Sekijuku
25/04/2019 / Last updated : 11/02/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Muroji and Hasedera Temples plus Sekijuku　室生寺、長谷寺、関宿

Day 83, November 2016, Muroji Temple　　室生寺 We wake to a chilly morning after a quiet night but, thankfully, the weather is brighter. I discover the michi no eki Udaji Muro has a river behind it, the Uragawa, and I watch the egrets and a cormorant. After breakfast, we move out towards Muroji, a temple that used to be exclusively for women as Koyasan was forbidden to females. After parking the car near Muroji, we wander through the village a little, then over a red arched bridge and, turning right, enter the temple. Passing through the gate, we note that the guardians, Niosama, are nothing extraordinary. A steep flight of steps leads you […]
Kinpusenji Zaodo
24/04/2019 / Last updated : 11/02/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Mt.Yoshino – Kinpusenji and a walk up to Mikunari Shrine 　吉野山

Day 82, November 2016, Yoshinoyama Kinpusenji Temple　　吉野山金峯山寺 Another chilly, damp morning and the rain, despite a contrary forecast, starts before we set off for Mt.Yoshino. We decide to walk in rain suits, if necessary, but when we arrive, the rain has stopped though it is still decidedly chilly. We park in a huge, empty car park and set off uphill for Kinpusenji Zaodo. Kinpusenji Zaoudo is the second largest wooden building after Todaiji temple. It is just as impressive as I remember it from our first motorcycle journey, in cherry blossom season, well over 30 years ago. D. is struck by the huge, wooden pillars that are labeled as wood […]
Koyasan Chumon
09/04/2019 / Last updated : 19/02/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Koyasan – Kongobuji and Jisonin　高野山

Day 81, November 2016, Due to the revving of car engines and people chattering, I wake early on a damp misty morning to discover that michi no eki Kudoyama is a meeting point for Suzuki Jimny fans. More and more of the 660 cc. jeeps were arriving every minute, I had no idea they were so popular. We leave the michi no eki and head for Koyasan as the rain arrives. I can feel my muscles complaining as I swing from side to side, winding the car round the incessant bends. I don’t think I have ever felt that sensation before in all my years of driving. Is it the […]
Tanize Suspension Bridge
29/03/2019 / Last updated : 11/02/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Tamaki Shrine and Tanize Suspension Bridge　玉置神社

Day 80, November 2016, Another damp, chilly morning, the hills are draped in mist but the higher peaks are in sunshine. Unfortunately, we are deep in shade in a river valley. The river itself is mostly lost in the sea of gravel that forms its bed. We depart, heading for some elusive shrine up the hillside. Tamaki Jinja (Shrine) When we arrive at the spot where the footpath to the shrine begins, the road is very narrow and there is absolutely nowhere to park so, we give up. As we descend, we pass a local bus going up and realize that the only way to access the shrine is by […]
Iwashimizu Hachimangu
23/02/2019 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Iwashimizu Hachimangu　石清水八幡宮

Summer 2018, Lake Biwa Ohashi　　琵琶湖大橋 Usuzumi Sakura no Sato is an excellent place. It has an large, clean, interesting, if a little kitsch, onsen. There is parking for perhaps 100 cars, but we were the only souls there. It is surrounded by misty mountains but, has a large, flat, grassy area. Much recommended. Today, we make for Kyoto and Iwashimizu Hachimangu. The early part of a damp day, is a drive through pleasant scenery that deteriorates as the land flattens out towards Lake Biwa. The lake, as we approach, looks very mysterious; wreathed in cloud and mist, with towering grey skies. Further south, crossing the toll bridge and stopping at […]