Life with hubby

My hubby often goes on business trips abroad. Sometimes, during those days, I go and stay at our home in Ichinomiya City. He made an overseas travel in mid-September, and I stayed for a few days in Ichinomiya. On the night of 8th September, while preparing for his trip, we casually looked out of the window of our home in Yurihonjo City and saw a superb bright full moon in the sky. Later I realized that it was Tsukimi moon viewing day in Japan. It is also called the autumn harvest moon. According to Japanese mythology, the dark parts on the surface of the harvest moon resemble a rabbit pounding Mochi rice cakes. I have not been able to trace the rabbit yet. Probably with some help, I might.

Moon as seen from the window of our home

Hubby’s overseas travel was postponed by a couple of days. He left for business trip on 15th September, and I accompanied him up to Narita Airport. After seeing him off, I took a Shinkansen bullet from Tokyo Railway Station and reached Nagoya at about 6 pm. From there I took a local train and reached our home in Ichinomiya at 6.30 pm. I was rather tired due to all the travel that day but I searched for a pair of elderly couple dolls that we had purchased about five years ago. This is because 15th September was the ‘Respect for the Aged Day’ in Japan.

Hubby and I waiting at Narita Airport

Hubby at Narita Airport

Elderly couple dolls

On 16th September, I tended to our small garden located at the back of our home. We usually do not stay in Ichinomiya, so some of the plants we had planted a couple of months ago had dried up. But the plants of corn, eggplant, Shiso, and a few flowers were growing well. I removed two cherry tomato plants as they grew very rapidly and took up a lot of space. I worked in the garden for almost two hours, which was very relaxing.

Two corn plants

Shiso plant

An eggplant

Flowers

The garden after removing two cherry tomato plants

On 17th September, hubby’s sister and her two daughters visited my home in the evening. Nowadays I really look forward to meet my sister-in-law whenever I am in Ichinomiya. This is because I have only had Japanese acquaintances but no real friends in Japan. Being a foreigner, it is really hard for me to make Japanese real friends. This is probably due to the mistrust of foreigners prevalent in the Japanese society. Also Japanese people are busy and are unlikely to invest time for foreigners. My sister-in-law is the only real friend I have in Japan. Now she has become very close to me with whom I can talk about my real feelings in Honne without worrying about the norms and expectations of the Japanese society. Another reason of my liking her a lot is that she has absolutely no trace of Burikko behavior in her. The word Burikko literally translates to ‘pretend like a child’. I have never heard my sister-in-law speak with baby like high-pitched voice and behave in a certain manner which is supposed to be cute and attractive. I think Burikko is a part of Japanese culture, although I am not sure about it. In the past 17 years in Japan, I have come across a remarkably large number of adult women in their 20s to 60s who talk and behave to a certain degree in an infantile manner. It is supposed to be feminine and Kawaii and is apparently attractive to a large number of men. Although I can understand such type of behavior but find it very difficult to appreciate it and make friendship. So I feel extremely fortunate that my sister-in-law is not at all the Burikko type. Love you, Nori-chan. Also, my sister-in-law’s two daughters are really fun to be with. Both the girls are so well behaved and have impeccable manners. Full credit goes to my sister-in-law.

My sister-in-law

My sister-in-law and her family live nearby in Ichinomiya City itself. She visited my home with her daughters at about 5 pm. Sister-in-law presented me an interior photo frame that she made herself. It is so beautiful and gorgeous. 17th September was a school day, so the older daughter of my sister-in-law did some homework assigned to her by her school teacher that day. Afterwards she read a Manga storybook. The younger daughter played a chemistry related card game with me. It was actually fun to play the game. Sister-in-law and I chatted and gossiped about many things.

My sister-in-law presented me an interior photo frame

Younger niece playing with a globe and trying to locate the place where my hubby had gone for the business trip abroad

Younger niece playing a card game with me

Older niece doing her homework assignment

A little help from mother in doing the homework

Homework finished and now it is time to read a Manga storybook

We had dinner at about 7 pm. I made Japanese style curry-rice for dinner. As far as I remember, it was the first time I had cooked for children in my life. So I was a bit worried but my nieces told me that the curry tasted good and they seemed to enjoy the food. I was really relieved and so happy.

Curry-rice and salad for dinner

Nieces praying before having dinner

Younger niece trying some cheese over curry-rice

Almost finished dinner; happy girls

Sister-in-law having dinner

After dinner, my sister-in-law and I chatted for some more time. Later we all had watermelon, played a few more card games, and watched some television program. At 8.30 pm, both the nieces took bath at my home, and looked very relaxed afterwards. But after about half an hour or so, nieces became very sleepy due to a very hectic day. Soon it was time for my sister-in-law and nieces to leave. We all really had a nice time that evening.

My nieces and I having watermelon

Older niece having a slice of watermelon and reading a Manga storybook

Younger niece had five slices of watermelon and was very happy after successfully piling the rinds

Nieces relaxed and sleepy after having bath

On 18th September, I just relaxed at home and tended to the garden. On 19th September, hubby was to return to Japan. So that day I left my Ichinomiya home at about 12 noon, and took a Shinkansen bullet train to Tokyo. I saw Mount Fuji while passing through Shizuoka prefecture. It was the first time I saw Mount Fuji without any snow covering the top of the mountain. From Tokyo Railway Station I took another train and reached Narita Airport. I was in time to meet hubby at the arrival area of the airport. The same day we returned to Akita, and now we both are back to our usual routine. Our routine often involves watching movies on weekends at a theater in Akita City. On 21st September, hubby and I saw an English action movie named Non-Stop, which was nice.

Mount Fuji as seen from inside the Shinkansen train

Hubby (left) and his colleague at the arrival area in Narita Airport

Hubby having popcorn before the start of the movie at a theater in Akita City

As I wrote in an earlier post in August, hubby and I had been to Sendai-Izumi Premium Outlets in Sendai City of Miyagi prefecture on 12th July, and later drove up to Yonezawa City in Yamagata prefecture where we stayed for the night. The next morning, we visited Uesugi Jinja Shrine in the city.

Uesugi Jinja Shrine is located on the site of the ruins of Yonezawa Castle in Matsugasaki Park in Yonezawa City of Yamagata prefecture. The shrine was established in 1876 and is dedicated to Uesugi Kenshin, a warlord during Sengoku period and the most prominent Samurai of Uesugi clan. Uesugi Kenshin passed away at Kasugayama Castle in Joetsu City in 1578. During the funeral ceremony, his body was put in a coffin and placed in a tomb in the castle. His successor Uesugi Kagekatsu relocated to Aizu in 1598 and to Yonezawa in 1601 where he founded Yonezawa Domain Uesugi clan. Accordingly the body of Uesugi Kenshin was also moved to Yonezawa Castle. A small Buddhist temple was built in the castle premises in 1612 where Uesugi Kenshin’s body was enshrined in the center along with the statues of Zenkoji Nyorai to the left and Bishamonten to the right. During Meiji period in 1871, the Buddhist temple rites were changed to Shinto style shrine rituals. At that time, Uesugi Yozan was also enshrined along with Uesugi Kenshin in the shrine. Uesugi Yozan was the ninth head of Yonezawa domain Uesugi clan. Yonezawa castle was destroyed by the order of the Meiji government in 1873, and then the shrine buildings were moved to its current location that used to be the inner palace of the main enclosure of the castle in 1876, and thereby Uesugi Jinja Shrine was formally established. In 1902, only Uesugi Kenshin remained enshrined at this shrine because Uesugi Yozan was moved to nearby Matsugasaki Shrine. Uesugi Shrine was burned down in a spreading fire in 1919, following which the present shrine building was designed by the leading expert of shrine architecture named Ito Chuta. The reconstruction of the shrine was completed in 1923. The shrine has a beautiful architectural design and is surrounded by the still intact moats and stone walls of the destroyed Yonezawa Castle. The principal deity enshrined inside the shrine is of Uesugi Kenshin. In addition, the shrine has a variety of important cultural assets.

At about 9 am on the morning of 13th July, hubby and I left the hotel in Yonezawa City where we had stayed overnight and went to Matsugasaki Park where Uesugi Jinja Shrine is located. The park is located just 800 meters north of the hotel and it took us only a few minutes to reach the car parking area of the park. In the park, we walked along a pathway for about 3 minutes and reached the front area of Uesugi Jinja Shrine. There we saw a statue of Uesugi Yozan located on the right side of the pathway. The statue is placed on a stone pedestal and Uesugi Yozan is shown seated in Seiza style.

Hubby standing in front of a map of Uesugi Jinja Shrine precincts

Statue of Uesugi Yozan

Next we started walking leisurely along a paved pathway named Sando that led to the shrine. After about one minute or so, we reached a stone bridge located over the moat of the destroyed Yonezawa Castle. This stone bridge is actually the gateway to the shrine. Standing on the bridge, we enjoyed viewing the water-filled moat and the surroundings. There were a lot of fishes of various colors in the moat and people enjoyed feeding them. We also saw many pigeons gathered at the bridge.

Sando pathway and the stone bridge located over the moat

Water-filled moat as viewed from the stone bridge

People feeding colorful fishes

A pigeon and the moat

We walked across the stone bridge and reached the shrine premises. Towards the end of the stone bridge, we saw two banners located on either side of the bridge. The banner to our left side had the Kanji character of ‘Dragon’ written on it, and the one to our right side had the first character ‘Bi’ of ‘Bishamonten’ written on it. Uesugi Kenshin was a skillful warrior known for being fond of various war banners. The 'Dragon' banner flags were raised on the battlefield when Kenshin wanted his army to charge and attack the enemy. The 'Bishamonten' banner was Kenshin's personal standard and was said to have been reserved for his entrances and victory marches.

'Dragon' (left) and 'Bishamonten' (right) banners

There are many statues and monuments along Sando pathway as well as in the area surrounding the pathway leading to the shrine. We continued walking along the pathway for about 30 steps or so, and then took a slight detour and reached a slightly raised hilly area on the left side of the pathway. There we saw a stone monument named Shokon-hi. The monument was erected in 1878 to invocate the spirits of Samurai warriors and other victims from Yonezawa region who died in Boshin War and Satsuma Rebellion, and also later the warrior victims of Sino-Japanese War and Russo-Japanese War.

I am standing in front of Shokon-hi monument

Adjacent to Shokon-hi monument, we saw a small fenced area enclosing a stone monument named Uesugi Kenshin Shido (Mido) Ato. It is the place where Uesugi Kenshin’s body was enshrined from 1612 to 1876, when it was moved to Uesugi clan’s Mausoleum located about 1.5 kilometers west of the shrine.

Uesugi Kenshin Shido Ato

We walked back to Sando pathway and saw a statue of Uesugi Yozan located along the left side of the pathway. The statue is placed on a stone pedestal and Uesugi Yozan is shown in a standing pose. Next to the statue, there is a stone monument with a famous short Tanka poem composed by Uesugi Yozan inscribed on it. The poem is as follows and roughly translates as ‘where there is a will, there is a way’.

Naseba Naru

Nasaneba Naranu Nanigoto Mo

Naranu Wa Hito No Nasanu Nari Keri

Hubby standing in front of the statue of Uesugi Yozan

A stone monument with the short poem Naseba Naru inscribed on it

Next, we took a slight detour and reached the nearby surrounding area on the right side of Sando pathway. There we saw a grand statue of Uesugi Kenshin who, as described earlier in this post, was one of the most powerful warlords during Sengoku period and in whose name the shrine is dedicated. The statue is placed on a stone pedestal and Uesugi Kenshin is shown in a seated pose.

I am standing in front of the statue of Uesugi Kenshin

Enlarged view of the statue of Uesugi Kenshin

We walked back to Sando pathway and saw a statue named Tenchijin located along the right side of the pathway. The statue is rather new and was inaugurated in 2011. There are two bronze statues shown in a standing pose and are placed on a stone pedestal. One of the statues is of Uesugi Kagekatsu who was the founder of Yonezawa Domain Uesugi clan, and the other statue is of Naoe Kanetsugu who was the chief retainer of Uesugi Kagekatsu. In fact Tenchijin is the name of the 2009 48th NHK Taiga drama which was the dramatization of the life of Naoe Kanetsugu.

Tenchijin - statue of Uesugi Kagekatsu (left) and Naoe Kanetsugu (right)

We walked further along the pathway and saw a doll of Naoe Kanetsugu located along the right side of the pathway. The doll is huge and is enclosed in a glass case. The doll is shown in a seated pose, wearing colorful Samurai armor, and holding a helmet with the Kanji character ‘Ai’ (love) emblazoned on the front of the helmet. This doll is probably a spin-off from the hugely popular NHK drama Tenchijin.

I am standing in front of the doll of Naoe Kanetsugu

We walked a few more steps along Sando pathway and reached an elegant stone Torii Gate. Walking past this gate, we saw Temizuya to our left side. Temizuya is a hand washing basin with a roof supported by four pillars. We washed our hands with water at the basin and purified ourselves. It is a symbolic act to clean the mind and body of impurity. We also enjoyed viewing a small exquisite garden in the surrounding areas of Sando pathway. Afterwards we took rest for some time on a stone bench located next to Temizuya.

Stone Torii Gate

Temizuya

Hubby standing next to a stone monument in the shrine premises

Elegant garden

Hubby sitting on a stone bench and taking rest

We enjoyed viewing the serene and exquisite garden for some more time. Next, we saw yet another Torii Gate along Sando pathway near the garden. This gate is an elegant wooden structure. We walked past this gate and continued walking along the pathway.

Second Torii Gate and Sando pathway

The gate as viewed from the backside

Next we saw a gate named Shinmon which is an impressive roofed construction. This Shinmon Gate is of the type called Karamon with intricate gabled architectural style. The gate is an ornate wooden structure and is connected to a wooden fence called Tamagaki which encloses the shrine. In front of Shinmon Gate, we saw a pair of stone guardian statues located on either side of Sando pathway. These guardian statues are lion-like creatures that are supposed to protect the shrine premises from evil spirits. The statue on the right side of the gate (orientation with respect to the gate) is close-mouthed and is called Ungyo Komainu, while the statue on the left side of the gate is open-mouthed and is called Agyo Shishi. We walked past this gate and entered the most sacred area of the shrine premises.

Shinmon Gate, Tamagaki fence, and guardian statues

Ungyo Komainu (left photo) and Agyo Shishi (right photo)

Hubby standing in front of Shinmon Gate

Shinmon Gate as viewed from the backside

We saw the main prayer hall named Haiden located in the most sacred area of the shrine premises. Haiden Hall is a wooden building with intricately carved roof and ceiling. Thin Shimenawa straw rope hung at the entrance of the hall. On reaching the front of the hall, I rang one of the two bells located just outside the hall. Next, I offered some coins into the offertory box located in front of the hall, clapped my hands twice, and prayed. I prayed for safety as well as for the well being of my family and friends.

Haiden Prayer Hall

I am standing in front of Haiden Hall

Hubby standing in front of the prayer hall

I am ringing one of the bells of the hall

Altar inside the prayer hall

At this point, we finished the tour of Uesugi Jinja Shrine. Next, we visited Yonezawa City Uesugi Museum located adjacent to the shrine. The museum is located on the site of Ninomaru (middle ward) of Yonezawa Castle ruins. The museum houses the historical and cultural heritage of Yonezawa City as well as the historical treasures of Uesugi clan. Many art objects and other articles related to the clan are displayed. Some of them are designated as national treasures. We entered the museum building and saw several exhibits related to the warriors of Uesugi clan displayed in the lobby entrance area of the museum. We loved the display of an exquisite Samurai armor. We also saw a Noh stage as well as a doll in Noh costume exhibited in the lobby area. After enjoying viewing these exhibits in the lobby area, we bought tickets worth 400 Yen per person as admission fee to enter inside the museum hall. We loved seeing so many exhibits related to the history of Yonezawa City as well as Uesugi clan. Unfortunately photography is not allowed inside the museum hall.

