Matsue

There's an interesting travel article on the city of Matsue in the southeastern part of Honshu, whic is the former home of author Lafcadio Hearn, who was famous for collecting Japanese folk tales for prosperity:

For many Japanese, Mr. Hearn’s appeal lies in the glimpses he offered of an older, more mystical Japan lost during the country’s hectic plunge into Western-style industrialization and nation building. His books are treasured here as a trove of legends and folk tales that otherwise might have vanished because no Japanese had bothered to record them.

Click here to read the entire article.