tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65151651225844205152024-03-13T13:11:38.761-04:00Japan TravelsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-16020636920777808942012-09-02T07:38:00.004-04:002012-09-02T07:38:46.267-04:00Korakuen GardenKorakuen is a garden next to the Okayama Castle that was created by the Ikeda clan when they had control of the castle and surrounding area. Construction started in 1687 and was completed in 1700. This is one of the three great gardens of Japan.<br />
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This was our view upon entering the garden<br />
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View of the Enyo-tei House. This house was used to receive daimyo, or lords, when they visited the gardens.<br />
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Yashi-no-inari jinja. A shrine within the garden area.<br />
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A view of a bridge, with the tea house and Jigendo Hall visible in the background. <br />
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A view of Okayama castle from the garden<br />
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Another view of the castle from the garden<br />
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The Enyo-tei House.<br />
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A lantern stands alone along a stream.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-91949959477828524182012-09-02T07:16:00.003-04:002018-03-18T10:01:38.401-04:00Okayama CastleAfter Bikan, we headed to Okayama Castle. The original castle was completed in 1597, but was destroyed during allied bombing in 1945, of which only two watch towers remained. This replica was completed in 1966.<br />
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Approaching the castle<br />
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The castle from the front.<br />
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View of Korakuen garden from the top of Okayama Castle.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-61201477585522939202012-09-02T06:57:00.003-04:002012-09-02T07:13:22.570-04:00KurashikiOn August 28th, traveled around the Okayama area. The first stop in the city of Kurashiki. The old merchant area is called Bikan, and has many 17th century warehouses. The area is still a merchant area today, though now it is all sales of tourist type items.<br />
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The streets on Bikan<br />
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The merchant area today seems to be selling mostly tourist type items.<br />
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This western style building stands out in this area.<br />
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An old house that was built by a wealthy merchant for his wife.<br />
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A swan spreads his wings just as I was taking some photos.<br />
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<span id="goog_718684294"></span><span id="goog_718684295"></span>People take a boat ride along the canal. The boater was using a pole to push them along.<br />
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From Bikan we went to a nearby shrine named Achi-jinja. <br />
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Of course, all temples and shrines in Japan require a lot of walking up stairs. I counted 195 to reach the top.<br />
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Finally at the top.<br />
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The view of Kurashiki from the top of Achi shrine.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-13836041855259554712012-09-02T04:44:00.002-04:002018-03-18T10:15:55.801-04:00HiroshimaAfter leaving Itsukushima shrine, we spent the night in Hiroshima. Of course we had to eat the okonomiyaki here, as Hiroshima is known in Japan for having the best okonomiyaki.<br />
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Okonomiyaki in Hiroshima.<br />
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The Hiroshima Peace Memorial museum<br />
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A watch stopped at the time that the bomb exploded.<br />
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Equipment dropped from the observation plane that was used to measure changes in heat and pressure caused by the explosion.<br />
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A representation of where the bomb was when it exploded, and the nearly complete destruction of Hiroshima that it caused. You can see that only a couple dozen or so buildings were left standing. Though almost all of those were damaged beyond repair.<br />
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A bicycle that was being ridden by a two year old boy at the time of the explosion.<br />
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The A-dome.<br />
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There is a sign on a side street at the hypocenter. The bomb exploded at about 600 meters (1,968 feet) above this location on August 6, 1945.<br />
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Next we visited Hiroshima Castle. The original was completely destroyed in the bombing.<br />
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Hiroshima castle<br />
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Samurai armor<br />
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A view from the top of Hiroshima castle, looking back towards the A-dome.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-53737166304776563642012-09-02T04:01:00.002-04:002016-03-10T10:50:15.695-05:00Miyajima, Itsukushima and Daisho-inAfter visiting the Kibitsu shrine, we headed to Miyajima, also known as Itsukushima. This is an island that is home to both Itsukushima shrine and Daisho-in temple. We took the ferry to the island, and the gate (torii) to Itsukushima-jinja is obvious as it stands in the water during high tide.<br />
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The gate, torii, stands prominently in the water with the shrine buildings in the background as we approach Miyajima.<br />
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The second thing I noticed was the deer. They were everywhere, and with no fear of people. The local vendors use to sell food for people to give to the deer, but they have changed the laws and feeding the deer is no longer allowed.<br />