I am standing in front of the building of Yonezawa City Uesugi Museum

Several articles related to the warriors of Uesugi clan displayed in the lobby area of the museum

Samurai armor

Display of a Noh stage in the lobby area

A doll in Noh costume

While returning to the car parking area we saw a stone monument with a relief image of an Englishman named Charles Henry Dallas and written inscriptions about him. In 1871, he started teaching English at Kojokan Middle School opened by Uesugi Yozan in Yonezawa. Dallas was the first person to eat Japanese beef because people did not eat meat of four-footed animal those days. He was very much impressed by the taste of the beef he ate in Yonezawa. So upon the expiration of his teaching tenure in 1875, he took one whole cow from Yonezawa as a souvenir for his friends to the Foreign Settlement in Yokohama. The foreigners living there were delighted by its taste. And after that a word about the delicious Yonezawa beef soon spread throughout the country and it became very famous. Nowadays Yonezawa City is well known through out Japan for producing Wagyu beef. Near the car parking area, we saw several restaurants and food stalls selling Yonezawa beef delicacies. We bought skewer-grilled beef from a stall and had them in our car. It was delicious.

Stone monument with a relief of Charles Henry Dallas and written inscriptions about him

A stall selling Yonezawa beef delicacies

Skewer-grilled beef

Hubby having skewer-grilled beef inside our car

We loved visiting Uesugi Jinja Shrine and Yonezawa City Uesugi Museum. Afterwards we visited Uesugi clan’s Mausoleum located about 1.5 kilometers west of the shrine. I will write about the mausoleum in the next post.

As I wrote in the previous post, on 13th July hubby and I had been to Uesugi Jinja Shrine in Yonezawa City of Yamagata prefecture. Afterwards we visited Uesugi Clan Mausoleum located in the same city. Uesugi Clan Mausoleum is the final resting place for a long line of the Uesugi Clan. The tomb of the clan founder, Uesugi Kenshin, is located in the center of the mausoleum. And the tombs housing the remains of up to 12 generations of his descendants, who were the lords of Yonezawa domain Uesugi Clan, are spread out to both sides of the central tomb. A small shrine is built on each tomb. Uesugi Clan Mausoleum is spread over an area of two hectares, and covers 110 meters from east to west and 181 meters from south to north. The mausoleum was designated as a national important cultural asset in January 1984.

At about 2 pm on the afternoon of 13th July, hubby and I left Uesugi Jinja Shrine and next visited Uesugi Clan Mausoleum. The mausoleum is located just 1.5 kilometers west of Uesugi Shrine, and it took us only a few minutes of car ride to reach the car parking area located adjacent to the mausoleum. We walked up to the entrance area of the mausoleum, and saw ‘Uesugi Bamboo’ crest adorned on a banner that is displayed at the entrance gate of the mausoleum. ‘Uesugi Bamboo’ was the family crest of Uesugi Clan, and the crest is also known as ‘Bamboo and Sparrow’ crest because it is a combination of bamboo and sparrows. We loved the design of the crest.

I am standing in front of the entrance gate of Uesugi Clan Mausoleum

‘Uesugi Bamboo’ crest adorned on a banner displayed at the entrance gate

‘Uesugi Bamboo’ crest

We walked past the entrance gate and entered inside the mausoleum premises. Inside the premises, we saw a ticket counter located to our left side just next to the entrance area. We bought tickets worth 350 yen per person as admission fee to enter further into the premises. Next we walked along a gravel pathway surrounded by huge cryptomeria trees all around. In fact, the tomb-shrines are located in the midst of a dense cryptomeria grove which provides a hushed and tranquil atmosphere to the sacred site of the mausoleum. While walking, we also saw blooming hydrangea flowers along the pathway.

Hubby standing on the gravel pathway surrounded by huge cryptomeria trees inside the mausoleum premises

I am standing on the gravel pathway

I am standing next to blue blooming hydrangea flowers

Towards the end of the 100 meters long gravel pathway, we saw another gate leading to the most sacred area of the mausoleum where the tomb-shrines of Uesugi Clan are located. Right in front of the gate, we saw two banner flags located at either end of the gate. The banner to our left side had the Kanji character of ‘Dragon’ written on it, and the one to our right side had the first character ‘Bi’ of ‘Bishamonten’ written on it. Uesugi Kenshin was a skillful warrior known for being fond of various war banners. The 'Dragon' banner flags were raised on the battlefield when Kenshin wanted his army to charge and attack the enemy. The 'Bishamonten' banner was Kenshin's personal standard and was said to have been reserved for his entrances and victory marches.

'Dragon' (left) and 'Bishamonten' (right) banners located at either end of the second gate. This gate leads to the most sacred area of the mausoleum premises.

We saw the tomb-shrine of the clan founder Uesugi Kenshin located in the center of the most sacred area of the mausoleum premises. And the tomb-shrines housing the remains of up to 12 generations of his descendants are spread out to both sides of the central tomb. The tomb-shrines of odd-numbered descendant successors are located to the right side (orientation with respect to us) of the central tomb. And the tomb-shrines of even-numbered descendant successors are located to the left side of the central tomb.

View of the most sacred area of the mausoleum premises right in front of us. Uesugi Kenshin’s tomb-shrine is in the center, and the tomb-shrines of two of his descendants are also seen.

View of the mausoleum premises with the tomb-shrines of odd-numbered descendant successors to our right side

View of the mausoleum premises with the tomb-shrines of even-numbered descendant successors to our left side

In the mausoleum standing by itself in the recess at the center is the tomb-shrine of Uesugi Kenshin. Uesugi Kenshin was a warlord during Sengoku period and was the most prominent Samurai and founder of Uesugi Clan. He passed away at Kasugayama Castle in Joetsu City in 1578. During the funeral ceremony, his remains were clad in armor and laid in a large pot-shaped earthenware coffin, and then placed in a tomb in the castle. His successor Uesugi Kagekatsu relocated to Aizu in 1598 and to Yonezawa in 1601 where he founded Yonezawa Domain Uesugi Clan. Accordingly the body of Uesugi Kenshin was also moved to Yonezawa Castle. A small Buddhist temple was built in the castle premises in 1612 where Uesugi Kenshin’s remains were buried. During Meiji period in 1871, the Buddhist temple rites were changed to Shinto style shrine rituals. Yonezawa Castle was destroyed by the order of the Meiji government in 1873, and then the shrine buildings were moved to what used to be the inner palace of the main enclosure of the castle in 1876. At that time Uesugi Kenshin’s remains along with the remains of the descendant successors were moved to the present sacred location in the mausoleum premises. In front of the tomb-shrine of Uesugi Kenshin, there is a wooden roofed Mon Gate with an offertory box placed in front of it. The tomb-shrine is a small elegant wooden building built in Nagare-zukuri architectural style. A simple stone monument is erected in front of the building. The atmosphere around the tomb-shrine was so peaceful and serene. I prayed in front of the tomb for peace and happiness.

Hubby standing in front of the tomb-shrine of Uesugi Kenshin

Wooden Mon Gate of the tomb-shrine

I am praying standing near the Mon Gate

Wooden tomb-shrine building containing the remains of Uesugi Kenshin is seen (partly) in the background and a stone monument is seen in the foreground

Hubby and the tomb-shrine building of Uesugi Kenshin

The tomb-shrines housing the remains of up to 12 generations of Uesugi Kenshin’s descendants are spread out to both sides of the central tomb-shrine of Kenshin. Five tomb-shrines of odd-numbered descendant successors are located to the right side (orientation with respect to us) of the central tomb-shrine. The first tomb-shrine adjacent to the central tomb enshrines the third generation descendant Uesugi Sadakatsu. Likewise, the second, the third, the fourth, and the fifth tomb-shrines enshrine the fifth generation descendant Uesugi Tsunanori, the seventh generation descendant Uesugi Munenori, the ninth generation descendant Uesugi Shigesada, and the eleventh generation descendant Uesugi Haruhiro, respectively. The 3rd, 5th, and 7th generation descendants were deposited in the tomb after cremation. Their tomb-shrines are made of Japanese zelkova and built in Irimoya-zukuri architectural style. The remains of the 9th and 11th generation descendants were buried. Their tomb-shrines are made from Japanese cedar and cypress and built in simple Hogyo-zukuri architectural style, which shows the clan’s weaker financial condition at that time.

First tomb-shrine located to the right side of the central tomb enshrines the third generation descendant Uesugi Sadakatsu

Second tomb-shrine enshrines the fifth generation descendant Uesugi Tsunanori

Third tomb-shrine enshrines the seventh generation descendant Uesugi Munenori

Fourth tomb-shrine enshrines the ninth generation descendant Uesugi Shigesada

Fifth tomb-shrine enshrines the eleventh generation descendant Uesugi Haruhiro

Six tomb-shrines of even-numbered descendant successors are located to the left side (orientation with respect to us) of the central tomb-shrine. The first tomb-shrine adjacent to the central tomb enshrines the second generation descendant Uesugi Kagekatsu. Likewise, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, and the sixth tomb-shrines enshrine the fourth generation descendant Uesugi Tsunakatsu, the sixth generation descendant Uesugi Yoshinori, the eighth generation descendant Uesugi Munefusa, the tenth generation descendant Uesugi Harunori (Yozan), and the twelfth generation descendant Uesugi Narisada, respectively. The 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th generation descendants were deposited in the tomb after cremation, and their tomb-shrines are built in Irimoya-zukuri architectural style. The remains of the 10th and 12th generation descendants were buried, and their tomb-shrines are built in simple Hogyo-zukuri architectural style, which shows the personality and the weaker financial condition of the clan at that time. Also, in between the tomb-shrines of the second and the fourth generation descendant successors, there is a simple stone monument erected in memory of the fourteenth generation descendant Uesugi Mochinori. In addition, in between the tomb-shrines of the tenth and the twelfth generation descendant successors, there is a tomb-shrine of Uesugi Akitaka. He was the biological oldest son of the tenth generation descendant Uesugi Harunori (Yozan), and the adopted son of the eleventh generation descendant Uesugi Haruhiro. Uesugi Akitaka was not the successor lord of the clan as he passed away when he was just 19 years old. The tomb-shrine of Uesugi Akitaka is also built in Hogyo-zukuri architectural style.

First tomb-shrine located to the left side of the central tomb enshrines the second generation descendant Uesugi Kagekatsu

A stone monument (behind the wooden gate) erected in memory of the fourteenth generation descendant Uesugi Mochinori

Second tomb-shrine enshrines the fourth generation descendant Uesugi Tsunakatsu

Third tomb-shrine enshrines the sixth generation descendant Uesugi Yoshinori

Fourth tomb-shrine enshrines the eighth generation descendant Uesugi Munefusa

Fifth tomb-shrine enshrines the tenth generation descendant Uesugi Harunori (Yozan)

A tomb-shrine located in the recess enshrines Uesugi Akitaka

Sixth tomb-shrine enshrines the twelfth generation descendant Uesugi Narisada

We enjoyed the views and the hushed atmosphere of the sacred enclosure for some more time. We saw a stone Stupa located at the west end of the mausoleum premises. Just next to the tomb-shrine of the twelfth generation descendant successor, we saw a massive cryptomeria tree with huge trunk.

Sacred area of the mausoleum premises as viewed from the southwest corner

A stone Stupa

Hubby standing next to a cryptomeria tree located next to the tomb-shrine of Uesugi Narisada

The trunk of the tree is huge

At this point, we finished the tour of Uesugi Clan Mausoleum. At about 4 pm, we started back on our drive home to Yurihonjo City. We had dinner of beef curry with rice and Oyakodon with Miso soup at a restaurant in a highway rest stop. It took us about four hours of car ride to reach our home.

Beef curry with rice

Oyakodon and Miso soup

Hubby having dinner

We loved visiting Uesugi Clan Mausoleum and learning the historical facts about Uesugi Clan.

Hubby and I visited a couple of sightseeing spots during Obon Holidays in mid August, Tokyo Skytree Tower in Tokyo being one of them. We had earlier visited Tokyo Skytree Tower in December 2010, at which time it was being constructed. Also in May 2013, while driving through Tokyo area we got a wonderful view of the majestic tower. At that time we had decided that we would visit the tower during our next trip to Tokyo area. As I have stated in a September blog post, we had some work in Tokyo area on 11th August, so we stayed in Tokyo area for one more day and visited Tokyo Skytree Tower on 12th August. I will write about our visit to the tower in this post.

Tokyo Skytree Tower as viewed by us in December 2010 (left) and May 2013 (right)

Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower located in Sumida ward of Tokyo. It has a height of 634 meters, and is the world’s highest stand-alone communication tower. It is also the second tallest structure in the world. The height of the tower is derived from Musashi, which is a historic name of the Tokyo region. The phonetic pronunciation of the word Musashi can be divided into three parts ‘Mu’, ‘Sa’, and ‘Shi’, which mean ‘six’, ‘three’, and ‘four’ respectively; and hence the height of 634 meters. Actually the roof of the tower has a height of 495 meters and the antenna spire reaches a height of 634 meters. The tower has two observatories; the one located at 350 meters is called Tembo Deck and the other located at 450 meters is called Tembo Galleria. These observatories are the highest observation decks in Japan. The tower is the primary television and radio broadcast site for the Kanto region, and transmits radio waves for digital terrestrial and other forms of broadcasting. Transmission from such a tall tower is unlikely (or less) to be influenced by the numerous surrounding high-rise buildings. The construction of Tokyo Skytree Tower was started in July 2008, completed in February 2012, and opened in May 2012. The tower has already become a major symbol of Tokyo, forming the centerpiece of Tokyo Skytree Town in Sumida ward, which also encompasses a building named Tokyo Skytree East Tower, a complex of shops and restaurants called Tokyo Solamachi, as well as an aquarium and a planetarium.

Tokyo Skytree Tower is a combination of hi-tech forefront technologies and traditional techniques. It is a perfect fusion of neo-futuristic design and traditional beauty. The tower stands on an equilateral triangle cross-section, and as it progresses upwards, it gradually changes to circular cross-section. The circular upper structure fends off forces of winds from any direction. The tower also features forms that incorporate techniques such as the concave Sori curves used in traditional Japanese architecture and the convex Mukuri curves found in temple architecture. In addition, the tower features ‘Shinbashira Seishin’ vibration control system, which is inspired from the traditional five-storied temple pagoda Gojunoto. A 375-meters tall reinforced concrete pillar in the central core of Skytree Tower and the steel-frame tower body that surround the pillar move separately to absorb up to about 50% of the seismic quake vibrations and swaying during high winds. The tower is colored in ‘Skytree-white’ which is an original color derived from the traditional color Aijiro (indigo-white). The faint bluish white on the tower has the luster of white porcelain.

On the morning of 12th August, hubby and I visited Tokyo Skytree Tower. The previous night, we had stayed at a hotel near Haneda Airport. We left the hotel at about 9 am, changed trains a few times, and reached Tokyo Skytree Railway Station at about 10 am.

I am standing inside Tokyo Skytree Railway Station concourse

From the railway station, we walked for about 5 minutes and reached the front entrance area of Tokyo Skytree Tower located at the first floor. We soon realized that this entrance at the first floor was only for people who had purchased admission tickets with advanced reservations. We had to purchase walk-up day-tickets. Since it was a holiday season, there were too many visitors that day. So near the front entrance area, the staff distributed numbered cards with time slots to come back later and use for purchasing the actual tickets. Our slot was between 12.30 pm and 1 pm. We still had about two hours, so we explored the area and the shopping center. We clicked a few photos of the tower and the surroundings from near the east-northeast front entrance area of the tower.

View of the east-northeast side of Tokyo Skytree Tower as viewed from near the front entrance area

I am standing in front of the base of the tower

Hubby standing in front of the base of the tower

Tokyo Skytree East Tower building

Next we walked along the base of the tower towards the west, and again clicked a few photos of the west-northwest side of the tower. We were too near the tower, and we clicked the photos from right below the tower. So it was difficult to view the antenna spire properly. We spent about ten minutes enjoying the magnificent architecture of the tower.

View of the west-northwest side of the tower

Hubby and the tower

I am sitting near the base of the tower

Afterwards, we walked back along the base of the tower towards the east and continued walking eastwards for a couple of minutes. Soon we reached near East Tower building and the shopping complex Solamachi from where we again got a wonderful view of the east-northeast side of Tokyo Skytree Tower. But now we were rather far from the tower, and so we could very clearly see the two observatories and the antenna spire of the tower.

