Horikawa

Lateron I went round delightful little shops for some souvenirs before I came to the departure point of the Horikawa Pleasure Boat. Matsue which is surrounded by water, has been called "Water City" or "Venice of the East" because of her intrinsic system of canals. Horikawa, the castle moat was once protecting the castle and its surroundings as well as used for transporting goods and as water source. The rich fishing ground provided also excellent food.
Along with me a large group of Japanese arrived and so I was put on a special boat all by myself with a boatman-guide fluent enough in English to point out the characteristics of each of the 16 different bridges which we passed. While cruising I could see a lot of scenic beauty, water birds, turtles and fish in the flowing water and even a white heron looking for its prey. At some houses, there were still steps leading to the water‘s surface, where vegetable could be cleaned or water fetched.
The sun was just about setting at the end of my 50 minutes cruise.