This vintage (but fully functional!) handwritten map shows where the post office, cigarette store, liquor store, electric store, gas station, doctor’s office, temple, junior high school, and koban (small police station) are located. There are no convenience stores, like Seven Eleven.
But it was okay! We didn’t need it!
Once we arrived at the Muikaichi Onsen around noon, we met Kasuya-san, the local guide from Yoshika town. He and his crew led us by car to the special Suigen Park, full of ponds that flow to Takatsu River and out to the Japan Sea.
Fun Fact: The Nishiki River flows to the Seto Inland Sea.
At the Suigen Park (water source park), there was a beautiful pond called “Big Snake Pond” (or Big Dragon Pond). This pond is one of nearly 100 clear water sources running through Shimane Prefecture. There is also a huge ipponsugi, a big cedar tree more than 20 meters in height and over 1,000 years old, surrounded by grass as tall as 5 meters. Unfortunately however, this particular ipponsugi is broken.