View of the east-northeast side of Tokyo Skytree Tower along with East Tower building to the left side and Solamachi shops to the right side

Enlarged view of the two observatories and the antenna spire of the tower

I am standing along with the tower in the background

Hubby, Tokyo Skytree Tower, East Tower building, and Solamachi shops

Next, we went to Tokyo Solamachi located at the base of Tokyo Skytree Tower. Tokyo Solamachi is a large shopping, dining and entertainment complex that features over 300 shops, many restaurants, a planetarium, and an aquarium. We did a lot of window shopping. I loved a shop selling plastic food samples. A panel displaying many toast samples with various toppings and another panel displaying various kinds of Sushi samples in round Bento boxes were amazing. They looked so real. Next, we went to a souvenir shop and bought a few packets of traditional sweets and cookies as souvenirs for our relatives. Afterwards we had lunch at a restaurant in the complex.

I am standing in front of Tokyo Solamachi complex

Several shops inside Solamachi complex

Hubby inside Solamachi complex

I am very happy to see so many plastic food samples

A panel displaying various kinds of Sushi samples in round Bento boxes

Another panel displaying many toast samples with various toppings

At about 12.30 pm, we returned back to the entrance area of Tokyo Skytree Tower. The tower has the first, the fourth, and the fifth floors as the lower floors. As I mentioned earlier, the first floor entrance to the tower is only for people who have purchased admission tickets with advanced reservations. We had to buy walk-up day-tickets at the ticket counters located at the fourth floor. So we took an escalator up to the fourth floor entrance area, and our visit inside the tower started from this floor. Since it was a holiday season, there was a big queue of visitors in front of us waiting for their turn to buy the tickets. After about 45 minutes of waiting we could buy tickets worth 2060 Yen per person as admission fee for the first observatory Tembo Deck. While waiting in the queue, we saw a 22-meter wide wall art named Super Craft Tree. It exhibits twelve works of art handcrafted with Edo Kiriko cut glass, Kumiko latticework, and other traditional materials and techniques incorporating the culture of Tokyo Shitamachi.

Super Craft Tree located on a wall in the fourth floor of the tower

I am standing in a queue for purchasing tickets

We have almost reached the ticket counters

After purchasing the tickets, we walked up to the front of the elevators located at the fourth floor. These elevators called Tembo Shuttles transport visitors to Tembo Deck Observatory of the tower. In front of the shuttles, there was again a big queue and we had to wait for about 15 minutes for our turn to enter the shuttle. There are four lines of Tembo Shuttles having different decoration featuring spring, summer, fall, and winter, respectively. The one we entered had the decoration of spring cherry blossom sky. The other three shuttles have summer Sumida River sky, fall festival sky, and winter sky of hooded gulls. The ambience inside the shuttle was very nice and special. In fact, these Tembo Shuttles are Japan’s fastest 40-passenger elevators and reaches a top speed of 600 meters per minute. We had a fast and very smooth ride, and were transported to the top floor of Tembo Deck Observatory in about 50 seconds.

I am waiting in a queue in front of Tembo Shuttle elevators

Decoration of spring cherry blossom sky inside the shuttle

The highlight of Tokyo Skytree Tower is its two enclosed observatories which offer spectacular views of Tokyo and its surroundings. After the Tembo Shuttle ride, we reached Tembo Deck Observatory located at 350 meters above ground. Tembo Deck has a capacity of up to 2000 people, and spans three levels with great views from all of its floors. The top floor is located at 350 meters above ground level and features tall, broad windows that offer a 360-degree panoramic view of the entire Kanto region. This floor has three 52-inch Tokyo space-time navigation monitors connected at the sides and display breathtaking panoramas of the Tokyo landscape from the deck along with guidance on a touch-panel display. This floor also has a cafe that serves original drinks and softcreams in a standing-only setting. The middle floor is located at 345 meters above ground level and has a restaurant named Musashi Sky Restaurant, which serves Tokyo cuisine having a variety of ingredients and traditional Edo vegetables. The lowest floor is located at 340 meters above ground level and features a glass panel flooring on the ground from where visitors can look all the way down to the base of the tower. This floor has a cafe where tables are available for relaxing and enjoying snacks.

Tembo Deck Observatory as viewed from outside the tower

I am standing near the windows at the top floor of the observatory

I am using Tokyo space-time navigation monitor to learn more about Kanto region

After the Tembo Shuttle ride we reached the southern side of the top floor of Tembo Deck Observatory. First, we just walked around the deck and enjoyed the wonderful panoramic views of Kanto region, especially Tokyo and its surroundings, from the large glass panes. Next, we clicked several photos of the panoramic views starting from the east, and proceeding in a clockwise direction. We saw several important and historically significant structures that I have pointed out and numbered here. Number 1 is Tokyo Tower, number 2 is Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Stadium, number 3 is Tokyo Dome, number 4 is Asahi Beer Tower, Super Dry Hall, and Asahi Flame, and number 5 is Sensoji Temple. In addition, Sumida River flowing into Tokyo Bay is so prominently seen. The 360-degree panoramic view of the entire Kanto region allowed us to see many other significant structures and buildings. It was an amazing experience.

Faraway view of Kanto region to the east

View towards the southeast

View towards the southwest

View towards the west-southwest with locations of Tokyo Tower (1) and Ryogoku Kokugikan (2) marked in red arrow

View towards the west with locations of Tokyo Dome (3), Asahi Beer Tower (4), and Sensoji Temple (5) marked in red arrow

View towards the northwest with Sumida River prominently seen

View towards the north

Zoomed in image showing Tokyo Tower (1) and Ryogoku Kokugikan (2)

Zoomed in image showing Tokyo Dome (3)

Zoomed in image showing Asahi Beer Tower and Asahi Flame (4)

Zoomed in image showing Sensoji Temple (5)

Next, we took an escalator down to the lowest floor of Tembo Deck Observatory. This floor, located at 340 meters above ground level, has a provision to have the souvenir picture of visitors taken professionally with the panoramic view of the southeast side of the city in the background. We had our picture taken and it came out rather well. We paid 1200 Yen for the printed version of the souvenir picture. This floor also features heatproof tempered glass panel flooring from where we can look all the way down to the base of the tower. We stepped onto the glass floor but it was a bit scary to get a direct downward view of the streets below. Here also we had a souvenir picture of us taken professionally with the steel framing of the tower and the streets below us visible. The printed version of this souvenir picture also cost 1200 Yen.

Souvenir picture of ours taken professionally at the lowest floor of Tembo Deck Observatory

Glass panel flooring along with the steel framing of the tower and the streets below

Professionally taken souvenir picture of ours standing on the glass floor

Afterwards we went up an escalator which took us back to the top floor (350 meters) of Tembo Deck Observatory. At a ticket counter located on this floor, we bought tickets worth 1030 Yen per person as admission fee for the second observatory Tembo Galleria. Tickets for Tembo Galleria Observatory can be purchased on the same day only as advanced reservation of tickets is not possible. After purchasing the tickets, we walked up to the front of Tembo Shuttle elevators located towards the northern side of this floor of the Tembo Deck. These shuttles connect the top floor of Tembo Deck Observatory to the lower floor (445 meters) of Tembo Galleria Observatory of the tower. There are two lines of these shuttle elevators and they have see-through front panel and ceiling. There was hardly any queue in front of the shuttles, and we could enter the shuttle just after two minutes of waiting. We had a fast and smooth ride, and enjoyed viewing the metal framing of the tower seen through the see-through ceiling. We were transported to the lower floor of Tembo Galleria Observatory in about 15 seconds.

Metal framing of the tower as seen through the see-through ceiling of Tembo Shuttle elevator

As discussed earlier, Tembo Galleria Observatory is the upper observatory of Tokyo Skytree Tower. This observatory has a capacity of up to 900 people, spans two levels, and is called ‘the world's highest skywalk’. After the Tembo Shuttle ride, we reached the lower floor of Tembo Galleria Observatory located at 445 meters above ground level. This lower floor features the main attraction of Tembo Galleria, which is a 110-meters long sloping spiral, glass-covered skywalk ramp tube that gains height as it circles the tower. The sloped air-walk ascend is from 445 meters of the lower floor to 450 meters of the upper floor. This spiral tube is constructed of the steel and glass. Such glass-sided tube allows visitors to look down from the giddying height of the tower and also enjoy spectacular views of Kanto region. In fact, glass panels cover even the outer edge portion of the floor of the spiral tube, which makes the visitors feel that they are walking in mid-air. At the top end of the spiral ramp tube is the upper floor of the observatory, which is a conventional observation deck floor with tall windows. The upper floor is located at 450 meters above ground level but there is a slight ascend while walking, and visitors finally reach the highest accessible point called Sorakara Point located at 451.2 meters inside the observation deck.

Tembo Galleria Observatory as viewed from outside the tower

I am standing inside the spiral tube of Tembo Galleria Observatory

Hubby a bit afraid of heights

The Tembo Shuttle ride took us to the northern side of the lower floor of Tembo Galleria Observatory. We then entered the sloped spiral ramp tube which circles the tower. We walked inside the spiral tube and enjoyed the marvelous and breathtaking 360-degree panoramic views of Kanto region, especially Tokyo and its surroundings, from the glass-covered tube. We really felt as if we were walking in the air. It was an amazing experience. We clicked several photos of the panoramic views starting from the north-northwest, and proceeding in an anticlockwise direction. And just like our visit to the lower Tembo Deck, I have again pointed out and numbered several important and historically significant structures as viewed from this observatory also. Number 1 is Tokyo Tower, number 2 is Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Stadium, number 3 is Tokyo Dome, number 4 is Asahi Beer Tower, Super Dry Hall, and Asahi Flame, number 5 is Sensoji Temple, number 6 is Tokyo Gate Bridge, and number 7 is Tokyo Disney Resort. In addition, the exotic shaped Sakura Bridge on Sumida River looked so wonderful. We looked down and clearly saw the roof of the lower Tembo Deck Observatory and all the way down we saw the roof of Tokyo Skytree Railway Station. While walking inside the spiral tube, we steadily ascended from 445 meters of the lower floor to 450 meters of the upper floor of the observatory. On reaching the end of the 110-meters long spiral tube, we looked down and saw the starting point of the tube.

View of Tokyo area towards the north-northwest along with Sakura Bridge over Sumida River

View towards the northwest with Sensoji Temple (5) marked in red arrow

Roofs of Tembo Deck Observatory and Tokyo Skytree Station (red arrow)

View towards the west with Asahi Beer Tower (4) marked in red arrow

Faraway view towards the west with Tokyo Dome (3) marked in red arrow

View towards the southwest with Ryogoku Kokugikan (2) marked in red arrow

Faraway view towards the southwest with Tokyo Tower (1) marked in red arrow

Faraway view towards the south with Tokyo Gate Bridge (6) marked in red arrow

Zoomed in image showing Tokyo Gate Bridge (6)

Faraway view towards the southeast with location of Tokyo Disney Resort (7) marked in red arrow

View towards the northeast

View towards the north

The starting point (445 meters) of the spiral ramp tube as viewed from 5 meters above from the end point of the tube (450 meters)

The sloped air-walk ascend inside the 110-meters long spiral ramp tube, took us to the end of the tube. At this top end of the spiral tube is the upper floor of Tembo Galleria Observatory located at 450 meters above ground level. This floor is a more conventional observation deck with tall windows. We felt a slight ascend while walking through the deck, and finally reach the highest accessible point called Sorakara Point of the observation deck. This point is located towards the southwest side at 451.2 meters above ground level, and is marked by Sorakara-chan, the mascot character of the tower.

I am standing near Sorakara Point

Tembo Shuttle elevators located towards the northern side of the upper floor of Tembo Galleria Observatory took us back down to the middle floor of Tembo Deck Observatory located at 345 meters. Then, we took an escalator down to the lower floor of Tembo Deck located at 340 meters. Finally, Tembo Shuttle elevators located towards the southern side of the lower floor of Tembo Deck took us down to the return lobby located in the fifth floor of the tower. At this point we finished the tour of the two observatories of the tower. We loved visiting Tokyo Skytree Tower.

On 15th August, during the Obon Holidays, hubby and I visited Tojinbo. Tojinbo is a stunning and beautiful scenic area located in Anto part of Mikuni Town in Sakai City of Fukui prefecture. It is located within Echizen-Kaga Kaigan Quasi-National Park. Tojinbo is a series of basaltic legendary cliffs composed of huge columns of rocks on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The rocky cliffs are over 30 meters high, stretch for about 1 kilometer, and command an impressive view. The cliff’s rocks are pyroxene andesitic and were formed 12 to 13 million years ago by volcanic activities. The flowing magma solidified to formed pentagonal and hexagonal shaped pillar like crevices. Then through the years of continuous pounding and erosion by the sea waves, the surface and shape of such columnar volcanic rocks called columnar joints were formed. These impressive giant pyroxene andesite columnar joints are a very rare geological phenomenon. In fact, Tojinbo cliffs are one of the only three such rocky pillars of its kind in existence in the world, with the other two being Mount Geumgangsan in North Korea and the western coast of Norway. The astonishing scenery of Tojinbo is geographically and academically extremely valuable and has been designated as a national natural monument and a place of scenic beauty. Tojinbo is a popular tourist spot.

It is said that the name of Tojinbo cliffs comes from a Buddhist priest named Tojinbo. The legend has it that he was a corrupt and powerful priest of Heisenji Temple (English site or Japanese site) in Katsuyama City. He was very unpopular and was despised by other priests and the local people. Tojinbo fell in love with a princess named Aya but the princess had another admirer named Magara Kakunen, and so a great rivalry ensued between Tojinbo and Kakunen. On 5th April 1182, the enraged priests of Heisenji Temple, Kakunen, and the local people lured priest Tojinbo from the temple to the cliff. The corrupt priest was then pushed off the cliff into the sea by other priests and Kakunen. Tojinbo died and haunted the cliff causing violent storms and waves. It is said that every year the storms were incredibly strong on 5th April, the day of his death. Years later, another priest took pity on vengeful Tojinbo and held a special memorial service for him. Since then the evil spirit of Tojinbo was somewhat appeased but his ghost is said to still haunt the area.

Although Tojinbo with gigantic pillar rocks is a stunning and beautiful scenic area, the cliffs also have a dark side. Tojinbo is a well-known place in Japan to commit suicide. As many as 25 people come here annually to commit suicide by jumping off the 30 meter high cliffs, and throwing themselves onto the jagged rocks and crashing waves.

During the Obon Holidays, hubby and I visited our home in Ichinomiya City in Aichi prefecture. On 15th August, we borrowed my father-in-law’s car and left home at about 10 am to go to Tojinbo cliffs. Tojinbo is located about 190 kilometers north-northwest of our home, and it took us about 3.5 hours of car ride to reach there. Usually it takes about 2.5 hours but it was a holiday season and there was a lot of traffic on the road. After reaching Tojinbo, we parked our car at a parking area, and started walking along a paved pathway leading to the cliffs. There are many souvenir shops and restaurants along both sides of the pathway. While walking, we saw a statue of a Buddhist monk along the pathway. We reached the top of the cliff area after about 10 minutes of walking, and the first thing we saw was the blue colored Sea of Japan right in front of us. At the top, we saw a wooden monument indicating that Tojinbo belongs to Echizen-Kaga Kaigan Quasi-National Park.

I am standing along a paved pathway that leads to Tojinbo cliffs

A bronze statue of a Buddhist monk

We almost reach the cliff area and the Sea of Japan is seen right in front of us

Hubby near the cliff area

Hubby looking at a map of the cliff area

I am standing next to a wooden monument indicating that Tojinbo belongs to Echizen-Kaga Kaigan Quasi-National Park

Standing on the top of the hilly cliff area, we looked over the Sea of Japan and saw a series of surreal, eerie, huge basaltic cliffs on the rocky coast of the sea. We also saw that the sea is dotted with huge strangely shaped rocks. We enjoyed the dynamic scenic views all around us, and clicked several photos of the gorgeous rocky scenery and the vast sea. From the cliff top, we saw an island named Oshima to our right side to the north-northwest of Tojinbo. Oshima is a small island with a circumference of about 2 kilometers and has a shrine. A 224-meter long red lacquered bridge connects the island to the northern part of Anto, Mikuni Town.

