06/07/2023 / Last updated : 06/07/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Daizenji – Grape Temple and Shosen-kyo　大善寺、昇仙峡

April 14th. 2023 Michi no eki Otaki onsen We spent the night at michi no eki Otaki onsen. It was a Thursday night so the onsen was closed as was the restaurant. There is a F. Mart open until 10 pm but that is on another level up there with the road. The michi no eki car park etc. are below, deeper in the gorge. The first impression of the place is grim concrete, especially as a section of the parking is under the parking for the convenience store above. The michi no eki is connected to the F. Mart by a rusting spiral staircase. The facilities are also under […]

22/06/2023 / Last updated : 22/06/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Nomizo Waterfall and Naritasan Shinsho-ji　濃溝の滝、成田山新勝寺

April 10th. 2023 Very good quiet night at Rosemary Park. In the morning we walk around the other section of the michi no eki. This is the, now abandoned, Shakespeare Park. This consists of a few replica Elizabethan buildings and a small formal garden in a state of some decay. Nomizo waterfall and Kameiwa cave From the michi no eki we drive to Nomizo waterfall and cave. From the parking area there is a short walk and then some steps down to a stream that less than cascades through a natural arch. This forms a pleasing and photogenic scene. Apparently, in the early morning at the equinox you can see […]

18/06/2023 / Last updated : 02/07/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Nokogiriyama Nihon-ji Temple　鋸山日本寺

April 9th. Tokyo Bay Aqua Line Leaving Tokyo via the Aqua Line which we had fondly imagined to be some kind of bridge across Tokyo Bay. It turns out to be a 9.5 kilometre tunnel full of crawling Sunday traffic. After the Umihotaru S.A. it does become a bridge to Chiba side, but the magic has gone. ＊Tokyo Bay Aqua Line ; 3140 yen (car with ETC ; 800 yen) Nokogiriyama Nihon-ji Temple Once in Chiba, a prefecture we are visiting as we have neglected it so far, we head for Nokogiriyama. To climb from the bottom, take the ropeway or drive to the top? That is the question. It […]

16/06/2023 / Last updated : 16/06/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Shibamata Taishakuten and St. Mary’s Cathedral　柴又帝釈天

April. A few days in Tokyo. Some days in Tokyo not by choice but obligation. Nevertheless, some points of interest. Nagatoro　長瀞 We took a trip out to Nagatoro for a picnic. This proved something of a disappointment. It is the head waters of the Arakawa, the large river cutting through Tokyo from Saitama. At Nagatoro, it is not very large, but it flows through a gorge and there are boat rides of the traditional kind. There is a rocky scrubland where the river probably flows when in spate or used to flow in the past. Here you can walk and picnic. It is fine as a respite from the city […]

21/05/2023 / Last updated : 22/05/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Kimiidera, Negoro-ji and Kokawadera temples, Wakayama　紀三井寺

March 29th. Wednesday Onsen no Sato Kamiyama and ferry to Kii Peninsula Onsen no Sato Kamiyama belies first impressions and is a good spot for an overnight. We leave early, as we have a ferry to catch in Tokushima. But first, we stop in Kamiyama to admire and take some pictures of the fine cherry blossom display. The cherry blossom is everywhere along the road. Kamiyama provides free parking, but we are the only vehicle before 9 am on a Wednesday. It is a beautiful morning of bright sunshine. Good viewing weather, but very difficult to capture the delicate beauty of a cascade of blossom without the intrusions of the […]

15/03/2023 / Last updated : 17/04/2026 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Shodoshima, Hoshoin and Hishio no Sato　　醤の郷

Oct. 29th. 2022 & Nov.2025 Osaka Castle Memorial Stones Commemorative Plaza. Osaka Castle Memorial Stones Commemorative Plaza michi no eki provides a restful night. Morning brings the excitement of a lone monkey wandering across the empty car park and along the front of the not yet open michi no eki buildings. A little later, small children with grandparents arrive to wait for the school bus. Here there is a remnant of an earlier Triennale festival. Castle stones with plaques of an esoteric nature entitled “Dynamite Traverse Variations”. These depict the trajectory of shock waves from dynamite blasts traveling through rock, I think. Pulling out we make for Sakate Port, as […]

08/03/2023 / Last updated : 18/03/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Asuka, temples and Cosmos flowers　　飛鳥

Oct. 24th. 25th. 2022, Michi no eki Kudoyama is very good with easy access to Koya san. This, of course, means it will be very busy at weekends. From the michi no eki, we set off for Nara and, prosaically, a coin laundry. Okadera temple In the afternoon we visit Okadera, founded about 1300 years ago. More recently, an enterprising person has set up a car park on the approach to the temple. When we arrive, we assume this is the temple car park, usually free, and are surprised to be charged 500 yen. Walking up to the temple proper, we see a notice informing us that the car park […]

04/03/2023 / Last updated : 18/03/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Dorogawa Onsen, and the wild road to the demon coast　　洞川温泉

Oct. 22nd. 2022, Good night at michi no eki Resti Karako-kagi on the outskirts of Nara. The number of overnight vehicles seems to have increased since our last visit. On leaving, the first thing we do is fill up with fuel. Nara is significantly cheaper than Nagoya. Why should that be? Dorogawa Onsen Full tank, we set off into the mountains to Dorogawa onsen at Tenkawa-mura. This village is the gateway to Ominesan Temple. Well, gateway for males, women are forbidden to approach too close. The onsen village is crowded into a narrow valley so charging for parking is a local industry. We park at Ryusenji Temple, and D. collects a […]