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Begging for food<br />
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And just hanging around<br />
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Along the path to the shrine and temple, we passed the largest rice scooper in the world. This is 7.7 meters (25.26 feet) long, 2.7 meters (8.86 feet) wide at its widest point, and weighs 2.5 tonnes (5,511 lbs).<br />
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First we headed to Daisho-in temple. Along the way I found this sign amusing. It reads "10 minute walk (7 if run a little)..."<br />
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We reached Daisho-in. Within the temple there is a flame that has supposedly been burning since the founding of the temple over 1200 years ago. In the 12th century Emperor Toba founded his prayer hall here. <br />
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Along the stairs there were rollers. The first you encounter are the Dai-hannyako Sutra (two pictures below). Those pictured to the left are Mani wheels. Spinning a wheel is said to be equivalent to the blessings gained by reading one volume of the Hannaya-shinkyo (Heart Sutra). Of course I had to spin all of them. On the way up and on the way back down we spun all the wheels of the
Dai-hannyako Sutra. 600 volumes of this scripture were brought from
India by by a Chinese monk. It is said that spinning these wheels, which
represent the Sutra, will bring you enormous fortune. And with that we
headed back down the mountain to Itsukushima-jinja.<br />
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A statue of a monk.<br />
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Back at Itsukushima-jinja the gate, or torii, stands in the water as it is high tide. The island has been sacred since ancient times. Commoners were not allowed to set foot on the island so the shrine is built as a pier.<br />
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The pagoda to the shrine.<br />
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As you can see the shrine is built like a pier, out in the water. It is believed the shrine was originally established in the 6th century. It has been rebuilt a number of times due to damage, and the version we see today is believed to have been built in the 16th century, but following a design that was established in 1168.<br />
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The gate is noticeable from almost any location in the shrine.<br />
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The gate, torii, as viewed through a window in the music pavilion. <br />
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The gate, or torii, as viewed through the Haraiden (purification hall).<br />
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Our final view before heading back to the ferry. It was high tide, so the gate was in the water. Those who visit during low tide can walk out to the gate, or torii.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-74957993448963776292012-09-02T02:35:00.003-04:002016-03-10T10:50:53.207-05:00Kibitsu-jinja<span id="goog_1482937115"></span><span id="goog_1482937116"></span>On August 26th, we headed to Kibitsu shrine in Okayama prefecture. There is a tomb up in teh mountain here that legend states is that of Momotaro. I had explained about Momotaro in the blog post when we went to Megijima, which is also called Onigashima. Some believe that island to be the setting of the story where Momotaro forced the Oni (demons or ogres) out of the cave there.<br />
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A shrine gateway along the path leading to the shrine<br />
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A representation of Momotaro<br />
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Inside, they had long hallways that we were able to walk through<br />
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A side entrance to the shrine<br />
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Yuki trying to get all the luck she can<br />
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The Honden-Haiden is popular in Japan for its unique roof.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-89068863798323363072012-08-15T07:26:00.001-04:002012-08-15T07:26:28.136-04:00Awa Odori FestivalAwa Odori is a summer festival dance that is held in Tokushima. It is very popular throughout Japan, and in fact we saw cars with license plates from as far away as Tokyo, here to observe the dance festival.<br />
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The Owa Dori dates back 400 years, and is part of the Obon, "festival of the dead". This is part of Japan's Buddhist heritage, and the belief that during this time of the year their ancestors can come back to visit. <br />
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The four day festival consists of 100,000 dancers and is the largest dance festival in Japan, drawing over one million spectators.<br />
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The groups of performers, called ren, consist of dancers and musicians, typically playing the lute, drums, flute and bell.<br />
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People of all ages join in the dancing... <br />
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...from children...<br />
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...to seniors...<br />
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At certain intervals, the spectators are encouraged to join the dancing and travel the dance route with the performers.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-84261763633462535062012-08-15T05:23:00.001-04:002012-08-15T05:23:57.422-04:00Takamatsu summer festival fireworksEvery year throughout Japan, many cities hold summer festivals with fireworks and street parades. We went to the top of Mineyama mountain to watch the fireworks in Takamatsu. Imagine what I could have done if I had one of my tripods in Japan with me!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-39180818620662643282012-08-11T05:29:00.001-04:002016-03-10T10:53:01.016-05:00Planetarium in NiihamaAfter the stop at the castle, we continued on to the planetarium and museum. This planetarium held the top spot as the largest in the world until March, 2011 when the new planetarium in Nagoya was completed. The planetarium in Niihama is 30 meters (90 feet) diameter and can seat 300 people. The one in Nagoya is 35 meters (115 feet) diameter and can seat 350 people.<br />