Rocky cliffs on the coast and the blue Sea of Japan as viewed to the south towards our left side while standing on the cliff top

Enlarged view of the rocky cliffs to the south side

Huge cliffs and strangely shaped rocks as viewed to the west side right in front of us

Rocky cliffs and Oshima Island as viewed to the north-northwest towards our right side

Cliffs, Oshima Island, and the red lacquered bridge as viewed to the north side towards our extreme right

Enlarged view showing Oshima Island (left), red lacquered bridge, and northern Anto (right)

Next, we walked along a paved pathway down the hill towards the rocky cliffs located to the west side right in front of us. We walked for several meters and looked down at the rugged precipitous cliffs. We saw four interesting points in the rocks and cliffs, and decided to look at them from a closer range. I have marked the four points as 1 through 4 in two of the photos below. We walked down the rocky slope marked as 3 to observe the other points 1, 2, and 4 in greater details.

View of wonderful huge rocks and rugged cliffs right in front of us. Three interesting points are marked as 1, 2, and 3.

Hubby is standing in front of yet another scenery right in front of us. Two of the interesting points are marked as 3 and 4.

I am standing along the pathway and about to start walking down the rocky slope 3 towards the sea

We started walking down the rocky slope 3 and saw wonderful details of points 1 and 2 to our left side (south). Huge pentagonal and hexagonal pillar shaped rocks called columnar joints looked magnificent. It was the first experience for us to see such columnar rocks and we were really impressed by Mother Nature’s systematic and artistic arrangement of the rocks. We took several photos of points 1 and 2 while walking down the rocky slope 3.

Point 1 (left) and point 2 (right) as viewed from a pathway near the top of the hill just before we started walking down the rocky slope 3

I am standing on the rocky slope 3 along with point 1 in the background

Point 1 as viewed from further down the rocky slope 3

Majestic patterns of columnar rocks at point 1 as viewed from still further down the rocky slope 3

Point 2 as viewed from the upper area of the rocky slope 3

Point 2 as viewed from further down the rocky slope 3

Wonderful columnar rocks of point 2 as viewed from still further down the rocky slope 3

As I wrote earlier, we walked down the rocky slope 3 to have a look at points 1, 2, and 4 in details. Rocky slope 3 has interesting rock formation and arrangement too. All the rocks are so closely and perfectly packed that they look as if they are designed by some supernatural forces. We clicked a few photos while walking down this rocky slope 3. We stayed at the bottom of the slope for some time and enjoyed the beauty of the sea and the strangely shaped huge rocks dotting the sea.

I am walking down the rocky slope 3

Looking back upwards from the rocky slope 3 at the shops and the starting point of the slope

I am walking further down the slope

I have reached the bottom of the rocky slope 3 where the sea meets the rocky beach. The lowermost part of the interesting point 4 is seen to the right side of the photo.

Afterwards we started climbing back up the rocky slope 3. To our left side (north), we saw the details of a huge rocky cliff that I have marked as point 4. The height of the hexagonal and pentagonal pillar shaped columnar joints at the highest point of cliff 4 is about 30 meters, and the western side of the cliff gradually tapers off to the sea. Just looking at the sheer cliff rise nearly vertically from the sea to such dizzying heights was enough to make my legs give way. But hubby had a thrilling experience. He walked along the northern edge of the rocky slope 3 and clicked a few photos of cliff 4 from various positions and angles. We saw many people standing on the edge of cliff 4 and looking downwards. In the absence of any safety railings at the cliff, I was afraid that people might accidentally fall over the cliff edge or I might witness a suicide attempt by someone atop the cliff. It was really an intense and memorable experience for me to see the huge magnificent rocky cliff 4 from so close a range.

Lower part of cliff 4 as viewed from the rocky slope 3

Middle part of cliff 4

Hubby standing on the rocky slope 3 along with the middle part of cliff 4 in the background

Upper part of cliff 4

I have walked back to the top of the hill and am standing on the paved pathway along with cliff 4 in the background

Next, we walked along a paved pathway leading towards the north side on the top of the hill. While walking, we saw a sightseeing boat near the base of the rocky slope 3. The dynamic scenery of Tojinbo cliffs can also be enjoyed from a different angle from the sea. We continued walking for a few tens of meters along the pathway and saw a beautiful arrangement of columnar rocks in the shape of a monument.

A sightseeing boat near the base of the rocky slope 3

I am standing next to the monument-shaped columnar rocks

Enlarged view of the monument-shaped columnar rocks

It had been raining on and off the entire time we visited various spots on Tojinbo cliffs. But soon after we saw the wonderful monument-shaped columnar rocks, it started raining very heavily. So we gave up visiting other interesting spots at Tojinbo that day. We returned to the car parking area and started back on our way home to Ichinomiya. We had dinner at a roadside service area in Nanjo City in Fukui prefecture. Our dinner of Tori-don (chicken over rice bowl) set and Hambaagu (hamburger steak) set was simple and delicious.

My dinner of Hambaagu set

Hubby’s dinner of Tori-don set

Hubby having dinner

We enjoyed our trip to Tojinbo cliffs though I wish the weather was a bit better so that we could have explored several more interesting spots on the cliffs.

On September 27th, hubby and I visited Hamadate Koen Park located in Nishime Town of Yurihonjo City in Akita prefecture. The park is located near the coast on a hill overlooking the Sea of Japan. On the top of the hill, there is an observatory from where visitors can see Mount Chokai, Sea of Japan, and Oga Peninsula (please check these two blog posts here and here) at the same time. About 3000 Somei Yoshino cherry trees bloom all around the park during spring season, and local people visit the park to enjoy the majestic beautiful views of cherry blossoms. The park is cool in summer and it is full of dragonfly during autumn. Although we can get wonderful scenic views of mountains and sea from the park, it is little known to most visitors. It is definitely a hidden neighborhood gem.

Hamadate Koen Park used to be the location of a castle residence during Kamakura period. In the year 1298, a person named Yuri Naka Hachiro Masaharu built his castle residence with a territory of 55000 Koku at this place. However, now there is almost no trace of the ruins of the castle residence remaining. Knowing the history of any place is so fascinating for me.

Hubby and I started from our home in Yurihonjo City at about 10 am on September 27th. Hamadate Koen Park is located about 14 kilometers southwest of our home, and it usually takes about 30 minutes of car ride to reach there. Just after 5 minutes of driving, we saw magnificent scenery from our car window. The scenery made me nostalgic and reminded me of my childhood days in India. As a child, I always used to draw nature landscape scenery with mountains, clouds in the sky, a flock of birds flying, a river, a house, and a few trees. The scenery we saw from the car was almost the same except for the absence of the flock of birds.

The scenery we saw from our car window reminded me of my childhood days. Mount Chokai and Koyoshigawa River are seen in the photo.

After 15 more minutes of car ride, we saw a beautiful spot on our way to the park. So we stopped the car and got out of the car to enjoy the scenic views. A red colored bridge with railway tracks surrounded by green trees, blue sky with sparse clouds, and Mount Chokai in the background made for a beautiful view.

Red colored railway bridge and the scenic view

I am standing along with the bridge in the background

Hubby and the scenic view

After yet another 10 minutes of car ride, we reached near the car parking area of Hamadate Koen Park. We parked our car and saw the spectacular blue Sea of Japan located right in front of us to the west side of the parking area. We clicked a couple of photos of the sea from the parking area, and then climbed up a flight of stone stairs to reach the top of the hill of Hamadate Koen Park. While climbing up, we saw flowering Susuki grass all around us.

Sea of Japan as viewed to the west side right in front of us from the car parking area

Another view of the sea

Our car at the car parking area and I am climbing up the flight of stairs leading to the top of the hill of the park

The sea and flowering Susuki grass as viewed to our left side while climbing up the stairs

The top of the hill of Hamadate Koen Park is flat and grassy. While walking on the top of the hill, we saw thousands of dragonflies hovering and zooming low and high over the hilltop. We walked towards the southeast corner area of the flat hilltop, and got wonderful scenic views all around us. To our south-southeast, we saw majestic Mount Chokai and many windmills. It was a sunny day and the blue sky with sparse clouds looked amazing. The scenic view in front of us was so perfect. We also saw flowering Susuki grass on the hilltop as well as along the edge of the hill. The fluffy silvery plumes were glistening in the sunlight and swaying with the wind. In Japan, Susuki is considered an iconic plant of late summer and early autumn, and in former times had greatly enchanted ancient people. In fact, in the eastern part of India also, Susuki has great importance and is usually associated with the beginning of a festival called Durga Puja. So whenever I see flowering Susuki grass in Japan, I am reminded of Durga Puja festivities back in my homeland. Standing at the corner area of the hilltop, we also got beautiful view of the blue Sea of Japan towards our south-southwest.

Scenic view towards south-southeast as viewed from the southeast corner area of the top of the hill

Majestic view of Mount Chokai and several windmills along with flowering Susuki grass in the foreground

Flowering Susuki grass

Hubby taking photo of the scenic view

Sea of Japan towards south-southwest as viewed from the southeast corner area of the top of the hill

Myself along with the blue sea and elegant plumes of Susuki grass

Next, we walked towards the west side of the flat hilltop of the park. There we saw an observatory having two floors. From both the floors of the observatory, we can get 360-degree panoramic view of the beautiful sceneries of the area. A strikingly huge statue of Kannon stands on the second floor of the observatory overlooking the sea. We skipped going to the first floor and directly went to the second floor of the observatory, and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery all around us. We loved viewing the splendid Mount Chokai and the magnificent Sea of Japan from the observatory. The interesting point is that Mount Chokai located towards the south-southeast and the Sea of Japan located towards the west side can be seen at the same time while standing at the south side of the observatory. In fact, we enjoyed some of the best scenic views of the area from the second floor of the observatory.

I am walking towards the observatory located at the top of the hill of the park

Two-floor observatory

Mount Chokai (left) and the Sea of Japan (right) as viewed from the south side of the second floor of the observatory

Mount Chokai and the windmills

I am enjoying seeing the sea standing at the west side of the second floor of the observatory

Beautiful view towards the north side

I am standing at the north side of the second floor of the observatory

Hubby and the beautiful views

Huge state of Kannon

While strolling in the park, we saw a few fauna of the area. We saw two types of spiders, a grasshopper, a swarm of dragonflies, and even a snake. Hubby took photos of several of the fauna. And I took a few photos of hubby who was busy clicking away with his camera.

Hubby clicking a photo of a spider

The spider

Another type of spider

Hubby clicking a photo of a grasshopper

The grasshopper

Oh the dragonfly flew away!

Again clicking a photo of another dragonfly

Hubby exclaimed - ah this time I got you dragonfly!

We enjoyed our visit of Hamadate Koen Park. It was a sunny day and the scenic views that we saw from the top of the hill of the park were fantabulous.

From 11th to 17th August, hubby and I had been to our home in Ichinomiya City during the Obon Holidays. Obon is an annual Buddhist event to commemorate our ancestors. It is believed that each year during Obon, the spirits of ancestors return to this world in order to visit their relatives. Traditionally, lanterns are hung in front of houses to welcome the spirits of ancestors, graves are visited, and food offerings are made at family altars. At the end of Obon, floating lanterns are put into rivers, lakes, and seas so that the spirits can return into their world. However the customs followed may vary considerably from region to region. Obon is celebrated from 13th to 15th August every year.

10th August

During the Obon Holidays, first we went to Tokyo area for a couple of days and then proceeded to Ichinomiya. Our flight from Akita to Haneda was at about 4 pm on 10th August. Hubby and I reached Akita Airport at about 2 pm and bought souvenirs for all our relatives in Ichinomiya and also had lunch at the airport. A typhoon was approaching Kanto and Tohoku regions, and it was extremely windy that day. Due to the bad weather, the plane was shaking terribly during the entire one-hour flight and both of us were extremely uncomfortable. It was probably one of the worst flight experiences for us so far. We reached Haneda Airport at about 5 pm and stayed at a nearby hotel for the night. After dinner, we immediately retired to bed as we were a bit tired due to the turbulent air travel.

Waiting to enter the airplane at Akita Airport

11th August

On the morning of 11th August, we stayed in the hotel room and relaxed. Hubby did some office-related work on his computer and I watched some television program. In the afternoon, we went to Tsukuba City where I had some personal work. On our way to Tsukuba City, we had to change trains several times. While changing trains the third time, we took a wrong train and ended up at a station we both had never heard about. I realized that we have got used to the slow village life in Akita prefecture. After reaching Tsukuba Railway Station, we had to walk along a paved walkway for about 10 minutes. The walkway is surrounded by huge trees and we heard the sound of cicadas all around us, which is usually associated with summer in Japan. Hubby remembered his childhood days and started playing with the insects on tree trunks. It took us about three hours to finish the work I had, and afterwards we did some window shopping at a huge shopping complex in Tsukuba itself. At about 5.30 pm we had early dinner at a family-style Italian restaurant named Saizeriya located in the shopping complex itself. We had pizza, pasta, hamburger steak, and a few cold drinks. We enjoyed the food very much but we overate. Afterwards we returned back to the hotel near Haneda Airport where we stayed for one more night.

Waiting at some railway station in Tokyo area after getting down from a wrong train we boarded

Hubby playing with cicadas on tree trunks in Tsukuba City

Our dinner at Saizeriya

Hubby having pizza

Hubby having pasta

12th August

On 12th August, hubby and I went to see Tokyo Skytree located in Sumida Ward of Tokyo metropolis, about which I will write a separate post later on. In the evening, we took Shinkansen bullet train from Shinagawa Railway Station in Tokyo area and reached Nagoya at about 7 pm. From there we took a local train and reached our home in Ichinomiya City by 7.30 pm. On reaching our home, we immediately retired to bed as we were rather tired due to sightseeing and travel.

Tokyo Skytree

13th August

On the morning of 13th August, hubby, his father, father’s wife, and I visited my late mother-in-law’s grave located near our home in Ichinomiya. Father-in-law cleaned the gravestone with water, offered flowers, and lit some candles and incense sticks, and we all offered our prayers.

Father-in-law cleaning my late mother-in-law’s gravestone with water

Cleaning the candle holders

Father-in-law and his wife arranging flowers to be placed at my late mother-in-law’s grave

Mother-in-law’s grave decorated with beautiful flowers

Afterwards we returned home, and hubby started working in our small garden located at the back of our home. We usually do not stay in Ichinomiya, so the three cherry tomato saplings that we had planted in the month of May had grown too much. Father-in-law told us that he had probably harvested about 200 cherry tomatoes. We saw that many green chilli peppers had also grown and we harvested all of them. We worked in the garden for almost two hours, which was very relaxing.

Hubby appreciating our garden

Green chilli peppers

Hubby working in our garden

The work continues

Later, hubby and I had lunch at a curry rice restaurant named Curry House CoCo Ichibanya located near our home. Hubby had chicken meatball topped with soft-boiled egg curry and I had squid curry. Of course, we tasted each others curry too. I feel that CoCo Ichibanya is the best curry rice restaurant chains in Japan.

Our lunch of chicken meatball topped with soft-boiled egg curry (top photo) and squid curry (bottom)

Hubby having lunch

I am having lunch

After lunch, hubby and I returned home. At about 3 pm hubby’s sister and her family, who live nearby, visited our home. It was a very hot and humid day, and both the daughters of my sister-in-law wished to play in a pool. So father-in-law and hubby set up an inflatable pool in the front car parking lot of our home. It took about 15 minutes to inflate and another 15 minutes to fill with water. Our nieces had lots of fun playing with water inside the pool. The nieces were armed with plastic water guns and sprayed water at their uncle. So their uncle used the garden water system and sprayed water on the girls. Sister-in-law and the nieces also blew soap bubbles, and they are really expert at that. However the solution bottle was empty in about 15 minutes. So hubby and his sister tried making new soap bubble solution in a plastic bucket using home ingredients but their experiment failed. However the nieces enjoyed playing with the incredible amount of foam produced in the bucket. We all played for about 1.5 hours and it was pure fun playing with the nieces.

