12/05/2019 / Last updated : 11/02/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Kurashiki and Hiruzen Highlands　倉敷、蒜山高原

Day 90, December 2016, A blustery morning with leaves flying everywhere, the michi no eki Ipponmatsu Tenboen is busy with trucks coming and going but not much other activity until a JA market opens selling vegetables, mikan and kaki (persimmon). Behind the michi no eki building there is a view down over a wide, flat valley and beyond to a wider flatter sea. The shining fields stretching to the far hills appear to be salt beds and there are clearly canals running from the sea. Some fields are flooded but others appear black. I thought, at first, they were solar panels but there are no connecting power lines so they […]

08/05/2019 / Last updated : 11/02/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Himeji, The White Heron Castle 姫路城

Days 87, 88 and 89, December 2016, After 3 days in Kyoto visiting old friends and some of our favourite places – Kiyomizudera, Maruyama Park, Tetsugaku no michi and Manshuin to name a few – we headed out of Kyoto and followed R. 9 as the weather deteriorated. Finally we stopped at Yoka Tajima no kura michi no eki for a hot bath and to sleep for the night. We wake to weak sunshine, mist in the hollows and steam rising everywhere as we set off for Himeji. The views are wonderful with the mist rising and the sun trying to assert its supremacy; sumie scenes all around. Takeda Castle […]

05/05/2019 / Last updated : 11/02/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Kyoto Miyama-Hanase-Kurama　美山、花背、鞍馬

Day 85, December 2016, We leave michi-no-eki Galleria Kameoka and follow Route 9, heading away from Kyoto. There is a solid line of traffic in both directions. Kameoka, seen from this perspective, consists of a line of Pachinko parlours, used car lots, fast food joints and petrol stations. This is lucky, as we fill up with relatively cheap fuel and head off towards Obama and Miyama. Miyama This area of Kyoto prefecture is unfamiliar to me with its pretty streams, in the wide valley bottoms, and the picturesque villages, hugging the hills that rise out of them. We discover our intended onsen of the night before – a very long […]

27/04/2019 / Last updated : 11/02/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Criss-crossing Lake Biwa to Hieizan Enryakuji　琵琶湖、比叡山延暦寺

Day 84, November 2016, Lake Biwa Ohashi Yet another chill morning, the sun is up but not very effective, as we set off for Hieizan. The countryside is flat and the roads straight, as we approach Lake Biwa. The landscape is mainly agricultural with large factories dotted about. Closer to the lake, we can see the mountain peaks rising above the clouds on the other side. After crossing the toll bridge, to the Kyoto side, we stop at the michi no eki ‘Lake Biwa Ohashi kome Plaza‘ to take a look at the lake. Sadly, the lake cannot really be seen. After taking the wrong exit out of the car […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]