-- From Kyoto to Takayama
The road tracklog
from Kyoto to Takayama
from 2011/01/03 to 2011/01/09
Fukui-Eihei-ji
Monday January 03, 2011 always by a beautiful cold and sunny morning I went by train to Fukui, 168 km away from Kyoto, then thirty minutes by bus to arrive at Eihei-ji Temple -Temple of eternal Peace-. It was founded by the great Zen master Dogen Zenji of the sect of Soto Zen in 1244. Currently approximately 150 monks follow the strict Zen rule transmitted since the 13th century. The whole of buildings is visited by following a arrow route and supervised by monks. In this day of beginning of year the crowd of families in pilgrimage was numerous and happy.
Lantern
Eihei-ji
03/01/2011
Sanshokaku
Eihei-ji
03/01/2011
Monk
Eihei-ji
03/01/2011
Butsuden
Eihei-ji
03/01/2011
Shorodo
Eihei-ji
03/01/2011
Daishidoden
Eihei-ji
03/01/2011
At the end of the tour a dozen Buddhist maxims were posted, I give two of them particularly by the way after the massacres of Christians in Islam land.
Eihei-ji
03/01/2011
Eihei-ji
03/01/2011
Ise-Jingu
The next day I had programmed the visit of the temple of the Sun goddess Amaterasu, supposed to be the ancestor of the Imperial Family of Japan. This day included during the time of the Japanese vacation was a true pilgrimage at the source of the Shinto religion with thousands of Japaneses. From Kyoto to Kyoto the duration of the trip was of almost twelve hours of train, change at Nagoya, of bus and of queue to see in thirty seconds a door behind which the temple of the goddess hid that the vulgum pecus could not see. Only the Imperial Family is allowed in the Holy of Holies -naos-
Ise Jingu
04/01/2011
Ise Jingu
04/01/2011
Before passing under a Torii the use of Shinto requires ablutions to purify at a trough -chozuya- where using a long ladle -hishaku- one pours some water which one puts in the hollow of a hand by transferring it in the other hand then by rinsing the mouth and by spitting water, on to the ground beside the trough, not into the trough.
Ise Jingu
04/01/2011
Close to a temple there are gravers where monks sell amulets, trinkets, votive paper and other religious trinkets.
Ise Jingu
04/01/2011
Ise Jingu
04/01/2011
In front of the main hall there is a offering box to toss a 10¥ coin there and a rope suspended at a gong to sound it then it is necessary to clap twice in one's own hands and to leave the place to following the followings.
Ise Jingu, No picture
04/01/2011
Only two temples can be approached, Geku and Naiku, without one being able to see them, they are hidden behind a palisade over which the ridge of the temple is seen.
Ise Jingu
04/01/2011
Ise Jingu
04/01/2011
It was a day rich of lesson by being close to natives in their good-spirituality. I went back to Kyoto.
Fushimi-Inari Taisha
On the move towards Nara I jumped off the train to visit the Shinto temple Fushimi-Inari Taisha dedicated to the rice god, his emblem is a fox. A track, lined with hundreds vermilion torii, climbs the hill during four kilometres. They are offerings either private individuals or companies, their name is inscribed on the pillars of the torii. I think that the billboard gives the selling price of a torii according to its sizes. The local tourists were seldom in this last day of holidays.
Fushimi-Inari Taisha
05/01/2011
Fushimi-Inari Taisha
05/01/2011
Fushimi-Inari Taisha
05/01/2011
Fushimi-Inari Taisha
05/01/2011
Nara
I visited Nara under a gloomy weather with some scattered drops of rain, the announced temperature was close to +2°C. It was the first permanent capital of Japan from 710 to 794 before being transferred to Kyoto probably following an small pox epidemic. At that time the influence of China was at its apogee, the city is built according to a grid pattern and Buddhist temples are numerous. Most significant is Todai-ji which is preceded by a colossal gate. The temple houses one of largest Buddha in Japan.
Nara, Nandai-mon
05/01/2011
Nara, Todai-ji
05/01/2011
Nara, Todai-ji, Buddha
05/01/2011
Nara, Todai-ji
05/01/2011
I walked on in the Nara-Köen park from Buddhist temples to Shinto temples in the latter there were like elsewhere shops. I noticed some nuns of great beauties. Finally Kofuku-ji was under a hangar for restoration. At its side a hexagonal pavilion was lonely.
Nara, KasugaTaisha, nonne
05/01/2011
Nara, Kofuku-ji, Hexagonal Pavilion
05/01/2011
Inuyama
On January 6th I took again my trolley by pulling it to the train bound for Unuma then after having crossed the bridge spanning Kiso-gawa to the hotel where I spent two nights to see a fourth castle and its neighbourhoods but as a preliminary as of my arrival and after the usual plan I took a bus to go to Meiji-Mura, open-air museum, where buildings of the Meiji era were transplanted for the posterity. Sixty seven buildings were gathered to make a village at the edge of the Lake Iruka. I traversed the site during most of the afternoon under a dubious sky but with beautiful breaks emphasizing various architectures.
The Castle
Inuyama
06/01/2011
Of course it is not possible to show all but with bias I give three examples. The first is a house conceived by a French engineer for the Marquis Tsumichi Saigo. Several buildings were made by European architects.