Nieces playing in the inflatable pool and using water gun to spray water at their uncle

Uncle using garden water system to spray water on the girls

Younger niece making a soap bubble

Brother and sister trying to make soap bubble solution in a plastic bucket

Nieces got busy playing with the foam produced in the bucket

So the elders got to play in the pool

But the nieces soon reclaimed the pool

At about 5 pm, hubby’s uncle (father-in-law’s older brother) and his wife visited us. We all gathered in the Buddhist altar room of our home. In fact, the altar room is a common room connecting our home to father-in-law’s home. The family altar is really grand and exotic. We prayed in front of the altar to welcome the soul of my late mother-in-law and all the ancestors, which is the purpose of Obon. My father-in-law offered Somen noodles at the altar, lit candles and incense sticks, and read some Sutras from a sacred book. We all chanted the Sutras in unison. We were sitting in the Japanese kneeling style called Seiza for the prayers, and after about 5 minutes I was extremely uncomfortable. After the prayers were over, it was difficult for me to stand up as my legs were completely numb. But I was filled with a sense of fulfillment for carrying out our traditional family duties.

Buddhist family altar in our home

Enlarged view of the central portion of the altar

Candles and incense sticks in front of the altar

Offerings of Somen noodles at the altar

My late mother-in-law’s photo hanging from a wall in the altar room

All the elders praying at the altar room

We all joined in to pray for our ancestors

After the prayers, we gathered in father-in-law’s home and chatted for some time. I chatted a lot with my sister-in-law. Hubby played some card game with his younger niece. Father-in-law showed us his new rather expensive tailor-made Yukata with the Kanji characters ‘Harumafuji’ written all over it. Father-in-law is a fan of Sumo wrestler Harumafuji Kohei.

Father-in-law wearing his tailor-made Yukata

Hubby playing a card game with younger niece

I tried taking a selfie with my sister-in-law

Tired after a day full of adventure

At about 6.30 pm, we went for dinner at a Yakiniku restaurant located near our home. We were a party of nine people. The restaurant does not have many tables for large parties and so we were split up and sat at two different tables that were back to back. We had various kinds of meat like Rosu, Karubi, Tan, Horumon, and chicken that we cooked ourselves on a grill burner built into the table. It was fun to cook ourselves and eat with sister-in-law and her daughters. We overate and were hardly able to walk back home. It was really a fun-filled day spent with our relatives.

Father-in-law and his wife (left) along with father-in-law’s older brother and his wife (right) having dinner at Yakiniku restaurant

Sister-in-law and her daughters having dinner

Older niece enjoying grilled chicken

Younger niece having grilled Tan

I am having dinner

Grilling meat on the burner built into the table

14th August

On 14th August, my father-in-law, his wife, and my hubby went to play golf at six in the morning. They were going to return only in the evening. I preferred to stay at home as I am not interested in golf. I cleaned the house thoroughly. We hardly stay at our Ichinomiya home and some dust had gathered on everything, so cleaning took a lot of time. While cleaning I found a few toys that hubby played with in his early childhood. Afterwards, I set up a small Hindu prayer area in one corner inside our home. It is very difficult to find Hindu prayer items in Japan, but I could purchase a wooden altar, brass lamps, incense stand, and prayer beads online. It feels good to now have a Hindu prayer altar in our home. It was almost 4 pm by the time I finished cleaning the home and setting up the Hindu prayer altar. I was very tired and thirsty and had red Shiso-leaf juice that hubby’s aunt had made herself and given us the previous day. The cold and sweet juice was very refreshing.

Bear eating fish - a toy from hubby’s childhood

Hindu prayer altar

Red Shiso-leaf juice

At about 5.30 pm, hubby returned home after playing golf. He was very tired and slept for an hour or so. Meanwhile I cooked a simple dinner of pork Shogayaki, Miso soup, rice, sunny side up fried eggs, and vegetable salad. We enjoyed having the simple meal while watching some television program. But hubby was hungry again just after an hour of having dinner. So I made instant Ramen noodles for him. He probably played a lot of golf that day and needed the extra food to regain his energy. Afterwards hubby freshened up and fell asleep on the sofa itself.

Our dinner

Hubby having dinner

Instant Ramen noodles

Hubby having Ramen noodles

Hubby fast asleep on the sofa

15th August

On 15th August, hubby and I went to see Tojinbo Cliffs located in Fukui prefecture about which I will write a separate blog post later on. It was a full day trip and we returned home at about 10 pm.

Tojinbo Cliffs

16th August

On 16th August, hubby and I cleaned the backyard of our home. As I stated earlier in this post, we hardly stay in our Ichinomiya home, so a lot of dried leaves and many other garbage had piled up in the backyard. Afterwards hubby assembled a step ladder for our home wooden deck.

Hubby assembling a step ladder

Hubby appreciating our garden

Afterwards we had lunch at a restaurant named ‘The Meshiya’ located about 8 kilometers southeast of our home, and it took us about 20 minutes of car ride to reach the restaurant. In fact every time we go to Ichinomiya, we make it a point to have at least one meal at this restaurant. It is a family-style restaurant that serves Japanese cuisine. We had Oden cooked in red Miso, chicken Karaage, Nikujaga, grilled fish Yakizakana, Tonjiru, vegetable salad, and rice. We love the food served at this restaurant. After returning home we just relaxed and enjoyed watching some television program.

Our lunch

Hubby having lunch

I am having lunch

17th August

On 17th August, hubby and I left our home in Ichinomiya at about 5 am, took a train to Centrair Airport, from where we took a flight back to Akita. We reached Akita Airport at about 9.30 am. On reaching the car parking lot of the airport, we realized that the battery of our car was dead. A nearby gas-station staff helped in fixing the problem but it was just a temporary fix. Later hubby had to replace the car battery at a repair shop.

The battery of our car is dead

Stranded at Akita Airport

We loved going to our home in Ichinomiya City and meeting our relatives during Obon Holidays.

Life has been rather quite over the past couple of months. Hubby had been very busy with his office work and brought home a lot of work. But on weekends, hubby and I visited a few sightseeing places in nearby prefectures, and ate at a few restaurants in Akita City. We enjoyed the autumn season immensely, and now it has already started snowing in Akita prefecture. In this post, I will chronicle our everyday life for the months of October and November.

On 4th October, hubby and I had lunch at a restaurant named Kathmandu Kitchen. It is a Nepalese restaurant located in Omachi area of Akita City. First we had Samosa snacks. Then we ordered set-menu lunch consisting of a curry dish, saffron rice, and salad. Hubby’s lunch set had Keema curry and mine had spinach-chicken curry. Both the curries were mild, had rich flavor, and were delicious. We also ordered Coca-Cola soft drink and Mango Lassi to go with lunch. It was nice to have Nepalese food though I found the taste similar to north Indian food but fortunately (for me) less spicy.

Samosa snacks

Hubby having Samosa

Keema curry and salad

Spinach-chicken curry and salad

Hubby having lunch

Mango Lassi (left) and Coca Cola (right)

I had a few errands to run on the evening of 8th October. So I took a local train from Ugo Honjo Railway Station near our home to go up to a station named Nikaho. Ugo Honjo Station is a very small station and serves the local people well. A huge Gotenmari ball hangs from the ceiling at the entrance area inside the station, and really brightens up the place. Gotenmari balls are typical traditional handicraft of Honjo region, and are made of vivid colors and have sophisticated creative designs. While standing at the platform of Ugo Honjo Station, I saw a few scarecrow puppets put up near the back side of the railway station for Kokumin Bunkasai National Cultural Festival (English webpage and a more detailed Japanese webpage) that was going on those days (4th October to 3rd November). In fact, Akita was the host prefecture for the festival this year. The colorful scarecrows looked awesome. Akita is basically an agriculture based prefecture and such scarecrows are an important part of the lifestyle of the farmers here. In fact during the rice harvesting season, I have seen many such scarecrows all around the place where we live. Oh the tranquility and happiness of village life! Anyway I got off the train at Nikaho Station which is just two stops from Ugo Honjo Station. Nikaho Station is even smaller than Ugo Honjo, and is unmanned after 5 pm. At the waiting room of Nikaho Station I saw a huge display of a fictional local hero character named Dewa warrior Ga Saan. This character was also displayed for Kokumin Bunkasai National Cultural Festival. I realized that although Akita prefecture is sparsely populated and does not have much entertainment facilities, people like to celebrate little things in life. After returning home, I saw news on television about the lunar eclipse going on at that time. I opened the window and looked towards the sky, and saw that the moon was in total lunar eclipse and its color was a deep copper red. The moon looked so beautiful.

Huge Gotenmari ball hanging from the ceiling at the entrance area inside Ugo Honjo Railway Station

A few scarecrow puppets put up near the back side of Ugo Honjo station for Kokumin Bunkasai National Cultural Festival

Enlarged view of some of the scarecrows

Enlarged view of the other scarecrows

Fictional local hero named Dewa warrior Ga Saan displayed inside Nikaho Station for Kokumin Bunkasai National Cultural Festival

Moon during the total lunar eclipse as viewed from the window of our home at 19:21 pm

Moon during the partial eclipse phase as viewed at 21:16 pm

On 11th October, hubby and I visited Lake Tazawako Dakikaeri Prefectural Natural Park and Dakikaeri Shrine about which I will write in a later blog post.

13th October was our 9th marriage anniversary day. We just relaxed at home. Hubby modified our home mini-library in the morning. In the afternoon, he cooked our lunch consisting of two kinds of spaghetti dishes. He cooked Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino for me and Spaghetti Carbonara for himself. Of course we tasted each others dishes, and both the dishes were delicious. Then we watched a couple of English movies on cable television. Later in the evening, we bought a Sushi Bento from a nearby supermarket. I also cooked Kitsune Soba noodles from scratch. Our dinner of Soba noodles and Sushi was nice. We spent a nice relaxed day at home on our marriage anniversary.

Hubby modifying our home mini-library

Hubby cooking lunch

Our lunch of Spaghetti Carbonara (left) and Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino (right)

Hubby having lunch

Our dinner of Sushi and Kitsune Soba noodles

Hubby having dinner

On 18th October, hubby and I went to see a Bollywood movie named ‘English Vinglish’ at a theater in Akita City. The movie was renamed as ‘Madam in New York’ for its release in Japan. Although the dialogues of the movie were in Hindi language, there were Japanese subtitles so it was easier for hubby to understand the storyline. It was a comedy drama movie and we enjoyed it immensely. I should mention here that only a few selected Bollywood movies have so far been screened at theaters in Japan, and that too mostly in Tokyo area. So it was really a pleasant surprise that ‘English Vinglish’ was shown at a remote theater in Akita prefecture where comparatively very few foreigners (Indians) live. Also I watched a Bollywood movie at a theater after almost two decades, and it was really a nice experience. On our way back home, we saw beautiful autumn colors right in the heart of Akita City.

I am standing next to the poster of the movie ‘Madam in New York’ located in front of the theater

Autumn colors in Akita City

On 25th October, hubby and I visited Yamadera Temple in Yamagata City of Yamagata prefecture. We went there by our car, and were surrounded by colorful autumn foliage all the way up to the temple. We had to drive for about 3 hours on an expressway and a national highway to reach the temple. The expressway and the national highway were so scenic and beautiful due to the fabulous autumn colors all around. We stopped at a couple of parking areas along the way to click photos of the autumn foliage. I will write about our visit to Yamadera Temple in a later blog post.

Autumn colors near our home in Yurihonjo City

Autumn foliage on our way to Yamadera Temple as viewed from moving car

Autumn foliage as viewed from a parking area along the expressway leading to the temple

Our car and autumn foliage at yet another parking area

Autumn colors near this second parking area

On 2nd November, hubby and I went to see an English movie at a theater in Akita City. We saw that a temporary stage was set up at the first floor of the building where the movie theater hall is located. And Taiko drum performance was held by four performers in Namahage costume and ogre masks. It was an enchanting performance, and was held as an event to mark the closing of Kokumin Bunkasai National Cultural Festival.

A temporary stage along with many Taiko drums

Taiko drum performance by Namahage costume-wearing performers

On 22nd November, hubby and I had been to Mitsui Outlet Park Sendai Port located in Sendai City. It is the largest outlet mall in Tohoku region and has nearly 120 domestic and foreign brand stores, as well as restaurants and amusement facilities. It took us almost 4 hours of car ride to reach the outlet mall. In between we stopped at a service area along the expressway and had lunch at a restaurant. On reaching the mall, we saw that an entertainment show was going on. A juggler performed many funny tricks with balls, juggling clubs, and knives. We enjoyed the show for about 20 minutes. Later we bought winter jackets and a few other clothes at the mall. That night we stayed at a hotel in a neighboring city. We noted that the Christmas decorations and illuminations were already up everywhere we had been that day, that is, the service area along the expressway, the entrance area of the outlet mall, various shops at the mall, and even the hotel we stayed that night. Everywhere there was Christmas mood. The next day we visited the historical site of Tagajo Fort located in the present day Tagajo City of Miyagi prefecture. I will write about our visit to the site of Tagajo Fort in a later blog post.

Hubby is having lunch at a service area along the expressway. We can see Christmas decorations behind him.

Christmas decorations at Mitsui Outlet Park Sendai Port

The Christmas trees are so beautiful

A juggler performing funny tricks with knives at the mall

Hubby standing at the mall along with several shops in the background

On 29th November, hubby and I had lunch at a restaurant named Big Boy in Akita City. We ordered set-menu lunch consisting of a main dish, salad, hot soup, dessert, and cold drinks. Hubby’s main dish consisted of stewed hamburger patty, and my main dish consisted of hamburger patty, fried fish, and fried chicken. The food was delicious. Afterwards we had lychee fruit for dessert. I love lychee very much and had them after almost 3 decades. It was a sumptuous lunch and we enjoyed the food very much. In the evening, we drove up to Autobacs store in Akita City itself, and changed the tires of our car to studless snow tires in preparation for the long hard snowy winter of Akita prefecture (it is already snowing heavily now). It was fun to watch the store staffs remove the usual tires of our car and replace them with the studless snow tires. We had to wait for about an hour to get the tires changed as there were many customers that day. We read Doraemon comic book while waiting. Afterwards we bought a few groceries in the city and then returned home. That night hubby made popcorn in a frying-pan. It was the first experience for him to make popcorn and he was very excited and happy to see the corn kernels popping. I compiled a video of the corn kernels popping in the frying-pan.

Hubby’s lunch of stewed hamburger patty

My lunch consisting of hamburger patty, fried fish, and fried chicken

Lychee fruits for dessert

I am having lychee fruits

Autobacs store staffs changing the tires of our car to studless snow tires

Hubby drinking a cup of coffee while waiting during the changing of tires

And reading Doraemon comic book for passing time at the store

Hubby made popcorn in a frying-pan

A compiled video of the corn kernels popping in the frying-pan

It is now snowing heavily in Akita prefecture and is extremely cold. Hubby and I are eagerly looking forward to the New Year holidays.

Hubby and I visited Dakigaeri Valley on October 11th. Dakigaeri Valley is one of the most scenic valleys situated along Tamagawa River, a tributary of Omonogawa River, in Semboku City of Akita prefecture. The valley is situated at the midpoint of Tamagawa River and runs for roughly 10 kilometers in total. The valley gets its name from two words namely ‘Daki’ which means ‘to hold or to hug’ and ‘Kaeri’ which means ‘turn around’. Before it was paved as it is today, the pathway along the valley used to be extremely narrow. So when two people, walking in opposite directions, met each other along the narrow path, it was necessary for one to embrace the other and turn around, in order to pass and move to the other side of the path. Dakigaeri Valley is also known as the Yabakei of Tohoku region. Along with Lake Tazawako and its surroundings, Dakigaeri Valley is a part of Tazawako Dakigaeri Prefectural Natural Park.

The average altitude of Dakigaeri Valley is not so high. There are virgin forests and waterfalls on the rocks on both sides of the valley. The unique shades of blue color of the waterfalls and Tamagawa River are a beautiful sight to behold. Due to rockslides, the last 7 kilometers of the 10-kilometer path along the valley has been closed off. The accessible sections of the valley has easy-to-walk paved pathway to view odd-shaped rocks, rapids, as well as large and small waterfalls. Near the entrance area of the valley, there is a red-colored suspension bridge named Kami-no-Iwahashi. It is an 80 meters long bridge that was built in 1926, and is the oldest suspension bridge in Akita prefecture. Near the end of the accessible path, about 2 kilometers into the valley, there is a stunning waterfall named Mikaeri-no-taki. From spring to summer, people visit the valley to view the fresh green virgin forests and the beautiful waterfalls of the valley. And in autumn, people visit the valley to view colorful autumn foliage.

