Fondness

What made Matsue so special to me?

There are the people: I have mentioned Hideki and the girls, but I may not forget Terazu-san the chef and owner of Ryokan Terazuya. He and his kind wife gave me good advice and had always an open ear for me. One evening after dinner which he had cooked and served for quite a few guests he asked me to stay on until he would have the dishes cleared away. He then spontaneously gave me a lesson in calligraphy and at the end even presented me with a calligrapher's pen.



Matsue is a pleasant, modern city: I thoroughly enjoyed myself promenading along the shoreline of Shinjiko and often crossed the Ohashi bridge to the city center. The wide open spaces let you breathe easy.




Small is beautiful: I have a notion for small shops where you can buy goods in small quantities and not prepacked - and I found a lot of the in Matsue: the florist opposite the street from the the greengrocer and another shop dealing with a variety of food and spices just round the corner.
One morning on my way to the station I met two women heavily loaded with flowers for a market and when I returned in the late afternoon I met them again now with empty creels but the same lovely smile.

The days of Ozu and his films are past but the spirit, I believe, I found in Matsue.