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Entrance to the planetarium and museum<span id="goog_1918078794"></span><span id="goog_1918078795"></span><br />
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Once inside you have to go down some stairs and walk a path underneath the water (seen in the picture below). They have plexiglass so you can look up through the water, which gave a nice effect while viewing the building.<br />
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What self-respecting planetarium director in Japan would start a program without first showing Hello Kitty pictures? This planetarium has the ability to project 25,000 stars at once.<br />
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At the bottom of the stairs that leads to the dome, there is a representation of the relative distances of the orbits of some of the planets in our solar system.<br />
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Space suits<br />
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A chunk of iron that arrived as a meteor.<br />
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They also had a nice dinosaur exhibit.<br />
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Along with many fossils<br />
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These are bones, teeth and husk from an ancient type of elephant.<br />
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For those that think all the above is boring, the museum also has a number of more fun for kids style exhibits.<br />
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A race car and its engine<br />
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Information on trains<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-66000307823041768692012-08-11T04:27:00.000-04:002016-03-10T10:53:52.337-05:00Kawanoe CastleOn July 21st we headed to the museum and planetarium in Niihama. On the way, we stopped off at Kawanoe castle in Shikokuchuo. The castle was originally built in 1227, and fell to Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1585. The castle was torn down in 1611, so this is a replica castle that was built in 1988.<br />
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The gate leading to the castle<br />
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The castle itself, or at least the reconstruction of it.<br />
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A wooden door which I can only guess would have been the entrance to the original castle<br />
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Some old sword blades that are on display inside the castle.<br />
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Samurai armor and weapons, on display inside the castle.<br />
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a view from the top of the castle. The castle is situated on top of a small mountain, so there is a complete panoramic view of the city and the Seto inland sea. This city has a lot of paper factories which were clearly visible from here. <br />
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The view from atop the castle showing the castle grounds with the Seto inland sea in the background.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-71442528454515707342012-07-26T09:42:00.000-04:002018-03-18T10:13:51.332-04:00TokushimaOn July 15th, we headed to Tokushima with Tokuda to see our friend Kohno.<br />
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The first thing we did was go to the top of Mt Bizan. From here we got a great view of Tokushima. There is also a ropeway from the Awa Dance Museum to the top of the mountain. We didn't take this since we drove most the way up.<br />
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After seeing the city from above, we went back down along the shoreline.<br />
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Then we went to a place that makes all kinds of pottery. From large pots to small plates and tea cups.<br />
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We even were able to go inside one of the furnaces they used for firing the pottery. It is hard to see in this small blog-sized picture, but the brick inside was actually melted. <br />
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We then went to a museum for the Bando POW camp. During WWI, Japan held up to their treaty with Britain and attacked German territory in Tsingtao, China. 3,900 German troops surrendered there and were held in camps throughout Japan. At this particular camp, they were given pretty free reign to do what they pleased, and many of them formed orchestras, produced plays, etc.<br />
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On June 1, 1918, the POWs performed Beethoven's ninth symphony. This had never been performed before in Japan, and they were able to do this with many instruments that were made by the POWs while in the camp. <br />
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When the war was over and the camp was closed, 63 of the German POWs chose to stay. This is how well they were treated. To me, an amazing contrast to the ferocity that Japan would display less than two decades later. <br />
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After we left the Bando Camp Museum, we headed to Oasahiko shrine. <br />
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One thing setting this shrine apart from many others of its size was the lack of steps.<br />
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There were two bridges here that were built by the German POWs from Bando camp. This is the other bridge made by the German POWs.<br />
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And with that we left the shrine, said goodbye to Kohno, and headed back.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-8786878746872699682012-07-25T14:54:00.000-04:002016-03-10T10:56:53.121-05:00KonpiraThe next day, July 10th, we went to Konpira shrine. <br />
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The roads leading up to the shrine and the bottom area at the lower
parts of the steps are all shops selling everything you would think.