Next, I will write about a Shinto shrine named Dakigaeri Jinja located at the entrance area of Dakigaeri Valley. It is a small shrine with an old history. Minamoto clan fought many battles with Abe clan during Zenkunen War in Heian period. In 1062, a Samurai named Minamoto no Yoshiie of Minamoto clan wanted to fight a battle with Abe no Sadato of Abe clan of Kuriyagawa no Saku of Morioka. Yoshiie had to cross Tamagawa River to reach Kuriyagawa no Saku for fighting the battle with Sadato. So Yoshiie took out his personal statue of Buddha called Nenjibutsu and prayed at the location of the present-day shrine. He prayed for the river to be calm while crossing it and also for a safe return from the battle. After his victorious return from the battle, Yoshiie enshrined his Nenjibutsu and made a temple at the location. Somewhere along the centuries, many Shinto deities also came to be prayed at the temple. For example, Dragon-God named Ryujin, Water-God named Mikumari-no-kami, and sericulture guardian deity named Kaikogami were venerated since ancient times. In 1673, Dakigaeri Village (present day Wakamatsu in Daisen City) faced severe water shortages and the rivers in the area dried up. So in 1675 a branch shrine of Niukawakami Shrine of Yamato province was established at the former location of the temple and a deity of Water-God named Mizuhanome-no-kami was enshrined inside. The shrine has been rebuilt many times since then.

On 11th October, hubby and I left our home at about 10 am. Dakigaeri Valley is located about 85 kilometers east-northeast of our home in Yurihonjo City and it took us 1.5 hours of car ride to reach the valley area. We parked our car at a parking lot and walked for about 350 meters to reach the entrance area of Dakigaeri Valley. While walking, we loved viewing the mountains with green vegetation surrounding the valley. We noted at least three places on the mountains where mudslides had occurred in a distant or not so distant past.

I am standing next to the map of Dakigaeri Valley area

I am walking along a road leading to the entrance area of the valley

I am standing next to a stone monument with ‘Tazawako Dakigaeri Prefectural Natural Park: Dakigaeri Valley’ inscribed on it

Distant view of the valley along with the red colored Kami-no-Iwahashi Bridge

A mudslide area (indicated with red arrow) on one of the surrounding mountains

Near the entrance area of Dakigaeri Valley, we started walking along a paved pathway. Dakigaeri Jinja Shrine is located just at the entrance area of the valley. We saw the first Torii Gate of the shrine near this entrance area. After passing through the gate, we saw a small stream flowing by. We crossed a simple wooden bridge over the stream, and walked along the pathway for about 10 meters to reach the second Torii Gate located to our right side. We walked past this second gate and entered the sacred area of the shrine premises. Inside the premises to our right side, we saw a Temizuya which is a hand washing basin with a roof supported by four pillars. We washed our hands with water at the basin and purified ourselves. It is a symbolic act to clean the mind and body of impurity.

I am standing in front of the first Torii Gate of Dakigaeri Jinja Shrine located near the entrance area of Dakigaeri Valley

A small stream flowing by

I am standing in front of the second Torii Gate of the shrine

Temizuya

I am washing my hands with water at Temizuya

Next, we walked up to the main prayer hall named Shaden located right across the second Torii Gate in the shrine premises. Shaden Hall is a small wooden building with intricately carved front area and the ceiling. Thin Shimenawa straw rope hung at the entrance of the hall. A deity of Water-God named Mizuhanome-no-kami is enshrined inside the hall. On reaching the front of the hall, I rang the bell located just outside the hall. Then I offered some coins into the offertory box located in front of the hall, clapped my hands twice, and prayed. I prayed for a safe environment as well as physical well being of my family and friends. I loved the serene atmosphere of the shrine premises. After finishing praying, I noted a pair of stone lanterns located on either side of the pathway in front of the hall, which further added to the tranquility of the shrine.

I am standing in front of Shaden Main Prayer Hall. A pair of stone lanterns are seen on either side of the pathway leading to the hall.

Hubby standing in front of Shaden Hall

Intricately carved wooden front area of the hall and thin Shimenawa straw rope hanging at the entrance of the hall

Inside the main hall

I am ringing the bell located in front of the hall

In front of Shaden Prayer Hall, towards its right side (orientation with respect to the prayer hall), we saw an elongated building named Nagadoko Hall inside the shrine premises. Nagadoko Hall is a wooden building with a roof and has only two walls. It is an open stage building with two walls absent, and is used as a meeting place for various ceremonies by the shrine staff. Several huge wooden Ema votive tablets with paintings of dragons and horses hang on the two walls of this hall. Some of the exhibited paintings are really very old. We loved viewing these Ema paintings.

Nagadoko Hall

A very old painting of a dragon hanging on the wall of Nagadoko Hall

A relatively new painting of a dragon

A painting of a dragon and a horse

An old painting of a dragon

Three paintings of horses

After visiting Dakigaeri Jinja Shrine, we continued walking along the paved pathway located adjacent to the shrine. This section of the pathway is rather narrow and is located on the side of a mountain along with Tamagawa River flowing in the valley below. The pathway has wooden railings on one side to prevent visitors from accidentally falling into the river. The pathway was surrounded by lush green all around those days. From the pathway, we looked down into the valley and saw that the river looked stunningly beautiful with emerald colored water.

Hubby walking along the narrow paved pathway

Hubby clicking photos of the river below

Emerald colored Tamagawa River

Emerald colored river and fresh green leaves of the valley

After about 10 minutes of leisurely walking along the pathway, we reached Kami-no-Iwahashi Bridge located over Tamagawa River. As mentioned earlier, it is an 80 meters long red-colored suspension bridge that was built in 1926. It is the oldest suspension bridge in Akita prefecture. We loved viewing the spectacular sceneries of the valley while standing on either side of the bridge. The blue sky, the fresh green virgin forests, and the emerald colored river looked amazing. The view of the valley from this bridge is really magnificent.

Kami-no-Iwahashi Bridge as viewed from one end

I am standing on the bridge and enjoying the beautiful views to the east side of the bridge

Hubby standing on the bridge along with the valley in the background

View of the magnificent valley and Tamagawa River to the east side of the bridge

I am standing on the bridge and enjoying the beautiful views to the west side of the bridge

View of the magnificent valley and Tamagawa River to the west side of the bridge

View of emerald colored Tamagawa River running though the valley

A beautiful small islet located to the west side of the bridge

We walked across Kami-no-Iwahashi Bridge and reached the other side of Tamagawa River. Then we went down a few stone steps and reached the bank of the river. We walked along the bank and enjoyed the scenic views all around us. We saw that there were too many rocks and pebbles along the bank and realized that it was probably the dried-up portion of the riverbed. I touched the river water which was very cold but the clear emerald color of the water was a mesmerizing sight to behold. We stayed at the bank of the river for about 15 minutes and enjoyed the views.

I am walking down the stone steps that lead to the bank of Tamagawa River. Kami-no-Iwahashi Bridge can be partly seen on the left side of the photo.

I am walking along the bank of the river. Red colored bridge is seen on the left side of the photo.

I am walking along the bank of the river. Many rocks and pebbles are seen.

The water of the river was very cold

Hubby clicking photos of the beautiful sceneries

Hubby clicking more photos

View of the valley and the river to the west side as seen from the bank of the river

View of the valley to the east side as seen from the bank of the river

After crossing the bridge, there is a paved narrow path along the river in the valley that leads to Mikaeri-no-taki Waterfall and a few caves. But we skipped going to the waterfall this time. We returned back to the entrance area of the valley and had softcream at a shop located near the car parking area.

I am having softcream

Hubby relaxing and having softcream

Afterwards we walked back to the car parking area and returned home. We loved visiting Dakigaeri Valley and Dakigaeri Jinja Shrine.

I have not written any post for about a month now. Hubby and I had been to our home in Ichinomiya City during the New Year holidays and after returning back to Yurihonjo, I had not been keeping well due to the extreme cold weather. Now I am alright and back to blogging. I will write about the New Year Holidays in this post. I should mention here that there are a few places hubby and I visited in 2014 about which I have yet to write. I will write about those places after this blog post.

27th December 2014

During the New Year holidays, hubby and I went to our home in Ichinomiya City of Aichi prefecture and also visited a few of our relatives in the city. We went by our car. On 27th December 2014, the first day of the long holiday, we were busy packing several things that we wished to take to our home in Ichinomiya.

28th December 2014

On 28th December, we loaded the luggage in our car and left our home in Yurihonjo City at about 9 am. While driving we saw many beautiful scenic landscapes along the way. We stopped for some time at Oyashirazu Pier Park located in Itoigawa City of Niigata prefecture. Oyashirazu Pier Park is located about 410 kilometers southwest of our home in Yurihonjo City and it took us about 6 hours of car ride to reach the area. Oyashirazu Pier Park is a Road Station and is part of a network of roadside service areas and tourism facilities found along Japan's national highway system. The Pier Park is uniquely located underneath Hokuriku Expressway and features a beach, a museum, restaurants, fish market, gift shops, and several other amenities. We loved viewing the white sandy beach and spend some time along the beach which refreshed us very much. Later we continued driving along the expressway. It was snowing at many places and we clicked several photos of the picturesque scenes all around us. We stopped at Nyuzen Parking Area in Toyama prefecture to take rest and again clicked a couple of photos of the snow covered mountains and fields. From Oyashirazu Pier Park we drove another 95 kilometers southwest for about 1.5 hours and reached a Kaiten Sushi restaurant named Himi Kito Kito Sushi located in Toyama City of Toyama prefecture. It was about 5 pm and we had an early dinner of various kinds of Sushi at the restaurant. We loved having the superior quality and flavorful Sushi with fresh and diverse fishes from Toyama Bay. After dinner, we went to a hotel in Toyama City where we checked in for the night. Hubby was tired due to driving the entire day and so he retired to bed immediately. I watched a television program for some time.

Beach at Oyashirazu Pier Park Road Station

Another view of the Pier Park

Panoramic view of snow covered mountains as seen while driving along Hokuriku Expressway

Another view of the snow covered picturesque mountains along the expressway

Beautiful snow covered mountains along with many houses in the foreground

Snow covered mountains and fields as viewed from Nyuzen Parking Area

I am standing at Nyuzen Parking Area

Himi Kito Kito Sushi restaurant

Hubby having dinner at the Sushi restaurant

Hubby sleeping at the hotel room in Toyama City

29th December 2014

On the morning of 29th December, we left the hotel at about 9 am and visited Toyama Castle located in Toyama City itself. It was just a five minute drive from the hotel. We loved viewing the castle about which I will write in details in a blog post later on. At about 9.30 am we left the castle and again started driving on our way to Ichinomiya City. Ichinomiya is located about 220 kilometers south of Toyama City and we had a long drive ahead of us. On our way, on Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway, we saw mind refreshing snow covered mountainous regions. After driving along the expressway for about 80 kilometers for 1.5 hours, we reached the historic village of Shirakawa-go located in Gifu prefecture. We visited this world heritage village and enjoyed viewing the traditional houses for about 4 hours. I will write about this village in a later post. We left the village at about 3 pm and again continued on our way to Ichinomiya. After another 2.5 hours of car ride, we reached our home. Hubby was rather tired due to driving for a long time, and so he took rest for some time. Afterwards, father-in-law, his wife, hubby, and I had dinner at a nearby Yakiniku grilled meat restaurant named Yakiniku Ishidaya. We had various kinds of meat like Rosu, Karubi, Tan, Horumon, and chicken that we cooked ourselves on a gas grill burner built into the table. It was fun to grill several pieces of meat at a time and dip it in a sauce called Tare and eat. In addition, we had salad, soup, and rice. The dinner was very filling and satisfying. After dinner, hubby noted that our car looked rather dirty and was covered with a layer of dust due to driving for almost 800 kilometers in the past two days. So hubby and I went to an automatic car wash machine located near our home and washed our car. We returned home at about 8.30 pm and retired for the day.

I am standing in front of Toyama Castle

Snow covered mountains along Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway

A few traditional houses in Shirakawa-go Village

Hubby and two traditional houses in the historic village

Grilling meat on a burner built into the table at a Yakiniku restaurant

Dinner

Father-in-law and his wife having dinner

Father-in-law and hubby having dinner

Washing our car at an automatic car wash machine

30th December 2014

On the morning of 30th December, father-in-law, his wife, hubby, and I visited my late mother-in-law’s grave located near our home in Ichinomiya. Father-in-law cleaned the gravestone with water, offered flowers, and lit some candles and incense sticks, and then we all offered our prayers. Afterwards we all visited the home of my father-in-law’s eldest brother who lives very close our home in Ichinomiya. In fact, hubby’s eldest uncle’s home is the main ancestral home of ‘Nagata family’. We paid our respects to hubby’s uncle and his wife and gave them a souvenir we had bought from Toyama City the previous day. Hubby’s uncle and aunt have a huge front yard and a garden. It was really nice to talk with them while strolling in the garden. We saw a cute stone statue of a Tanuki raccoon dog in the garden and hubby’s aunt told me a Japanese folklore story about Tanuki. Aunt grows a lot of fruits and vegetables in her garden throughout the year and she excitedly explained about their seasonal growth. She gave us a huge cardboard box full of many radishes, Chinese cabbages, carrots, and various kinds of oranges. We brought all those vegetables and fruits back to Akita, and now only a few oranges remain. Unfortunately I forgot to click photos of all the vegetables and fruits and only clicked a photo of the remaining few oranges today. We are really thankful to hubby’s uncle and aunt for such a great favor. In the evening, hubby, father-in-law and his wife, and I had dinner at a Japanese restaurant. Hubby’s sister and her two daughters also accompanied us. We had traditional multi-course dinner which consisted of a sequence of dishes, each small and artistically arranged. I could recognize only a few items such as Tempura, Korokke, Sashimi, salad, soup, rice, and dessert. The dinner was wonderful and very filling. Afterwards we clicked several funny selfie photos. We all had a nice time chatting and catching up with others.

Father-in-law, his wife, and hubby arranging flowers to be placed at my late mother-in-law’s grave

Father-in-law and his wife praying in front of the grave

Mother-in-law’s grave decorated with beautiful flowers along with lit candles and incense sticks

Front yard and garden of hubby’s eldest uncle’s home

A cute statue of Tanuki in the garden

A few of the various kinds of oranges that hubby’s aunt gave us

My sister-in-law, father-in-law, and his wife having dinner at a Japanese restaurant

Hubby and his older niece having dinner

Younger niece and I having dinner

Younger niece enjoying having Korokke

Fun time after dinner

31st December 2014

On 31st December, father-in-law, his wife, hubby, and a few other relatives went to play golf at Springfield Golf Club in Tajimi City of Gifu prefecture. They left home at about 5 am. I am not at all interested in golf, and so I preferred to stay at home and relaxed all day. They returned home at about 6 pm in the evening. Afterwards we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant located near our home. Father-in-law’s older brother also accompanied us for dinner.

Hubby, uncle, father-in-law, and his wife having dinner

1st January 2015

On 1st January 2015, hubby and I just relaxed at home and watched some movies. January 1st is considered to be a very auspicious day in Japan, and is best started by viewing Hatsuhinode which is the first sunrise of the New Year. Hatsuhinode is traditionally believed to be representative for the whole year that has just commenced. So awakening before sunrise is considered important to view the first sunrise of the year. However it snowed heavily in Ichinomiya and the surrounding area in Aichi prefecture, and we had to be satisfied watching the beautiful white flakes of snow falling in our front yard. We watched television networks broadcasting live the first sunrise breaking at various locations in Japan.

Hatsuhinode and Mount Fuji we saw in a television program

Snow in our front yard

2nd January 2015

It snowed heavily on 2nd January also, so we stayed at home and relaxed the entire day. In the evening, hubby, father-in-law and his wife, and I had dinner at a Shabu-shabu family restaurant located in a shopping complex named Aeon Mall in Ichinomiya. Shabu-shabu is a Japanese style of cooking in which thin slices of meat, usually beef or pork, is quickly cooked in a boiling broth. Vegetables and noodles are also cooked in boiling water and various combinations of meat and vegetables are dipped in different kinds of sauces and eaten. It was an all-you-can-eat experience complete with a very extensive salad bar, desserts, and drinks in a 70 minute period. Hubby and I gorged on all the food like we were starving for weeks, and finally ended up overeating. Shabu-shabu was a real nice experience for me.

