Various excursions are available to experience the history and culture of Shimane Prefecture and Japan during APCFS2024. Please see below and register below.

Course 1. Izumo Grand Shrine

Date	25 November 2024 (1 Day)
Schedule	12:50　Meeting at Kunibiki Messe
	13:00　Depart from Kunibiki Messe by chartered bus
	14:00　Visit at Izumo Grand Shrine Izumo Grand Shrine (Izumo Taisha) is one of Japan's most important shrines, located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, a one hour train ride west of Matsue. There are no records of exactly when Izumo Taisha was built, but it is often considered the oldest shrine in Japan, being already in existence in the early 700s as revealed by the nation's oldest chronicles.
	16:00　Visit at Hinomisaki Light House *If the weather is rainy, the place to visit will be changed to Izumo History Museum.
	18:00　Arrive at Matsue Station

Course 2. Mihonoseki-light house and Miho shrine

Date	26 November 2024 (1 Day)
Schedule	13:20　Meeting at Kunibiki Messe
	13:30　Depart from Kunibiki Messe by chartered bus
	14:15　Visit at Mihonoseki light house Mihonoseki Lighthouse is located at the tip of Jizozaki, at the easternmost point of Shimane Peninsula. It was completed in 1898. The area around Jizozaki is part of Daisen-Oki National Park, and is a picturesque location with magnificent views of the Japan Sea. On a clear day it also commands views of the Oki Islands and Mount Daisen.
	15:15　Visit at Miho-Shrine Miho Shrine is located in a port, with Miho Bay unfolding before it and the scent of the ocean drifting through it. The stone paving that lies in front of the shrine’s torii gate turns pale blue when dampened by rain, and is known as Aoishidatami-dori (lit. “the blue-stone-paved street”). The streetscape is reminiscent of ancient times. A god with a deep connection to music is deified at the shrine, and concerts dedicated to the god are also held on the shrine grounds.
	17:00　Arrive at Matsue Station

Course 3. Ancient Tatara Iron works

Date	27 November 2024 (1 Day)
Schedule	12:50　Meeting at Kunibiki Messe
	13:00　Depart from Kunibiki Messe by chartered bus
	14:00　Visit at Iron History Museum
	16:00　Visit at Sugaya Tatara Sannai Sannai is the general term for the area where people engaged in tatara iron manufacturing, an ancient Japanese iron-making method, worked and lived daily. Tatara ironworks is a traditional method for smelting iron composites via simultaneous combustion of iron-sand and charcoal. This method remains the only method that can produce Tamahagane, a special type of steel used for sword crafting, even to this day. Tatara ironworks had long been operated around the Chugoku Mountains, as the area is abundant in natural resources conducive to ironmaking. The region is rich in granite, for example, which contains high-quality iron-sand. The large areas of forests also allowed for an ample charcoal supply required in the smelting process during ironmaking. This region once flourished as a center of iron production. At its peak, between the late Edo period and early Meiji period (late 18th century to the 19th century), 90% of total domestic iron production took place in this region. The town of Yoshida, Unnan City, was the home of the Tanabe family; it was the most influential business family in the Tatara business in this region.
	18:00　Arrive at Matsue Station

Course 4. Adachi Museum of Art

Date	28 November 2024 (1 Day)
Schedule	13:00　Meeting at Kunibiki Messe
	13:10　Depart from Kunibiki Messe by chartered bus
	14:00　Visit at Adachi Museum of Art An art museum opened in 1970 based on the collection collected by Zenko Adachi, a businessman from Yasugi City. In addition to viewing the masterpieces of Japan’s leading painters such as Taikan Yokoyama, the master of Japanese painting, Seiho Takeuchi, Gyokudo Kawai, and Shoen Uemura, At the Rosanjin Hall, which opened in 2020, many masterpieces such as ceramics and calligraphy by Rosanjin Kitaoji are on display. In addition, the vast Japanese garden of 165,000 square meters is also a highlight. A variety of gardens, such as a dry landscape garden, a white gravel and pine garden, a moss garden, and a pond garden, show beautiful expressions throughout the four seasons. Since 2003, it has been ranked as “Japan’s No. 1” in a series of rankings by American magazines specializing in Japanese gardens, and has received high praise from overseas as well.
	18:00　Arrive at Matsue Station
	18:30　Arrive at Yuushien (Banquet venue)

写真提供：足立美術館