Shirts, funny looking straw hats, key chains, swords, paintings, etc.<br />
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Of course, anybody who has been reading this blog knows they don't have temples and shrines without a lot of... stairs.<br />
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And more stairs <br />
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And more stairs<br />
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Finally a building. But this is not the shrine, which is at the half way mark.<br />
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There were some smaller shrines all along the way<br />
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Here you could pour water over your hands, symbolically cleansing your soul.<br />
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But there were plenty more steps to go before making it to the shrine<br />
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Only 785 steps and we were at the shrine. We were not done though. To reach the top, we had to keep climbing stairs.<br />
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View from the main shrine<br />
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More steps of course...<br />
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To get to the top, we had gone up 1,368 steps in the summer heat.<br />
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The view from the top. <br />
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Konpira is a shrine to a god of safe seafaring. So, there are many pictures of boats, from crew who want to remain safe. <br />
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There are also other statues and monuments, such as this huge propeller.<br />
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So, having reached the top, we headed back down the 1,368 steps. It is a lot of steps, but well worth the journey for any who want to try.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-53632429824394411642012-07-11T02:19:00.002-04:002016-03-10T10:57:25.123-05:00OgijimaRight after we were done with our 4 hours of traveling around Megijima, we hopped on the ferry to Ogijima. This island is much smaller than Megijima, so we only spend 2 hours here.<br />
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<span id="goog_1294173373"></span><span id="goog_1294173374"></span>Ogijima has a very small fishing village. The population here is declining as the younger generations opt for the city life. We saw a number of abandoned houses that were literally falling apart.<br />
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One of the first things you will notice is the entrance to the shrine. We decided to visit this last if we had time, as we wanted to go around to the other side of the island to view the lighthouse. As it turns out, we didn't have time to walk up this mountain to see it, otherwise we would have missed the last ferry off the island.<br />
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Since this island is much smaller than Megijima, we were able to walk to the lighthouse.<br />
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The lighthouse is situated on a nice stretch of beach. Unfortunately, due to the strong currents, you cannot swim here. There is a nice swimming area over on Megijima for those who want to swim in the Seto inland sea.<br />
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It was a short trip, and while on the ferry, heading back to Takamatsu, I got this photo of the elementary school, where my friend Tokuda use to be the principal. As a result of the declining population and younger generations on this island, the elementary school was closed down.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-71454671589807458382012-07-11T01:51:00.001-04:002016-03-10T11:00:24.546-05:00Megijima<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On July 5th, we headed to Megijima. The island can be seen from Takamatsu, as seen in this picture taken from the port.<br />
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Megijima is seen in the background<br />
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When arriving at Megijima you are greeted by the Oni statue.<br />
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Megijima is the scene of a Japanese folk tale about a boy named Momotaro. He, along with a dog, monkey and pheasant, rid the island of the Oni which lived in a cave. Many people believe this to be the site of that story and refer to the island as Onigashima. Oni literally translates into demon, but I have seen translations of the story that call them ogres.<br />
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The first thing on our list was to reach the top of this peak where there is a statue of Nichiren. He was a founder of a sect of Buddhism, who lived in the 11th century.<br />
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We rented bicycles and headed up the mountain. Sometimes we were able to
peddle, sometimes it was too steep and we had to walk the bikes up the
winding road to the top.<br />
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A view of Takamatsu from part way up the moutain.<br />
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After about 45 minutes or so, we reached the top and got an up close look at the statue. <br />
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From up here there is a good view of the Seto inland sea.<br />
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The next thing we wanted to do was reach the peak you see here. This is where there is the Oni cave and an observation deck.<br />
Another 45 minutes or so later, and we reached the Oni cave. <br />
