Underrated Japan: Why You Should Visit Wakasa, Tottori | Hidden Japan Away From the Crowds

Underrated Japan: Why You Should Visit Wakasa, Tottori | Hidden Japan Away From the Crowds

[Music] good morning today we’re back in Tattorii Prefecture we’re at the small historic town of Wakasa so today we’re going to walk around town check out the local spots have some lunch and then head down to a very unique spot that I think you’ll enjoy all right let’s get to it the charming wooden Wakasa station opened in 1930 is still the terminus of the historic Wakasa Railway complete with its original turntable water tower steam locomotive and carriage if you’re a bit of a train nerd like me this is the perfect place to start your Wakasa exploration you’ll also notice Wakasa’s playful cave people mascots throughout the town which are a nod to its rich folklore of hidden cave [Music] dwellers all right so our first stop is the Showa Toy Museum so it’s full of Japanese retro toys from the Showa period so we’ll go in if you’re a lover of retro stuff let’s go check it [Music] out when we got inside we found it was less museum and more snack/toy shop with a few vintage items on display we definitely have to buy something it didn’t take long to see everything but we somehow ended up leaving with a pair of novelty glasses proof that we have to grow old but we don’t have to grow up could be Just across the road from the toy museum down this alley are these old storehouses so these old storehouses was used to store grain rice and even people’s valuables you can see this old storehouse the mud so they were constructed of mud and rice straw to protect the building from from burning and I think these storehouses were here to actually protect the the temple behind us from fire yeah so it’s interesting [Music] but just like um heater right the old storehouses same thing with the water running down it was so peaceful wandering the Kurdori district along the way we discovered so many small shrines and temples with weathered stone statues and meticulously carved details [Music] yeah they must get a fair bit of snow here in winter these jets here shoot water out and get the [Music] snow and that’s the purpose of these these drains as well so you can shovel the snow back into the into the drain [Music] all right that was our walk around town so we’ve worked up an appetite now it’s time for lunch [Music] so for lunch we’re at Artimus Cafe and Restaurant well Kasa is known for its wild game and this restaurant we went for the deer curry and I’m going to have the deer bolognese so that should be something new hopefully be delicious we’ll see so we got our deer bolognese let’s give this a go very nice all right so I’ve got the deer curry oh it looks really hot oh it just broke apart [Music] see I had a little bit of trepidation when I ordered cuz I’m not a big fan of deer or gy meat but this one has really nice flavor the curry probably helps to cover it a little bit but yeah if you didn’t tell me it was deer I wouldn’t know and it’s so tender oh yeah just breaking apart beautiful m i recommend good m very good yum well that was lunch absolutely delicious at Artemus restaurant uh it’s only a 450 m walk from Wakasa Station um yeah fantastic uh so we had the curry the bolognese tea and orange juice only 2,400 yen very well priced and delicious deer was fantastic all right so just across the river here across this park is the local history museum so we’ll go over there and check that out and then go back into town and find some Japanese sweets samanju okay let’s go [Music] inside the museum we were surprised to find a section dedicated to sumo wrestling one of the friendly museum caretakers was more than happy to tell us about the surrounding area’s ties to Sumo specifically Mongolianborn Tedun Fuji who went to Jaw Hoku Junior High School in Toto and reached the highest rank of Yokuzuna in 2021 there is also a 150year-old wellpreserved traditional Japanese house with a thatched roof it reflects the architectural style of the midtoe period next door is a typical storehouse style building from the Maji era that was used as a bank from 1907 to 1981 inside both buildings you’ll find a unique collection of old farming tools and exhibits relating to the local culture and industry of Wakasa they’re good snowshoes oh yeah oh the bird boxes up here the little nesting boxes uh that’s why so many [Music] birds we had planned to check out the local mandrew shop but unfortunately it was closed we’re not sure if it was just for the day or permanently so we might have to come back and try another day anyway we decided to head straight up the mountain to check out Wakasa Castle Ruins without our sweet treats [Music] from the car park it’s a short walk through the forest to the castle ruins just be careful though the track does narrow in places and there are some sharp drop offs along the side of the track nice sky too [Music] all that remains now like many other castle sites in Japan are just the remnants of the walls the castle was destroyed in 1617 by order of Tokugawa to limit the number of castles per domain [Music] sub so we made it up to Wakasa Castle Ruins come and check out this view absolutely stunning the ruins of Okasa Castle were designated a national historic site in 2008 and are an important part of Okasa’s feudal history so yeah wow masa Castle ruins what a view you imagine the keep up here imagine the view all the way around absolutely stunning all right we’ll get down off this mountain and head to our last destination which is uh absolutely beautiful but you’ll see when we get there let’s go [Music] okay when I said it was our last stop I lied because we cove up the road and when we were in Wakasa we saw a sign saying somebody’s cave i can’t remember the name of it it’s a big long one big long one but anyway we found the turnoff we had to go through a gate and come up here so there’s some little stairs up here and we’ll go up and uh check out this cave what’s going on up here as much of a cave as a just fallen rocks on top of each other oh there’s a little sign in there yeah oh let’s go in here and have a look this is cool [Music] [Music] this cave once sheltered Titanu Neari and his men who were fugitives from the Heika clan they used this area as a hiding place after their defeat in the Genee war [Music] [Music] [Music] we’re walking down to our last stop just like to thank everybody who subscribed to our channel liked our videos much appreciated our last stop of the day Fudoin Iwayo Temple just outside of Wakasa only about a 10-minute drive outside so uh let’s go check it out this impressive temple is a protected national heritage site and is only open to the public twice a year during spring and summer for traditional ceremonies there was a sign on the gate that said if you contact the Wakasa tourist office you can arrange a private tour inside the temple including a rare glimpse of the 12,200year-old carved statue of Fudor Mure one of the most important Buddhist divinities wow what a cool temple haven’t seen one like this before established over,200 years ago amazing all right thanks for joining us today and if you haven’t already subscribed hit that button like and share and we’ll catch you next time bye for now [Music]

The car is packed and we’re off to Wakasa in this episode of hidden spots in Japan. Tucked away in the mountains of Tottori, Wakasa is a small town with fewer than 3,000 residents, but it’s full of surprises! We wandered through its historic Kuradori district, explored quirky local shops and museums, visited ancient shrines, castle ruins and a cave temple.

Wakasa carries its history proudly, so if you’re craving a slower, more curious kind of travel in Japan, Wakasa just might be for you!

Locations in this video:
– Wakasa Railway Station: https://maps.app.goo.gl/DX9fFryNyHj2Xo7H6
– Kuradori preserved street area: https://maps.app.goo.gl/RXQszDa2cLoePUnt9
– Showa Retro Toy Museum: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KQtHrWyEbdXbduzP8
– Fudoin Iwayado Cave Temple: https://maps.app.goo.gl/iTrcXDYCwJqVRuyZ6
– Wakasa Castle Ruins: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zzEJzeKUjzdwefjS6
– Taira no Tsunemori’s hiding cave: https://maps.app.goo.gl/C7BCi5fRSC78M8Uv7

Located in Tottori Prefecture

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