The green pigeons on Terugasaki Beach were quite a sight to see, but since I had gone all the way to Oiso, I thought it would be a bad idea to go back just for that, so I went for a short walk around the area.
Fuji on a clear day, but it was cloudy that day. Well, thanks to that, I was able to see the green pigeons without burning to death on the beach.
Oh, and the photographer in the picture is a fellow photographer who came here to take pictures of green pigeons.
The photographer in the picture is a member of the “same profession” who came to take pictures of the green pigeons.
This one, which caught my eye because it is located at the entrance to Terugasaki Beach from the national highway, is the Japanese sweets store Shinkine.
I was so taken by the majestic appearance that I stopped by the store as well as taking pictures.
The interior of the store is also quite stately. I asked them to let me take a picture while I bought some sweets as a souvenir.
The large frame in the front of the store is a commemorative gift from the founder of the store when he exhibited at the Chicago Exposition USA. According to the current store owner, he made whiskey bonbons to exhibit. What a high-minded person the first owner must have been!
By the way, Oiso is said to be a place where many influential people visited and built villas during the Meiji and Taisho periods, thanks to the recommendation of Dr. Jun Matsumoto, a famous doctor of the Meiji era, who said “the land of Oiso is good for your health.
Matsumoto Jun…I heard a similar name when I visited places related to Okita Soji the other day. Yes, it was Dr. Ryojun Matsumoto, a military doctor of the Shogunate army, who sheltered Soji in Sendagaya after the Toba Fushimi war. After being captured in defeat, he was pardoned and changed his name to “Jun” and became an authority on Western medicine and a member of the House of Peers.
This is the site of former Prime Minister Hara Takashi’s villa, although it is now in a residential area near the coast where there is nothing to see.
A short walk to the west is this Oiso Town facility.
It is said that Saigyo Houshi, a high priest and poet in the Heian period, visited Oiso and composed this poem here.
Even the heartless can know the beauty of autumn dusk at Shigitatsu-sawa(bird flying swamp)
I am a man far from literature, but even I can understand this Waka-poem. Since then, many poets and haiku poets have loved the beauty of Shigitatsu-sawa in Oiso. In the Edo period, haiku poet Oyodo Michikaze built a haikai dojo called Shigitasu-an here, and generations of hermits inherited the place, which is now used as a facility run by the town of Oiso for meetings, study, exhibitions, and other events.
No, but the atmosphere is quite different from that of a so-called “public community center”.
Oiso, beloved by doctors, politicians, literati, and bluebirds alike, is deep.
The name of the quaint place called Shigitatsu-sawa is quite charming, and was used by a fashionable local pastry shop.
Another quaint cut through the side of Atago Shrine.
It’s hard to see in the dark, but the high ground on the left is the shrine grounds. The summer festival seemed to be coming soon, and people around town were busy preparing decorations.
Of course, Oiso is not just a town that was “once great” in the Heian, Edo, or Meiji periods.
A nice and stylish book/general store and cafe I found near Oiso Station, renovated from an old private house.
I would have liked to take my time stopping by, but due to various reasons, I left after just one photo that day. Maybe some other time.
I only walked for about an hour in the small area between the station and the beach, but the walk in Oiso was quite enjoyable. I found a little sunshine, so I ended up with this photo, which has a little bit of a rustic flavor.
Viva Oiso!
Thanks for watching to the end.