Vegetables, dipping sauces, and a pot of boiling liquid containing half water and half our chosen broth

Gorgeous plates of raw meat and the pot of boiling liquid for cooking the meat and vegetables

Father-in-law and his wife having dinner

Hubby cooking Shabu-shabu meat

I am having dessert

3rd January 2015

On 3rd January, we started back on our return journey to Yurihonjo City. We left our home in Ichinomiya at about 9 am and went to see Matsumoto Castle in Matsumoto City of Nagano prefecture. Matsumoto Castle is located about 220 kilometers northeast of Ichinomiya and it took us about 3 hours of car ride along an expressway to reach the castle area. We loved viewing Matsumoto Castle about which I will write in details in a blog post sometime later. We enjoyed the castle and its surroundings for about 2 hours, and then left the area. Later we continued driving along the expressway. It was snowing at many places and we clicked several photos of the snow covered mountains and picturesque scenes all around us. We drove for another 280 kilometers towards northeast for about 4 hours and reached Niigata City in Niigata prefecture where we stayed at a hotel for the night.

Hubby standing in front of Matsumoto Castle

Snow covered mountains as seen while driving along the expressway in Nagano prefecture

A snow covered parking area somewhere along the expressway in Nagano prefecture

4th January 2015

On 4th January, we left the hotel at about 10 am and continued driving on our way to Yurihonjo City. Yurihonjo is located about 230 kilometers northeast of Niigata City and almost the entire stretch of the highway road from Niigata City to Yurihonjo is located alongside the coastline of the Sea of Japan. We enjoyed beautiful scenic views throughout the way. After about 4 hours of car ride we reached home at 2 pm.

Beautiful view of the coast and the Sea of Japan

Hubby and I enjoyed the New Year holidays very much. It was so relaxing for us.

On 25th October 2014, hubby and I visited Yamadera Temple located in Yamagata City of Yamagata prefecture. We went there by our car. The temple is located about 190 kilometers south-southeast of our home in Yurihonjo City and we had to drive for about 3 hours on an expressway and a national highway to reach the temple. We were surrounded by colorful autumn foliage all the way up to the temple. The expressway and the national highway were so scenic and beautiful due to the fabulous autumn colors all around. We stopped at a couple of parking areas along the way to click photos of the autumn foliage. Interestingly at the second parking area, located somewhere midway between Yurihonjo and Yamadera Temple, we saw a unique combination of several snow covered mountains along with a couple of autumn foliage covered mountains. It was a wonderful experience to see right in front of us the snow covered mountains named Yudonosan (marked as 1), Ubagatake (2), Gassan (3), Takahiyama (5), and Kuromoriyama (6) in the far background and the mountains named Yatsudateyama (4) and Fumiyozan (7) covered with glorious autumn foliage in the foreground. After enjoying the marvelous views, we continued on our way to Yamadera Temple and reached a car parking area near the temple. We parked our car and started walking along a street leading to the temple.

Autumn foliage along the national highway

Yet more colored foliage along the expressway

Autumn foliage covered mountains as viewed from the first parking area where we took rest

I am standing at the first parking area along with glorious autumn colors in the background

Autumn colors near the second parking area where we took rest

Snow covered Mounts Yudonosan (marked as 1), Ubagatake (2), and Gassan (3) in the far background and Mount Yatsudateyama (4) covered with autumn foliage in the foreground as viewed from the second parking area

Snow covered Mounts Takahiyama (5) and Kuromoriyama (6) in the far background and Mounts Yatsudateyama (4) and Fumiyozan (7) covered with autumn foliage in the foreground

Yamadera Temple is a scenic old Buddhist temple of Tendai sect located in the mountains about 12 kilometers northeast of Yamagata City in Yamagata prefecture. The official name of the temple is Hojusan Risshakuji and it is known to be one of the most amazing temples of Japan. The temple complex has a vast area which extends from the base of Mount Hoshuyama to all the way high up its steep mountainside. Various buildings of the temple are built into and on rock ledges of this mountain. The temple was founded during Heian period in the year 860 AD by Buddhist priest Jikaku Daishi in response to the imperial edict of Emperor Seiwa. Although Jikaku Daishi erected many temples throughout Tohoku region, he put particular effort into the construction of Risshakuji Temple to make it exceptional, and established a seminary in the temple premises. The temple developed into the major Heian period temple for rural Dewa province. During Kamakura period, the temple became the center of Tohoku Buddhist culture when more than 300 monks and 1000 devotees resided at the top and bottom of Mount Hoshuyama. During the feudal Ashikaga Muromachi period (1336-1573), the temple buildings and the mountain were destroyed and temporarily fell into decline. For example, during a war in the early 14th century this temple was destroyed by a fire but was rebuilt in 1356. In 1521, most of the buildings of the temple were again razed by a fire during yet another war but were restored in 1543. During Edo period, the temple again became a powerful institution and possessed a fief of 1420 Koku, and officially received about 213000 kilograms of rice yearly from the Shogunate. The temple once again prospered and became a center for religious culture. In 1689 the famous poet Matsuo Basho visited the temple and composed a short Haiku poem about the stillness and silence of the area. Presently the temple complex has an area of about 1155000 square meters consisting of cliffs and mountains with more than 40 temple buildings distributed throughout. The temple complex stretches high up into the rocky mountain with many small buildings scattered all over the mountain. In fact many buildings are precariously located along a dangerous cliff and some buildings are located right on the top of the cliff. So visitors have to climb a total of 1015 narrow steps starting from the foot of the mountain, and continue among huge trees in the mountain forest to reach the buildings located at the top. The temple has been designated as a place of scenic beauty and historic site.

While walking towards the entrance of Yamadera Risshakuji Temple, we followed a street located adjacent to the mountain. This street is surrounded on either side with several shops selling walking sticks, snacks, and souvenirs. While walking, to our left we saw a wooden monument with ‘Oku no Hosomichi Risshakuji’ inscribed on it. We ignored the first two flights of staircases to our left and after about 5 minutes of walking we reached the third staircase. We climbed about 40 stone steps of this staircase and reached the front of the Main Hall of the temple located near the base of the mountain.

I am standing next to a wooden monument with ‘Oku no Hosomichi Risshakuji’ inscribed on it

I am standing next to a stone monument located near the base of the third staircase that leads to the Main Hall of the temple

Hubby climbing up the steps

The Main Hall of Yamadera Risshakuji Temple complex is a large building known as Konpon Chudo. The temple complex starts with this Main Hall and is located at the base of the mountain. Konpon Chudo has been designated as an important cultural property. The original building was built during Heian period in the year 860 when the temple was founded by Jikaku Daishi. Over history, the temple Main Hall building was destroyed and rebuilt several times. During a war in the early 14th century the Main Hall was destroyed by a fire but was reconstructed in 1356 by Shiba Kaneyori, the first lord of Yamagata Castle. The present Konpon Chudo building exists from that time and is a Muromachi period structure. It is a one story wooden building constructed in Irimoya Zukuri architectural style with a hip-gabled roof and Goken Shimen structure. Goken Shimen structure means the building is Goken (about 9.09 meters) in east-west direction by Niken (about 3.64 meters) in north-south direction, and surrounded by eaves in all directions. About 60% of the building is made out of beech wood, which is rare as a building material. The hall is considered to be the oldest beech wood structure in Japan. The style and format of Tendai sect Buddhist seminary building is very well preserved in the hall structure. The principal image enshrined inside the hall is a hidden seated wooden statue of Yakushi Nyorai said to have been hand carved by Jikaku Daishi himself. This main statue is flanked by standing statues of attendants Nikko Bosatsu and Gakko Bosatsu as well as twelve heavenly warrior generals Juunishi Ten. Statues of Monju Bosatsu and Bishamonten are also enshrined inside the hall. Also inside this hall a sacred flame is stored that is said to have been perpetually burning since Yamadera Temple was founded. This flame had been started from the flame that was carried to Enryakuji Temple from China in the year 788 AD by the priest Dengyo Daishi Saicho. It should be mentioned that Enryakuji Temple (check details in the blog posts here and here) located on Mount Hiei in Otsu City is the head temple of Tendai sect, to which Yamadera Temple belongs. Even after 1155 years the flame still shines as ‘Fumetsu no Hoto’ or the ‘undying light of Buddhism’ inside Yamadera Temple. Interestingly, this flame was brought back in reverse to Enryakuji Temple on Mount Hiei to light anew the flame of the temple that was reconstructed after being set on fire by the order of Oda Nobunaga.

On reaching the front of Konpon Chudo Main Hall of the temple, we saw two beautiful stone lanterns on either side of the paved pathway that leads to the entrance of the hall. The wooden hall looked so elegant and beautiful, and we took several photos of the building from various positions and angles. After walking along the paved pathway for a few meters, we saw Temizuya water fountain to our right side. Temizuya is used for ritual purification before praying at the hall. At the fountain, we used a bamboo scooper to take some water and poured it over our hands and purified ourselves. Just in front of the hall we saw a large cauldron of burning incense, smoke from which is believed to bestow good health. I lit a bunch of incense sticks to the already fuming stock and with my hands wafted the incense fumes over hubby’s body as well as mine. I hope that we will stay healthy for a long time. After walking past the cauldron we saw yet another pair of stone lanterns on either side of the pathway. On reaching the entrance of the hall, I noted that intricate patterns are carved on the front as well as the ceiling of the wooden building. We climbed a few wooden steps and reached the front verandah of the hall. A big wooden statue of Hotei is placed on the top of an offertory box located on the verandah near the entrance of the hall. Hotei is the deity of abundance and happiness and it is said that our wish will come true by touching the statue while making a wish. I offered money into the offertory box and touched the entire surface of the statue and prayed. Inside the hall, we saw two extremely beautiful Mandalas hanging from the front wall of the hall. It should be mentioned here that the principal statue of Yakushi Nyorai enshrined inside the hall is hidden and no one is allowed to see it. Yakushi Nyorai and other statues described in the previous paragraph are kept under padlock in the hall. However, these hidden statues are displayed to the public every 50 years, and were last displayed in 2013. Although the praying area of the hall was open, visitors were not allowed to enter inside the hall. So we prayed from outside standing on the verandah of the hall.

I am standing next to a stone lantern located along a pathway in front of Konpon Chudo Main Hall of the temple

Another stone lantern located on the other side of the pathway

Hubby standing in front of Konpon Chudo Main Hall

The Main Hall as viewed from the front south side

Yet another view of the hall along with a large cauldron of burning incense (left foreground)

The hall as viewed from the southwest

I am washing my hands at Temizuya water fountain

I am lighting a bunch of incense sticks in the cauldron of burning incense

Burning incense sticks and fumes

Another pair of stone lanterns located on either side of the pathway in front of the hall

Front view of the Main Hall

Hubby and the Main Hall

Intricate patterns carved on the front and the ceiling of the wooden hall

I am standing next to the wooden statue of Hotei placed on the top of an offertory box located on the verandah near the entrance of the hall

I am praying in front of the statue of Hotei

View inside the Main Hall

A Mandala hanging from the front wall inside the hall

Another Mandala hanging from the wall

Next we started walking towards the west along the paved pathway on the hillside of the mountain near the base itself. After walking for about 20 meters or so, we saw a stone pagoda located to our right side towards north. It is the memorial tower of Emperor Seiwa and is located adjacent to Konpon Chudo Hall. It is the oldest stone pagoda in this mountain temple complex. As discussed earlier, Yamadera Risshakuji Temple was founded by Jikaku Daishi in 860 in response to the imperial edict of Emperor Seiwa. Thereafter the temple and the surrounding towns prospered very much. So after the demise of Emperor Seiwa in 880, this memorial tower was erected and a grand memorial service was held every morning and evening during Obon festival.

Emperor Seiwa Memorial Tower

We continued walking towards the west along the paved pathway near the base of the mountain and saw a stone Torii Gate. We walked past the gate and after walking for another 10 meters or so we saw a shrine named Hie Jinja located to our right side towards the north. It is a branch shrine of Hie Taisha located in Otsu City of Shiga prefecture. Hie Jinja Shrine is a small wooden building that was founded by Jikaku Daishi in 860. A deity named Oyamakui no Kami is enshrined inside. It is a deity of mountain and water, Jinushigami, cultivation and increasing production, and safe childbirth. This deity is also considered to be the guardian deity for Shaka Triad, Yakushi Triad, and Amida Triad located in various buildings of Risshakuji Temple complex. During the Edo period, the deity was regarded as the personal deity of Tokugawa family, and since the Meiji period, it has been regarded as the guardian deity of the imperial palace. Also the shrine was called Sanno Gongen during the Edo period while it was called Sonsha during the Meiji period. Yamadera Sanno festival is held at this shrine on May 17th annually. Near this shrine building, we saw a huge stone statue of a Kokeshi doll over a burial mound. It is called Kokeshi Zuka and was erected in 1968. Here memorial services are held for past Kokeshi makers, their tools, lumbar, trees, discarded or damaged Kokeshi, and for members of the general public.

Stone Torii Gate

Hie Jinja Shrine

Kokeshi Zuka

We walked along the paved pathway for a few more steps and saw statues of the famous poet Matsuo Basho and his companion disciple Kawai Sora located to our left side towards the south. In the summer of 1689, Matsuo Basho and his companion visited Yamadera Temple and composed a beautiful Haiku poem about the stillness and silence of the area. The poem can be translated as follows.

Such stillness-

seeps into the rocks

the cries of the cicadas

This Haiku is one of the most famous poems in Oku no Hosomichi. In fact, we saw a stone inscription of the poem next to the statue of Basho.

Statue of Matsuo Basho (left), a stone inscription of the Haiku poem (center), and statue of Kawai Sora (right)

I am standing next to the statue of Matsuo Basho

I am standing next to the statue of Kawai Sora

We continued walking along the pathway for another 20 meters or so, and saw a building named Jogyo Nembutsu Do Hall located to our right side towards the north. The hall is a wooden Dojo building and has copper roofing with Hogyo Zukuri architectural style. Jikaku Daishi received training of Nembutsu Zanmai meditation during his pilgrimage to Chikurinji Temple located on Mount Wutai Shan in China. After returning to Japan, he mastered and practiced Nembutsu Zanmai in this Dojo Hall. The principal god enshrined inside this hall is a statue of coroneted Amida Nyorai believed to have been made by Jikaku Daishi himself. Tokugawa Shogun family memorial tablets are also enshrined inside. Inside the hall, just at the entrance area there is a statue of Jikaku Daishi in Zazen pose. Initially this hall building was located to the east of Konpon Chudo Main Hall but in 1691 it was rebuilt at the present location to the west of the Main Hall.

Jogyo Nembutsu Do Hall

Statue of Jikaku Daishi in Zazen pose located at the entrance area inside the hall

Statue of coroneted Amida Nyorai inside the hall

Shoro Belfry is located adjacent to (west of) Jogyo Nembutsu Do Hall. The bell inside the belfry is called ‘Joya no Kane’ which means a temple bell that rings out the old year by ringing it 108 times on New Year’s Eve. The bell is also called ‘Shofuku no Kane’ or the bell of bringing happiness. The belfry building is wooden and has copper roofing with Irimoya Zukuri architectural style. The present bell is 1.8 meters high and about 70 centimeters in diameter, and was cast during the latter part of Edo period by the 66th head priest named Yuden of Risshakuji Temple.

Shoro Belfry

At this point, we finished viewing most of the important buildings and structures located near the base of the mountain. Adjacent to Shoro Belfry towards the west, we saw a huge gate named Sanmon. It is an elegant gate that was erected during the latter part of Kamakura period. It is a wooden gate with a thatched roof and gabled Kirizuma Zukuri architectural style. This type of gate is called Yakuimon. Kanji characters of ‘Kaihoku Reikutsu’ are inscribed on the top front of the gate. Near the entrance area of the gate, there is a ticket counter where we purchased tickets worth 300 Yen per person as admission fee to enter inside the gate and continued our walk along the pathway. It should be mentioned that from the entrance area of Yamadera Temple complex, we had slowly and steadily climbed about 215 stone steps along the paved pathway and reached Sanmon Gate. Sanmon Gate is located at the beginning of a trail that leads up the mountainside to the upper area of the temple grounds. The trail is called Sando and visitors have to hike up this trail that leads to a building named Okunoin located at the top of the mountain. The trail has about 800 stone steps and the ascent may take about 40-60 minutes. There are several small temple buildings, stone statues, and Buddhist structures scattered all over the mountain on the way to the top.