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We continued on to the observation deck. From here, with the help of a 250 mm telephoto lens, we could see the full statue of Nichiren.<br />
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We also got a nice view of Takamatsu...<br />
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...and a panoramic view of the Seto inland sea.<br />
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Again with the help of the telephoto lens, I was able to get a photograph of part of the Seto Ohashi. It's total length is 8.1 miles.<br />
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We then headed down the mountain. It took about 1 1/2 hours up, and about 7 minutes to get down, and two pairs of brake pads.<br />
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We traveled around the island and made it to the Moai statue, which is the type of statue found on Easter Island. A crane company in Japan had the statue made for it to do some testing before heading to Easter Island to assist with restoration projects.<br />
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We made the loop around the island and back to the port. It was time to say goodbye to this sleepy fishing village, and head off to our next adventure... Ogijima...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-49071975868496169542012-06-19T07:45:00.001-04:002016-03-10T11:00:53.148-05:00Zentsu-ji<br />
Zentsu-ji is a temple in Zentsuji town, Kagawa that was established in 813, and is the 75th temple in the Shikoku pilgrimage. A monk named Kobo Daishi grew up in this temple, and would go on to become a very influential and important monk in Japan. On the day we visited, June 15th, they were celebrating his birthday. So there were ceremonies being performed inside the temple. I couldn't get any pictures of this, as you are not supposed to take photos inside the temple.<br />
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The entrance from the parking lot <br />
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Statue of Kobo Daishi <br />
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There were hundred of these statues. Each one unique. <br />
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The most amusing was the one of the man cleaning out his ear wax. <br />
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The pagoda <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-49249793218732403442012-06-19T06:36:00.000-04:002012-06-19T06:36:49.466-04:00Manno IkeManno Ike, translates into Manno Pond. This is the largest irrigation reservoir in Japan, and dates back to the Taiho period (701 AD).<br />
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We went to see them open the flood gates, which apparently they do every year to provide irrigation for the rice fields. Yukiko's mother wanted to go see it and said that it would be a large amount of water and you can feel the power of the water. As you can see below, it was actually quite unimpressive.<br />
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Flood gates closed <br />
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Flood gates open<br />
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We did get to see a resident koi that was caught up in all this. Luckily, the current was slow enough that he was having no trouble at all. <br />
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One thing that I get a kick out of doing at these events is photographing the photographers and videographers that are photographing me. It confuses the heck out of them as is apparent in the first photo.<br />
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Is he photographing me photographing him? <br />
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Look ma, I'm on TV!!!<br />
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And that was that. For anybody who is thinking to go and see this in the future; don't waste your time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-41213613467461166812012-06-11T14:44:00.002-04:002016-05-18T09:18:24.103-04:00Tsurugi-sanOn June 10th we left the house at 7:30 AM to drive to tsurugisan, Tsurugi mountain. This mountain is located in Miyoshi city, in Tokushima prefecture. It is the second largest mountain in western Japan, at 1955 meters (6,414 feet) high. <br />
We park the car at the starting point which is at about 1200 meters (3,937 feet), and our journey begins at the steps of the temple. It's always uphill in Japan! Though it is only another 755 meters (2,477 feet) to the top, the paths leading there zig-zag up the mountain for 4 km (2.49 miles). So, we have an 8 km (4.98 mile) hike ahead of us. With only half of it going downhill.<br />
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It wasn't an easy hike. Yukiko even slipped and fell on her butt while we were on our way down.<br />
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It was often steep, with loose rocks. <br />
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There was even this spot, where the dirt was gone. The only thing left were some logs and roots.<br />
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There was a lift that would bring you from the parking lot area to 1730 meters (5,676 feet), but that would be cheating.<br />
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Here are the lifts from just above the parking area.<br />
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There is a camp site area, below where the lift carries people. They had grills and water there, but nobody was camping.<br />
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Looking up from the camp grounds to the lift station. It is in the center top of this picture. We still have a ways to go before we get there.<br />
