Discover Yurihama: Shrine Festivals, Foot Baths, and Yotsudeami

Discover Yurihama through its distinctive customs and unusual fishing tradition. At Lake Tōgō in Matsuzaki, these include Yotsudeami lift nets; at Matsuzaki Shrine, the focus is on festival traditions and a striking sacred tree. Matsuzaki also has two foot baths with a special feature: you can cook eggs in hot spring water there. Together, the lake, culture, and hot spring water offer different themes for your stay.

Yotsudeami: Lift-Net Fishing

Yotsudeami is a traditional fishing method at Lake Tōgō. A special lift net with four bamboo poles is raised and lowered using a winch from a hut on the shore to catch shrimp and small crucian carp. The process shows how the technique relies on the net's construction and movement: Rather than being cast like an ordinary net, the fishing gear is operated from the shore.

Two Yotsudeami installations have been preserved for tourism along the shore of Matsuzaki. At their peak, there were about 24 or 25 installations. Comparing the approximate historical number with the two surviving nets tells of a much larger fishing landscape in the past. For those interested in local traditions, this is therefore more than a single piece of equipment: it is a method whose installations once shaped the lakeshore.

Shrine Festivals and an Old Calendar

During the summer festival at Matsuzaki Shrine, festival floats make their rounds in the evening of the 14th day of the sixth month according to the old calendar; children's sumo is also performed. This date refers to the old calendar and should not be read as a fixed Gregorian date. The combination of festival floats and children's sumo adds a distinctive focus on the festival's performances alongside its religious occasion.

During the Suigosai at Matsuzaki Shrine, the shrine deity is welcomed by boat at the foot of Kamegatabana Castle. The boat travels around Lake Tōgō to a festival site on the lake. A ritual featuring the Urayasu-no-mai dance takes place there; the date given is July 20. This makes the event quite different from the summer festival: here, the boat ride, lake, and dance are the elements that come together. If you would like to plan your trip around one of the festivals, take the dates given into account and check the exact schedule in advance.

Foot Baths and the Sacred Shiia Tree

At Koi-no-yu and Bishamonten-no-yu foot baths in Matsuzaki, you can cook eggs in hot spring water. Both places offer this experience, making the eggs a tangible way to enjoy the spring water. Check the current facilities locally before planning your visit.

Another kind of landmark is the sacred Shiia tree on the grounds of Matsuzaki Shrine. It is estimated to be about 350 years old; its trunk circumference is 6 meters and its height is 15 meters. The circumference and height give two different measures of the tree's size: the trunk circumference describes its width, while the height shows its vertical extent. For a stay that also takes an interest in nature and places steeped in tradition, the tree complements the themes of festivals and fishing as a striking natural landmark in its own right.

Getting There and Choosing the Focus of Your Trip

Travel from Okayama is described as taking about three hours by Limited Express Super Inaba, changing trains in Tottori. You can get off at Matsuzaki Station or Kurayoshi Station; from either, the onward journey by taxi or car takes about ten minutes. Check train connections and schedules separately before your trip.

The focus of your trip can help you choose a vacation rental: if you would like to plan around a festival, the dates matter; if you are mainly interested in Yotsudeami, fishing techniques and the landscape take center stage. This way, your search for suitable accommodation begins with what you would like to experience in Yurihama, rather than with a general idea of what your stay might be like.

For the broader travel overview: Tohaku District.