Hubby standing in front of a map of the temple complex located near Sanmon Gate

I am standing in front of Sanmon Gate

‘Kaihoku Reikutsu’ inscribed on the top front of the gate

We walked past Sanmon Gate and started our ascent along the trail. We saw many stone lanterns, small statues, and Buddhist structures in the surrounding forest along the way. Soon afterwards we saw a small wooden building named Uba Do Hall located to our right side along the trail. The principal statue enshrined inside the hall is a stone statue of Datsueba. According to Japanese Buddhist folklore, Datsueba is a female demon who lives on the bank of Sanzu River, which lies between this world and the next. She strips the dead people of their clothes as they pass into the next life. In the olden times, pilgrims cleaned their body and soul with the water trickling from between the nearby rocks and wore a new Kimono before continuing the climb up the trail. The discarded Kimono was dedicated to the statue of Datsueba. According to the Jodo sect of Buddhism, below this Uba Do Hall building point is considered hell, and above this point is paradise. So it is said that the earthly desires blocking us from enlightenment begin to fade away with each step we take up the stone stairs on the trail up the mountainside.

I am walking along the trail up the mountainside

Many stone lanterns and Buddhist structures along the trail

Uba Do Hall

Hubby walking up the steps along the trail

A small stone statue along the trail

Enlarged view of the stone statue

The stone steps make a winding path along the trail. We continued walking up the steps and saw many other interesting structures and buildings about which I will write in the next post.

As I wrote in the previous post, hubby and I visited Yamadera Risshakuji Temple on 25th October 2014. The temple is located on Mount Hoshuyama in Yamagata City of Yamagata prefecture. In the previous post I wrote that we had climbed about 215 stone steps along a paved pathway in the temple complex and reached Sanmon Gate located near the base of the mountain. We walked past Sanmon Gate and started our ascent along a trail that leads up the mountainside to the upper area of the temple grounds. This trail has about 800 stone steps and the ascent usually takes about 40-60 minutes. There are several small temple buildings, stone statues, and Buddhist structures scattered all over the mountain on the way to the top. After seeing Datsueba Hall (previous post) we climbed further up the trail.

The ascent along the trail was very interesting. The stone steps make a winding path along the trail. This trail approach is located along the mountain surrounded by nature. Since olden times, this trail is called ‘Shugyoja no Sando’ or the ‘road of practitioners’. We noted that the width of the trail varied a lot. At the narrowest place the trail is called Yonsunmichi Pass where the width of the trail is only about 14 centimeters. While walking along the trail, it felt like we were stepping in the footsteps of the founder of the temple Jikaku Daishi. Our ancestors have walked along the trail and our descendants will walk along the same trail, and so the trail is also known as ‘Oyako Michi’ or ‘filioparental road’ as well as ‘Shison Do’ or ‘descendant road’. Near Yonsunmichi Pass, we saw a board notifying us that we had climbed about 375 stone steps along the trail from the entrance area of the temple complex (and therefore 160 steps from Sanmon Gate). The trail is surrounded by a thick forest of cedar trees with greenery all around. We saw many stone lanterns, stone pagodas, moss covered small statues, wooden prayer wheels, and rocks carved with Buddhist prayers on either side of the trail. Towering in the upper left of the trail, we saw a sheer rocky cliff called Hyakujo Iwa on which three famous buildings named Kaizan Do, Nokyo Do, and Godai Do stand about which I will write in the next post.

Rocks carved with Buddhist prayers, a stone lantern, and small statues located next to Shugyoja no Sando trail

In the upper area of the same point, we can see the sheer rocky cliff Hyakujo Iwa

We climbed further along the trail, and saw a stone mound named Semizuka located to our left side near the trail. Semizuka means mound of cicadas and was built as a tribute to the famous Haiku poet Matsuo Basho. In the summer of 1689, Basho visited Yamadera Risshakuji Temple. He has described in his travel writing that he stayed at a guest house called Shukubo of the temple located at the base of the mountain. On July 13th of that year, he went to see Konpon Chudo Main Hall (previous post) of the temple but the doors of the hall were closed. So he climbed up the mountain along the trail to see other temple buildings and the surrounding views. It is said that he took rest at this place now called Semizuka and wrote a beautiful Haiku poem about the stillness and silence of the area. I have written the poem in the previous post. It is one of the most famous poems in Oku no Hosomichi. Later in 1751, his pupil visited the place and buried a Tanzaku paper strip with the phrase ‘Semi no Koe’ or ‘the cries of cicadas’ written on it by Basho. Then a mound of stone and a monument were built over that buried strip of paper. Three Kanji characters Ba, Sho, and Ou are inscribed on the stone monument. Near Semizuka, it was so quite and serene, and I felt so calm surrounded by huge ancient cedar trees of the forest. From this place, we could see the rocky cliff Hyakujo Iwa, described in the previous paragraph, more clearly. Near this place, we saw a board notifying us that we had climbed 220 stone steps along the trail from Sanmon Gate. I also saw a small stone statue nearby which intrigued me very much because it looked remarkably similar to a Hindu Goddess named Durga.

Semizuka

Semizuka stone mound and stone monument along with a stone stele in the front to mark the site

Rocky cliff Hyakujo Iwa looming in front of us

A small stone statue along the trail

The statue looks similar to Hindu Goddess Durga

After climbing 350 stone steps from Sanmon Gate along the trail, we saw an interesting looking huge rock called Mida Hora to our right side. It is some sort of volcanic rock and very light and porous at some places. This huge rock on the mountainside is weathered and sculpted by wind and rain for a very long time, which has resulted in creating a fantastic figure form that is shaped like Amida Nyorai. The figure is about 4.8 meters tall and is also known by the name Joroku Amida. It is said that people who can see the figure of Amida Nyorai will achieve happiness. We tried very hard but unfortunately could not make out the figure form. Many stone tablets called Iwa Toba are carved in the bosom of Amida Nyorai on the face of the rock cliff. Many Buddhist inscriptions are carved in hollow relief pattern called Inkoku on these stone tablets. We also saw many Ranto stone pagodas on the ground in front of Mida Hora Rock. In addition, there are many wooden Goshoguruma Kibashira placed near Mida Hora. These are wooden poles with a rotating wheel at the top and are used for memorial services of people who died young. We also saw many 1 yen coins on this huge rock. In fact one portion of the rock is full of such little shiny circular coins. The rock is soft and porous, so it is easy to work the coin into the surface far enough that it does not fall off. I also added one 1 Yen coin on to the rock.

Upper portion of Mida Hora Rock

Middle portion of the rock with many carved stone tablets on the face of the rock

Lower portion of the rock along with many wooden Goshoguruma Kibashira placed on the ground

Enlarged view of wooden Goshoguruma Kibashira

Lower portion of the rock along with many Ranto stone pagodas (right side of the photo) placed on the ground

I am adding one 1 Yen coin on to the porous rock

After climbing about 400 stone steps from Sanmon Gate along the trail, we reached a gate named Niomon. Niomon Gate is located exactly at the midpoint of Sando trail up the mountain from Sanmon Gate. Earlier there used to be a building named Juo Do at this location which was dedicated to Juo, the 10 judges (kings) of hell in Buddhism. In 1848, it was reconstructed as Niomon Gate by the 65th head priest named Joden of Risshakuji Temple. So it is a relatively new building in the temple complex. It is a single-storied wooden gate with gabled and hipped copper roof having Irimoya Zukuri architectural style. It is an eight legged gate and stands three bays wide with the middle bay serving as an entrance. The wooden portion of this graceful gate is fully constructed from Zelkova wood, and the ceiling and pillars have intricate ornate decorations. This gate has a pair of large guardian statues called Nio, one on either side of the entrance. These fierce looking Nio statues, one open-mouthed called Agyo and the other close-mouthed called Ungyo, are supposed to protect the temple from evil spirits. These Nio statues are reputed to be made by Hirai Genshichiro, the 13th descendant of Unkei, and were made to prevent people with wicked souls from entering the temple. Inside the gate building, 10 statues of Juo Kings are enshrined. We appreciated the architecture of the gate and then walked past the gate.

I am climbing up the stone steps leading to Niomon Gate

Niomon Gate

Statue of open mouthed Agyo Nio located to the right side (orientation with respect to us) of the gate

Statue of closed mouthed Ungyo Nio located to the left side of the gate

The gate as viewed from the backside

Past the Niomon Gate, the main ground of the upper area of the temple complex begins. The upper area is open and affords wonderful views out into the valley. Here the number of cedar trees is significantly less and the landscape is wide, which is in contrast to the lack of views along the initial ascent through the dense cedar forest. After passing through the gate, to our left side, we saw the two famous hall buildings Kaizan Do and Nokyo Do located precariously on the edge of the cliff. I will write about these two buildings in the next post. In addition, past the Niomon Gate, there are many sub-temples located at various points along the mountainside. These sub-temples are together called Sannai Shin. During Edo period there used to be 12 sub-temples where many monks used to train but now only four remain, namely Shozoin, Konjoin, Chushoin, and Kezoin. While climbing up the steps along the trail, we saw three of these sub-temples located just next to the steps to our right side. We clicked a photo of a few of these sub-temple buildings from a trail located in front of Kaizan Do Hall. We also saw several very small wooden hall buildings and many huge strangely shaped rocks, weathered and sculpted by natural forces, scattered all around us on the mountain.

I am standing on the steps just past the Niomon Gate. Kaizan Do Hall (1) and Nokyo Do Hall (2) are seen in the background

A huge strangely shaped rock located to our left side along the trail

Shozoin (1), Konjoin (2), and side view of Chushoin (3) sub-temple buildings located along the trail on the upper area of the temple complex

After passing through Niomon Gate and climbing up the steps along the trail, first we saw Shozoin sub-temple to our right side located just next to the steps. Near this place, we saw a board notifying us that we had climbed 540 stone steps from Sanmon Gate. In the olden times there used to be twelve Junishiin temples located in the upper area of the mountain, and Shozoin sub-temple is one of them. In 1868, two temples called Gokurakuin and Zengyoin (Sawanoin) of the mountain were merged to form the present sub-temple. It is a two-storied wooden building with hipped copper roof having Yosemune Zukuri architectural style. The entrance area lower roof has Mukuri and upper roof has Chidorihafu architectural style. The exterior wall of the building has Shinkabe Zukuri style with white stucco finish. A principal statue of Amida Nyorai carved by Jikaku Daishi and a statue of Bishamonten carved by Unkei are enshrined inside Shozoin. We could not see these images but saw a standing statue named Dai Fukutoku Chie Kannon of great fortune and wisdom.

Shozoin sub-temple as viewed from a trail located in front of Kaizan Do Hall

The front of Shozoin sub-temple

Standing statue of Dai Fukutoku Chie Kannon

Facial expressions of Dai Fukutoku Chie Kannon

While climbing further up the steps along the trail, to our right side we saw a small hall named Tainai Do located near a huge strangely shaped rock on the mountain cliff far away from the trail. It is a one-storied wooden building with iron roof having Kirizuma Zukuri architectural style. The building has gabled Tsumairi style with Ketayuki-niken (2 Ken or 3.64 meters long beam) Harima-niken (2 Ken or 3.64 meters long crossbeam) structure. This hall can be assessed by climbing a very dangerous rocky trail up the mountain but visitors are prohibited from climbing up that trail.

Tainai Do Hall and a huge strangely shaped rock

The hall as viewed from a trail located in front of Kaizan Do Hall

We continued climbing up the steps along the trail and next saw the sub-temple named Konjoin to our right side located just adjacent to the steps. Konjoin is one of the olden times Junishiin temples. This sub-temple was rebuilt by a person named Choumei Suhai in 1840. It is a one-storied wooden building having two half-hipped roofs with Irimoya Zukuri architectural style. The entrance area roof has Mukuri architectural style. The exterior wall of the building has Shinkabe Zukuri style with white stucco finish. The principal image enshrined inside the building is a statue of Enmei Jizobosatsu. Statues of Sentai Jizo and Fudomyo are also enshrined. In addition, Nippai mortuary tablet of Fujiwara no Hidehira is also enshrined inside.

Konjoin sub-temple as viewed from a trail located in front of Kaizan Do Hall

I am climbing up the steps along the trail leading to Konjoin sub-temple

Konjoin sub-temple

The front of the sub-temple

While climbing further up the steps along the trail we saw a small building named ‘Taisho Tenno Toguji Yamadera Gyokei Anzaisho’ to our left side located just adjacent to the steps. This building was the temporary lodging of Emperor Taisho, then the crown prince, who rested here during his pilgrimage visit to Yamadera Risshakuji Temple on September 18th 1908. It is a one-storied wooden building with iron roof having Irimoya Zukuri architectural style. The building has Ketayuki-santengoken (3.5 Ken or 6.36 meters long beam) Harima-sanken (3 Ken or 5.46 meters long crossbeam) structure. A pine tree that was planted by the emperor and a monument that was erected afterwards have been preserved as such. We loved the architecture of the building. Standing at this point along the trail, we got wonderful landscape views out into the valley below. We also saw the roofs of several temple buildings located in the upper area of the mountain temple complex that we had passed by earlier.

Taisho Tenno Toguji Yamadera Gyokei Anzaisho

Roofs of several temple buildings located in the upper area of the temple complex

Roofs of several more temple buildings

Amazing view out into the valley as viewed from the upper area of the mountain

We climbed still further up the steps along the trail and saw the third sub-temple named Chushoin to our right side located just adjacent to the steps. Chushoin is one of the olden times Junishiin temples. In 1868, this sub-temple temple was formed by merging three mountain temples named Fudoin, Nakanoin, and Kanmyoin. It is a one-storied wooden building with copper roof having hipped Yosemune and Hirairi architectural styles. The entrance (front facade) roof is gabled and is a combination of Chidorihafu (upper) and Nokikarahafu (lower) architectural styles. The principal image enshrined inside the building is a statue of Amida Nyorai. In front of the sub-temple, we saw a seated metallic statue of Nadebotoke Obinzuru Sama who is reputed to have the gift of healing. The statue is well worn because of the custom of rubbing a part of the statue corresponding to the sick parts of our bodies.

Hubby standing in front of Chushoin sub-temple

Entrance front facade of the sub-temple

I am touching the statue of Nadebotoke Obinzuru Sama

Right in front of Chushoin sub-temple we saw a rather old looking mausoleum of feudal lord Mogami Yoshiaki. Mogami Yoshiaki was the 11th generation feudal lord of Mogami clan of Dewa province. He loved the land and people of the province immensely, and brought peace and stability to the province during the warring Sengoku period. He laid the foundation of the modern-day Yamagata city. Ihai memorial tablets of 10 vassals of Yoshiaki are also enshrined inside the mausoleum. Although the exact year of the construction of the mausoleum is unknown, it is assumed to be built between the years 1620 to 1651. It is a small wooden building with metallic roof having Hogyo Zukuri architectural style. The building has Ketayuki-niken (2 Ken or 3.64 meters long beam) Harima-niken (2 Ken or 3.64 meters long crossbeam) structure. Next to the building, we saw a stone monument marking the site.

Mausoleum of feudal lord Mogami Yoshiaki

A stone monument located next to the building marks the site

We were rather tired but steadily continued to climb up the steps along the trail, and reached in front of two halls named Okunoin and Daibutsuden located at the top of the mountain. I will write about these two halls in the next post. At the mountaintop, we saw a board notifying us that we had climbed 800 stone steps along the trail from Sanmon Gate and a total of 1015 steps from the entrance area of the temple complex. It had taken us about 75 minutes to reach the top. There are several other buildings and structures located around this area. We saw one such building named Issai Kyozo located to our left side towards the west of the trail. Issai Kyozo is a Sutra repository hall that has complete collection of Buddhist scriptures and Sutras housed inside. It was interesting to note that the symbol of Manji inscribed on the upper part of the front wall of this building is the mirror image of the Hindu symbol Swastika.

Front area of Okunoin Hall (right) and Daibutsuden Hall (left)

Issai Kyozo Hall

The front of Issai Kyozo Hall has a) intricately carved wooden patterns and b) the symbol of Manji

In the next post I will write about the remaining temple buildings and structures that we saw on the top of the mountain.