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We finally make it to the top lift station. At this point we are at 1730 meters (5,676 feet).<br />
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There was no shortage of scenery during this hike. Just looking out at the other mountains and towns below was magnificent. Add to it strange rock formations, and you have some great photos.<br />
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Looking down at the top lift station, you can see how long a hike this is, and we aren't at the top yet!<br />
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Finally, the top is within sight. We have made it to the entrance of Tsurugi-jinga. The shrine at the top of the mountain.<br />
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It looks like such a lonely shrine <br />
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At the top you are at 1955 meters (6,414 feet) <br />
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People walking the path that leads to another peak. <br />
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From here, the towns below seem so very small. <br />
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After making the 4 km journey back down, with just one minor fall between the two of us, we made our way to Okuiya Tourism Monorail. It has the distinction of being the longest tourism monorail in the world, at 4.6 km (2.86 miles) long. It takes you 590 meters (1,935 ft) up the mountain.<br />
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Meet the friendly beetle who took us on our monorail trip<br />
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On my way! A view through the forest <br />
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The view from the highest point on the monorail, at about 1375 meters (4,511 feet).<br />
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Once we were done, we walked over to the old house that is displayed. It was built around 1830.<br />
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Look how thick the thatched roof is! <br />
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That wasn't enough for one day. So, we headed to Ryugugake Park. Here they have a long suspension bridge that goes out over the gorge. It is not for those that are afraid of heights, it even shakes a bit.<br />
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I didn't think Yukiko was going to make it, but she summoned up the
courage and walked straight down the middle. She made it all the way to
the other side.<br />
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The view from the center of the bridge.<br />
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The day was coming to a close, so we headed to the camp site with enough daylight to set up our tent at the top of the stairs leading to the river. The site was great, and we were the only campers that night.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-33510038186476381752012-06-11T12:57:00.000-04:002012-06-11T12:57:34.190-04:00Hotaru MatsuriOn June 9th, we headed to the hotaru matsuri, or firefly festival. On the way there we stopped to see a waterfall, called hudou no taki.<br />
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We then went to the firefly festival. At first arrival it seemed more like a summer festival. The children were playing in the stream and catching fish with handheld nets, as passersby viewed from the bridges.<br />
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We arrived early so that we could find a place to park, but that meant that we had 4 hours to go before it started to get dark, and the fireflies come out. So, we walked around and found a hiking trail up a nearby mountain.<br />
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This one had 88 markers along the path up one side of the mountain and down the other. Each marker represented a different temple on Shikoku. So, we assumed that they were meant to represent the 88 temple pilgrimage that many make around the island, called Shikoku Junrei<br />
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The path was often steep <br />
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This was the view from near the top. You can see the town we walked from at the base of the opposing mountain. <br />
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We returned on time for the taiko, drum, performance. The precision of their timing always amazes me. This is as much of a visual performance as is is a sound performance.<br />
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Their local English teacher even joined.<br />
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Once that was done, it was time to enjoy the local cuisine at the many stands set up during the festival.<br />
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I mean, who doesn't enjoy the sweet taste of squid on a stick?<br />
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Needless to say, that isn't what I ate... Then it was getting dark, and the fireflies were coming out. When we left, we were glad we had come so early to get a spot. The parking lots were pretty full when we arrived 4 hours early. When we left, there was a line of cars for miles down the road as the people arriving later tried to find parking.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-14417213257022711982012-06-11T11:47:00.000-04:002012-06-11T11:47:25.625-04:00Venus transit of the sunOn June 6th, we had viewing for the full length of the Venus transit. I was able to get a few photos of the event thanks to a friend here who was able to lend me a solar viewer that was large enough to cover my entire lens diameter. I searched everywhere locally for a 58mm solar filter, but everybody was sold out due to the solar eclipse that was visible from here just a few weeks before.<br />