Marquis Tsugumichi Residence
Inuyama
06/01/2011
Marquis Tsugumichi Residence
Inuyama
06/01/2011
Marquis Tsugumichi Residence
Inuyama
06/01/2011
The second is the Cathedral devoted to St Francis Xavier, the evangelist globe trotter in Asia.
St Francis Xavier's Cathedral
Inuyama
06/01/2011
St Francis Xavier's Cathedral
Inuyama
06/01/2011
St Francis Xavier's Cathedral
Inuyama
06/01/2011
St Francis Xavier's Cathedral
Inuyama
06/01/2011
St Francis Xavier's Cathedral
Inuyama
06/01/2011
The third is a view of the Konasami-jima Lighthouse with a section of wall of Kawasaki Bank in background.
Konasami-jima Lighthouse & Kawasaki Bank
Inuyama
06/01/2011
The site was deserted, there was no cultural animation as era-dress and local tourists were go back to their gainful employments; it was winter.
The second day in Inuyama was still a beautiful sunny and cold day. Walking along Kiso-gawa since the hotel I reached the access of the castle built on a hill overhanging the river. It would have been built on the site of a fort dating back to 1440, the current building dates back to 1537 having survived the various affronts of time, earthquakes and wars. On a base made up of the rock assembly the wooden structure is without nail. The view from the top storey on the surroundings is stunning.
The Castle
Inuyama
07/01/2011
The Castle
Inuyama
07/01/2011
The wooden structure
Inuyama
07/01/2011
The Castle, bird's eye view
Inuyama
07/01/2011
At some metres two small museums exhibit various items as well as puppets and No-masks.
Historical Museum
Inuyama
07/01/2011
Historical Museum
Inuyama
07/01/2011
Karakuri Exhibition, marionette
Inuyama
07/01/2011
Karakuri Exhibition, No-mask
Inuyama
07/01/2011
Finally in an adjacent street one of the oldest tea-houses in Japan is located in a garden, dixit the booklet. But in this period out of tourist season it was not possible to take part in a tea-ceremony that the hostess of Ryokan in Matsue offered to me.
Tea Arbor "Jo-an"
Inuyama
07/01/2011
Tea Arbor "Jo-an"
Inuyama
07/01/2011
Takayama
Saturdays January 8 in middle of morning I pull my trolley again along the river to the Unuma station to head to Takayama. The train curved in a splendid valley of which the river and the accesses gradually covered by ice and snow. At the lunch pause local people played with sticks in sushi and sashimi box. The city is surrounded by mountains culminating at approximately 3.000 meters making winter hard with strong precipitations of snow.
Lunch time
en route
08/01/2011
After the usual schem at the time of my arrival in a city I took a bus to go to a Hida Folk Village -Hida No Sato-
Hida Folk Village
Takayama
08/01/2011
The sun was lighting nicely the snow-covered landscape. The village gathers a little more than one score of traditional houses of the area dedicated to destruction but safeguarded for the cultural posterity as a 19th century heritage.
Hida No Sato
Takayama
08/01/2011
Moreover in this winter they were in situation in their natural climatic element, frame worked to support a very thick thatched roof and a layer of snow up to one meter.
Hida No Sato
Takayama
08/01/2011
The house inside is well traditionally cloth to the ground with in the middle of the main part a hearth to maintain a comfortable temperature, to avoid moisture and to move away insects. Some close agrarian tools were exposed as well as sledges as means of transport.
Hida No Sato
Takayama
08/01/2011
Hida Folk Village
Takayama
08/01/2011
Sculpture
Takayama
08/01/2011
Finally the principal piece of furniture was a cupboard which was used as Buddhist altar.
Buddhist Altar
Takayama
08/01/2011
The second day in Takayama was a winter dark day with a cloud-covered sky and scattered snow-falls. Visitors were sparse, the morning market along Miya-gawa had few customers and at the beginning of afternoon streets were empty. However the city has many sights to attract the tourists, in high season, I strolled them by taking refuge close to the air-heaters. Takayama Jinya was the seat of the government of the district from 1692 to 1868. Rooms of the government are empty of furniture but exhibits recall the economic activity of the area with drawings showing the mining and melting process.
Takayama Jinya
Takayama
09/01/2011
Miya-gawa
Takayama
09/01/2011
Streetscape
Takayama
09/01/2011
Yoshijima-ke was built at the beginning of the 20th century by a carpenter master, its visit makes it possible to taste a cup of exceptional shiitake tea.
Yoshijima-ke
Takayama
09/01/2011
Shishi-kaikan is devoted to the Lion masks and puppets with a representation of automats in action.
Shishi Kaikan
Takayama
09/01/2011
Takayama Yatai Kaikan gathers the floats used during the festival of the city, the majority date back to the 17th century. Further away Sakurayama Nikko-ka exhibits small-scale models of the Nikko temples under various daylight controlled by computer.
Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan
Takayama
09/01/2011
Sakurayama Nikko-kan
Takayama
09/01/2011
Finally near to the hotel the Hida Kokubun-ji built originally in the 8th century destroyed many times by fire and constantly rebuilt with the identical one. The current buildings date back to the 16th century. This is only one short outline of this attaching city with the intelligently renovated old quarters.
Hida Kokubun-ji
Takayama
09/01/2011
