ghots surmounts the plain...

In 794 Kyoto became the capital of Japan and it enjoyed peace for about 350years (811-14155)-The longest peace

Japan has ever attaind in her history.

The last 30 years of this period ,however ,were far from peaceful

In 1156 the first battle took place in the capital , thus opening up a up a new era dominatedby martial emotionns.Two martia;ｃｌａｎｓ　　ｔｈｅ　　Ｍｉｎａｍｏｔｏ　ａｎｄ　Ｔａｉｒａ　ｃｌａｎｓ−ｂｅｇａｎ　ｔｏ　ａｃｑｕｉｒｅ　ｇｒｅａｔｅｒ　ｉｎｔｏｒｏｄｕｃｅ　ｉｎ　ｐｏｌｉｔｉｓ

ｔｈｅ　ｎａｍｅ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　Ｅｍｐｅｒｏｒ　’’ｏｒ　ｔｈｅ　Ｅｍｐｅｒｏｒ　ｏｒ　ｔｈｅ　Ｅｘ−Ｅｍｐｅｏｒ．

　Ｉｎ　1159，ｔｈｅ　Ｔａｉｒａｓ　ｓｕｃｃｅｅｄｅｄ　ｔｅｍｐｏｒａｉｌｙ　ｉｎ　ｓｔａｖｉｎｇ　ｏｆｆ　ｔｈｅ　Ｍｉｎａｍｏｔｏｓ　．Ｔｈｅ　20　ｙｅａｒｓ　ｔｈａｔ　ｆｏｌｌｏｗｅｄ　ｓａｗ　ｔｈｅ　Ｔａｉｒａｓ　ｒｉｓｅ　ｔｏ　ｉｎｃｒｅａｓｉｎｇｌｙ　ｃｏｎｔｒｏｌ　ｔｈｅ　Ｉｍｐｅｒｏｒｏｓ　，ｐｏｗｅｒｆｕｌ　ｐｒｉｅｓｔｓ，ｗａｒｒｉｏｒｓ　ａｎｄ　ｌｏｒｄｓ，　ｔｏ　ｓａｙ　ｎｏｔｈｉｎｇ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　Ｍｉｎａｍｏｔｏｓ　ｉｎ　ｅｘｉｌｅ．

　Ｉｎ　1181　ｔｈｅ　ｐａｔｒｉａｒｃｈ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｌａｎ　Ｔａｉｒａ　ｎｏ　ｋｉｙｏｍｏｒｉ　ｄｉｅｄ　ｊｕｓｔ　ｗｈｅｎ　ｔｈｅ　Ｔａｉｒａｓ　ｆａｉｒａｓ　ｆａｃｅｄ　

kiyomori dide just when the Tairas faced more battles against the Minanotos, who were gradually consolidating therer power.

In 1183 the Tairas werw driven from the Capital along with the 6-year -old Emperor Antoku and his mother ,who was kiyomoris gaughter. They wandered far in searh of supporters ,while fighting losing battles .

Now in 1185 ,Minamoto no Yoshitune attacked the remaining Tairas here at Yashima, then at Dan- no-ura in the westernmost corner of the Inland Sea, where the poud Taira finally fell,the noblewomen casting themselves into the sea with the child Emperor Antoku.

Thus the age of ancist nobility yielded to the age ｏｆ　Ｓｈｏｇｕｎｓ．

　Ｙａｓｈｉｍａ−ｊｉ　Ｔｅｍｐｌｅ　ｔｒｅａｓｕｒｅｓ　ｉｎ　ｉｔｓ　ｍｕｓｅｕｍ　ａ　ｆｏｌｄｉｎｇ　ｓｃｒｅｅｎ　ｄｅｐｉｃｔｉｎｇ　ｈｅｒｅ　ｆｏｒ　ｔｈｅ　ｒｅｐｏｓｅ　ｏｆ　

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