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and what area in Japan would not have a temple or shrine nearby that comes complete with steep steps?<br />
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There were also dance and taiko performances.<br />
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complete with dragon<br />
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On our way back from the iris festival, we went to tsubaki no shiro, which translates to camellia castle. It was the most useless building I have ever seen. It was apparently built by a famous architect, but I guess you have to be an architect to appreciate such things. It appeared to me to have the same design structure as the fort we built as little kids with scraps of lumber that we gathered from the neighborhood.<br />
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View from inside <br />
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View from the back<br />
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View from the road<br />
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The bridge that is used to get across the road at least served a purpose, but it had what looked like observation decks that there was no way to get to.<br />
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The one thing that was nice about the site was the nearby shrine. It was small, but still interesting to see.<br />
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After that we stopped of at a damn.<br />
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From here we had an excellent view<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-13457459959398264242012-06-07T11:26:00.001-04:002012-06-07T11:26:32.647-04:00Ritsurin GardenOn May 29th, we went to Ritsurin Garden. This area is just a few minutes walk from where I used to live. This garden's construction began in the 1570's by the local rulers, the Satos. In 1625, Ikoma Takatoshi continued developing the garden. It was taken over by successive rulers until the 5th, Matsudaira Yoritaka, completed it in 1745. This area served as the private estate of the Matsudaira family for 228 years. After the end of the feudal clan system, the area became a public park in 1875.<br />
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The entire park covers about 185 acres, with the flower gardens using about 40 acres. It is the largest garden in Japan designated a national scenic area. The mountain you see in the background is Mount Shiun.<br />
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They built an artificial waterfall that ran from half way up the mountain. In the times of the feudal lords, the servants would carry water in buckets up to a large container. When the lord walked by, they would release the water, causing the waterfall to flow. Today this is all done by electrical pumps.<br />
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There are three tea houses within the garden. Kikugetsu-tei, pictured below from different locations, is reported to have been a favorite of the feudal rulers.<br />
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All of the trees in the foreground of the picture below were planted by members of the Japanese royal family, except for one. The third tree from the right was planted in 1923 by the Prince of Whales. He was the uncle of Queen Elizabeth II. Thirteen years after planting this tree, he would become King Edward VIII, only to abdicate from the throne within a year for the woman he loved.<br />
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There were many things to see... The Japanese plums were ripe on the trees<br />
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The lily pads were in full bloom<br />
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The Japanese gardens as a whole are very well thought out and blend well with the surroundings<br />
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I really like the Japanese lanterns that are used to decorate gardens, houses, and temples.<br />
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And of course, what Japanese garden would be complete without koi. Visitors here can purchase food to trow in the lakes. So, every time you walk by the lakes' edge the koi would congregate hoping to be fed. We were feeding them in the below photo, which had them all scrambling to get a piece.<br />
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The souvenir shop had a lot of wood made items, as the lacquerware from this area is popular in Japan. Outside the shop, they also had a large assortment of bonsai trees for sale. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-31033407709169206962012-06-04T14:10:00.000-04:002016-03-10T11:08:36.144-05:00Honen-jiOn May 16th, we went to a local temple called Honenji. The best I can figure it is named after a monk named Honen, who was somewhat of a religious reformer who was exiled to Sanuki, present day Kagawa prefecture. Here there are all the typical things a Japanese temple has like shrines, buildings and of course a lot of stairs...<br />
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From the top we had a great view. In the background of the picture below, you can see Yashima mountain. As was explained to me many years ago by the principal of Yashima Jr. High School, this used to be an Island, however lava flowed from this volcano at some point, filling in the narrow distance between the island and the shore. During the Genpei war the Taira had retreated to this island and built defenses here. On March 22, 1185 they were in a battle with the Minamoto at this site. The war, which lasted about 5 years, was because of a dispute about whom was the rightful heir to the throne. There is now a wax museum at the top of Yashima that depicts the battle.<br />
