17/03/2019 / Last updated : 12/05/2026 d.d Hiking / Walking

Kumano Kodo Trail-Nakahechi, Daimonzaka 　熊野古道中辺路大門坂

Day 77, November 2016, After another warm night and a cloudy morning, with only a hint of sunshine, we make directly to another kodo (Nakahechi), Daimonzaka. This trail heads up to Kumano Nachi Taisha and Seigantoji temple. The latter being the Buddhist temple attached to the Shinto shrine. Temples and shrines used to be more aligned, especially the Shugendo sect of mountain ascetics which bridged the two beliefs. This alignment was suppressed after the Meiji Restoration though some twin arrangements survive. Daimonzaka (Kumano Kodo Nakahechi) After a short walk along the road from the car park, we find the entrance to the kodo. This is marked by a couple of […]

17/03/2019 / Last updated : 11/02/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Ise JIngu -Ise Grand Shrine　伊勢神宮

Day 75, November 2016, A very warm night, we had no need of sleeping bags or extra blankets. We arrive at Ise Jingu around 9:30 or 10. There is a free car park, with space available, though there are a lot of people around for a Monday morning. We realize later that our navi, as usual, has delivered us to the back gate. Ise Jingu Geku　伊勢神宮外宮 The shrine itself is so plain as to be an exercise in boredom. The style is simple. Some large trees, some very large trees, a lot of open space, plain, newish, wooden buildings with neat, newly thatched roofs and loads of gravel. At the […]

01/03/2019 / Last updated : 12/05/2026 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Izushi – stork revival 出石

Summer 2018, Tajimarakuza, michi no eki, does not improve with familiarity. In mitigation, I should mention that the old building is undergoing refurbishment. So, it may be better in a few months, say Spring 2019. Izushi – stork revival From Tajimarakuza, we take a look around the nearby town of Izushi, famous for porcelain, sara-soba, an old clock tower ‘Shinkoro’ and storks. Here, some traditional buildings remain plus the foundations of the castle. These castle foundations are jumbled with an Inari (fox) shrine. Interesting enough. Izushi is only a half hour drive from the famous Kinosaki hot spring, and 2 hours from Himeji and its famous castle. As we […]

23/02/2019 / Last updated : 16/05/2026 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 […]

05/02/2019 / Last updated : 16/05/2026 d.d Temple / Shrine

Michi-no-eki Myogi and Chichibu　秩父

Summer 2018, Michi-no-eki Myogi As expected Myogi RS. turned out to be hot and steamy. There was also some revving of engines and high speed comings and goings. So D. told me. I confess, I slept through most of it. We learn later that Myogi is something of a Mecca for Bosozoku so perhaps it is not such a good place for shachuhaku(sleep in a car) even if handy for Tokyo. The michi-no-eki itself is fine, overhung by the rock massif of Mt. Myogi. Halfway up, on a crag, there is a clear white kanji ‘Dai’. This, I am told, denotes a shrine; which I am disinclined to visit. Chichibu […]

28/01/2019 / Last updated : 10/02/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Yatsugatake Highlands and Suwa Taisha　八ヶ岳、諏訪大社

Day 69, November 2016, Kiyosato Highland　　清里高原 A very wet night but, we woke to a warm morning of weak sunshine, golden hills and Onbashira paraphernalia. Onbashira is the crazy festival, held every 7 years, when the locals ride tree trunks down a very steep hillside, hoping not to get killed. We decide to visit Kiyosato Highland, a place D. used to visit as a child. As the road starts to climb, the clouds roll in and cover everything. This mist lends a truly mysterious air to the larch forests and we drive gently through mist wreathed trees. Sometimes, we stop at viewing spots or parking places. We can see nothing […]

06/01/2019 / Last updated : 16/03/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Fujisan – Mt.Fuji　　富士山

Day 67、November 2016, Leaving Tokyo Up around 7:30, to get our stuff together and repack the van after 2 nights in Tokyo. At first, we do well heading out of Tokyo but, after entering a long underground section of highway, the navi stops working. It takes a little while for this to become apparent by which time, although still underground, we now have absolutely no idea where we are. We have to surface to establish our whereabouts. It turns out we are around Aoyama and we join the Tomei highway. This was not the one we planned to use but, it is not so congested and soon we can see […]

30/12/2018 / Last updated : 16/03/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Togakushi to Zenkoji 　戸隠から善光寺

Day 62, November 2016 Numata River Terracing Yes, there is ice on the windscreen but the damp towels hanging on the wing mirrors are not frozen solid. The temperature did not drop that low. After breakfast, as this area is a famous example of river terracing, we walk across the carpark of michi-no-eki Shirasawa to an observation point. Unfortunately, as is the all too common with viewing points, the trees, planted as landscaping, have grown so as to completely obscure the view they were supposed to compliment. The viewing point is, as a result, pointless. As we drive out of Numata on R.120, however we get an idea of this […]