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After leaving Honenji, we went to another local temple called Kawahigashi Hachiman. Of course there were many stairs here too.<br />
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I had mentioned in an earlier post that people here believe if you trow a stone up onto the beam of the temple entrance (archway) that it is good luck. We both managed, after multiple attempts, to get our stones to stay up there.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-86676966941848234192012-05-29T12:12:00.000-04:002016-03-10T11:10:37.321-05:00NasushiobaraOn May 7th, we left the comfort of Eisuke's home for a train ride and a hotel room. We stayed in Nasushiobara for two days. This place had a lot to see like this temple and the surrounding landscape.<br />
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You could not get away from the sound of flowing water here. It was everywhere. I had never before seen so much water. It was flowing in rivers, under the streets through drain pipes. It was amazing.<br />
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While we were walking along this river, we spotted a family of monkeys on the opposite river bank. So, out came the 200mm lens, and I was able to get some shots of them.<br />
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This area is well known in Japan for its hot springs, called onsen in
Japanese. We knew this before going there, but thought that they were all at the hot spring resorts, with a few natural ones that would be found off the beaten path. We were quite surprised to come up on a few open natural hot springs that were just right along
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The best place to see here was Ryuka no taki, or white dragon falls. It was a bit of a hike to get there, it seems the walk is always uphill in Japan, but this was worth it. The waterfall at the top is 60 meters (197 feet) tall and 130 meters (426 feet) long. The word ryu means dragon, and they say this looks like a white dragon. I guess it is a sort of serpentine looking waterfall.<br />
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The walk to get there was just as scenic, with fast flowing rivers and creeks, waterfalls, and steep cliffs.<br />
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After seeing this, we went on to see the Momijidani suspension bridge. This bridge is 320 meters (1,049 feet) long. In the center of the bridge is a grate-like thing that you can walk on and look down the 40 meters (131 feet) down to the water.<br />
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Once we were done here, it was back on the train to Tokyo to catch our bus at 8:20 PM for the over 9 hour ride back to Takamatsu.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-9313308281913301492012-05-27T11:58:00.001-04:002018-03-18T10:09:25.501-04:00NikkoOn May 6th, Yukiko's brother brought us to Nikko. Here we went to the Tosho-gu, which is a shrine that was completed in 1617. This area was very pretty, with landscape and buildings that just flowed together. From the water areas that are used for symbolic cleansing, and supposedly providing varying effects depending on the water, like longevity, wisdom, wealth, etc.<br />
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To the buildings, entrances and stone lanterns, that work well with the natural surroundings. <br />
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Anybody who visits the temples and shrines in Japan can tell you that the Japanese love steep sets of steps for some reason. The elevation of this area ranges from 200 meters to 2,000 meters, and I think you could climb steps the entire 1,800 meters. So if you plan on visiting the temples and shrines of Japan, you certainly need to bring your hiking shoes, and practice on the stair master before coming over.<br />
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Another thing to note; The Japanese people of this era were small. So,, for most Americans and Europeans, you'll need to watch your head. Luckily enough, I am not tall by USA standards. Even so, as you can see, I barely fit under some of the passageways. We saw an old set of samurai armor from this period. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures of it, but it would fit a modern day 13 year old well. So, I am sure that at the time, these passageways were plenty tall. <br />
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Once you get to the top of Tosho-gu, you have made it to the tomb of a famous shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu.<br />
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We also visited nearby Futarasan shrine and Rinno-ji, which houses the tomb of Ieyasu's grandson, Iemitsu.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6515165122584420515.post-84349277073882161342012-05-27T11:23:00.001-04:002016-03-10T11:13:04.746-05:00Hitachi Kaihin KoenOn May 5th, we headed to Hitachi Kaihin Koen, or Hitachi Seaside Park, which had a small amusement park that would rival that of any local high school fair. So, not all that impressive.<br />
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The scenery was very good though. There were these little blue flowers everywhere, and from the top of the hill we had a great view of the Pacific Ocean too.<br />
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The pollen from the trees and plants was everywhere though. So, I put away my dSLR as it was getting covered in the stuff, and whipped out the Olympus Tough. The pollen on that is easy to clean as it can be completely submerged in water.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0