tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79754211404466684772026-07-21T19:47:31.024+09:00More glimpses of unfamiliar JapanOff the beaten track in Japan:- Nature, Culture, History, Spirit, Art....Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.comBlogger2699125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-23843276161244248912026-07-20T15:57:21.939+09:002026-07-20T15:57:21.939+09:00Iwami Ginzan Kaido Yunotsu Route After crossing over a pass from Shimizu, the footpath once again joins a road and then head roughly East up the Yusato River.On the opposite side of the valley, a bit too far to be bothered with a detour, is a big, newly rebuilt shrine.This is Mizukami Shrine and has been important for a long time, being listed in the Engishiki.The current honden dates to 1761. The shrine enshrines a pair Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-22535155901419596562026-07-19T12:53:44.255+09:002026-07-19T12:53:44.256+09:00360 Degree Views of Matsue Matsue, the capital city of Shimane, is actually quite small, with a population of less than 200,000.Not much in the way of high-rise buildings; in fact, the tallest is only 70 meters high.However, from the top floor of that building, there is a 360 degree observation deck that is free to enter.The building is the Sanin Godo Bank headquarters, and the observation floor has a separate Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-32740151092377480732026-07-18T16:04:00.670+09:002026-07-18T16:04:00.670+09:00Ryuukoji Temple & Many Fudo Myoo's In Shimizu, there is just one small temple, though it is intriguing for me because of the multiple Fudo Myoo statuettes in the grounds.I recently learned that it is a temple of a relatively new sect called Nakayama Shingo Shoshu, founded in the early 20th century and with the head temple in NE Saga close to the Fukuoka border.I believe this is a statue of the founder of the sect, Kakue Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-50148966456622515062026-07-17T12:10:49.789+09:002026-07-17T12:10:49.790+09:00Jinnein Temple 68 Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage Jinnein, temple 68 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, is really part of Kannonki, temple 69.The original 68 was the Kotohiki Hachiman Shrine on top of the hill above the temples.In 1868, the Amida painting that was in the shrine was moved to the Western Golden Hall of Kannonji, and a little later it was renamed Jinnein and became 68.The main hall has a curious cube-like concrete box that visitors Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-27452335784878636152026-07-16T11:58:52.057+09:002026-07-16T11:58:52.057+09:00Kannonji Temple 69 Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage Kannonji, temple 69, and Jinneiin, temple 68, both occupy the same site, but I came into the kannonji side first so it gets posted before 68.The reason I came into Kannonji first was that I visited the original "temple" 68, which was the Hachiman shrine on the hilltop.From the hilltop is the viewpoint overlooking the Zenigata Sunae, a huge sand sculpture.The shrine was founded in the very Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-43397199757012652782026-07-15T11:26:34.286+09:002026-07-15T11:26:34.286+09:00Shimizu on the Ginzan Kaido After leaving Yunotsu, the Ginzan Kaido again becomes a footpath and crosses over the old Route 9 and the new expressway, as both run through tunnels at this point.The next settlement is the delightful Shimizu, a place I enjoy every time I visit as it seems cut off from the outside modern world, though there is a narrow road that leads into it.It is late April, and the azaleas are in full Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-57509223947137416242026-07-14T14:26:01.968+09:002026-07-14T14:26:01.968+09:00Otagi Nembutsuji Temple Arashiyama Otagi Nembutsuji Temple is now located in a narrow valley just outside Arashiyama, usually a bit too far for most tourists to walk to.However, it was originally located on the other side of Kyoto and was only moved here in 1922.The original temple was founded in 766 and was built in the Higashiyama district, not too far from Gion.It later became a Shingon temple but was completely destroyedOjisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-67149013388629717312026-07-12T11:35:15.174+09:002026-07-12T11:53:04.567+09:00Yunotsu: World Heritage Site & Historic Preservation District After a short walk along the Ginzan Kaido from its start, I take a diversion into the main part of the hot spring town of Yunotsu.Dominating the lower part of the town, the Naito Residence has been the headmans residence for centuries. I believe the family "own" the hot water that fuels the numerous public and private onsens in the town.Their sprawling property, which has a stone lantern inOjisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-21164220625237280872026-07-10T16:18:04.924+09:002026-07-10T16:18:04.924+09:00Picturesque East Coast of Dogo IslandDogo, the largest of the Oki islands in the Japan Sea off the coast of Shimane, remains one of my favourite places in Japan.Like many places far from the Shinkansen, it has no overtourism.On the first day of my three-day walk around the coastline of the island, I left the Sasaki Residence and started walking up the east coast.The Oki Islands are a UNESCO Global Geopark which means there are Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-69925351752840736312026-07-09T20:14:00.427+09:002026-07-09T20:14:00.428+09:00Okidomari Port & the Ginzan Highway I started day 38 of my walk alog the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage at Okidomari, the small port that serviced the Iwami Ginzan silver mines. The port and the mines as well as the road I am taking, the Ginzan Kaido, are all part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.For more info on the port and Ginzan Kaido, please see this earlier post.The next temples on the pilgrimage are a cluster around Izumo.Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-13913280938309725372026-07-08T20:18:18.609+09:002026-07-08T20:18:18.609+09:00To Kasubuchi to end the Third Day A short walk after leaving the Ago Ohashi Bridge, the river turns towards the north and will stay north until the small town of Kasubuchi.Part of some transformers at a small power station using water piped from upstream and then dropped from a height to power turbines....Other than a few thatched farmhouses with tin covers, not much of note until reaching Kasubuchi.I cross via a fairly newOjisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-91041312612055195972026-07-07T16:23:46.126+09:002026-07-07T16:23:46.126+09:00Kannonji Temple 27 Iwami Kannon Pilgrimage Kannonji is located in Gotsu Honmachi, the old, original town, slightly upstream from the mouth of the Gonokawa River.Overlooking the old part of town, it is a Rinzai Zen temple, but can find no other information at allThis was the final stop for day 37 on the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage, and day 18 on the Iwami Kannon Pilgrimage. This was the last day I walked them both concurrently. From Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-395228872406525472026-07-06T10:50:00.466+09:002026-07-06T10:50:00.466+09:00Miscellaneous Namba Architecture After leaving the Osaka Science Museum I headed to the station to head out for an appointment.Along the way I took these snapshots of various architectural details, as for me, a long time resident of really rural Japan, they were exotic and interesting.....I am still uncomfortable in the large parts of Osaka that are underground......None of the photos are of particularly famous or Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-79110435040261622652026-07-05T12:11:51.397+09:002026-07-05T12:11:51.397+09:00Along the Beach to Gotsu After the temple and shrines in Tsunozu, the next stop is a temple in Gotsu Honmachi and so head off down the small coast road rather than the main road.When I can I opt to continue along the beach rather than the road....It's late November and the sea is much more active than usual.Most of this post will be shots of the wavy sea.....I pass Majima where I had stopped and explored at the Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-86439680870353602632026-07-03T23:22:56.273+09:002026-07-03T23:22:56.274+09:00Konjiji Temple 12 Shikoku Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage Konjiji, temple number 12 on the Shikoku Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage, is a mountaintop temple with a strong Shugendo past.It is also the okunoin of Dainichiji, the 13th temple on the famous Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage.Like so many mountain temples associated with Shugendo, Konjiji is said to have been founded by the legendary En no Gyoja in the 7th Century.More than a century later, Kobo Daishi visited Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-90644879365392688332026-07-02T12:43:00.429+09:002026-07-02T12:43:00.429+09:00Kakinomoto Shrine & Tsunozu Otoshi Shrine Kakinomoto Hitomaro is the greatest of the ancient poets and is worshipped as the kami of poetry.He was a low-ranked bureaucrat from Yamato who was posted here as acting governor around the end of the 7th century. He maried a Tsunozu girl known now as Yosomi no Otome. Whereas Kakinomoto is considered the most prominent of the poets in the Manyoshu, Yosomi was the female poet with the Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-60886457780265039542026-07-01T11:42:48.322+09:002026-07-01T11:42:48.322+09:00Osaka Science Museum My final stop on my afternoon architectural exploration of Namba and nearby areas of Osaka was the Osaka Science Museum on Nakanoshima, adjacent to the National Museum of Art.The structure is primarily an oval. It opened in 1989.It was designed by Environmental Development Institute, about whom I can find no info.The two themes of the museum are Space, and Energy.Kansai Electric was Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-13020777947614406982026-06-30T13:31:31.272+09:002026-06-30T13:31:31.272+09:00Taiheiji "extra" Temple Iwami Kannon Pilgrimage Tucked away in the outskirts of Ninomiya, Taiheiji is a surprisingly substantial temple.It is a Soto Zen temple, but I could find no other historical info.Except that just over the hill is Tabato Shrine, the Ninomiya, second-ranked shrine, of Iwami, and that Taiheiji, under a different name, was one of five temples connected to the shrine.Of course in 1868 they were seperated.I have no ideaOjisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-59987218733421480842026-06-28T10:58:05.113+09:002026-06-28T10:58:05.113+09:00Fumishima Sacred Island for the Birds Down below Hinomisaki, the westernmost cape of the Shimane Peninsula, is a cluster of small islands, the largest being Fumishima.Located less than 200 meters from the harbour in front of Hinomisaki Shrine, the island is topped by a small torii and shrine.The small shrine is a kind of memorial to the shrine that stood here until 948, which enshrined Amaterasu. It was moved to Hinomisaki. Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-6463280562386779512026-06-27T16:13:59.343+09:002026-06-27T16:13:59.344+09:00Kuroki Shrine & the Enshrinement of Regular Folk Coming down from Tsuto Shrine, I pass through a small park before reaching the main road that goes over a small rise into Uyagawa.A statue of some old guy wearing a suit with tails. Undoubtedly some minor, local elite working for the state, quite probably.y a mayor. During Meiji they became obsessed with making government officials into heroes.Dikapidated, collapsing farm buildings are Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-82773844189744034302026-06-25T20:55:01.550+09:002026-06-25T20:55:01.550+09:00Tanoura Kannondo Temple 80 & Tanoura Yakushido Temple 59 Sasaguri Pilgrimage A striking feature of temple 80, Tanoura Kannondo, is the Seigando Hall with around 300 small statues of a seated Kobo Daishi.Temple 80, Tanoura Kannondo, and temple 59 Tanoura Yakushido, are located adjacent to each other.Unfortunately there is very little in terms of dates and history.As usual there are lots of Fudo Myoo statues as well as others....The "main hall" is a small cave that Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-14158910040315593152026-06-24T15:41:17.024+09:002026-06-24T15:41:17.024+09:00Hashi Beach, Harbour, & Tsuto Shrine After leaving Kushiro, the old San-in Do is a narrow, single-lane road that runs near the rail line and comes into the back of Hashi completely avoiding the new and busy Route 9Home to a pretty good "Oceanarium", the beach is part of the Iwami Seaside Park and is very popular in summer.At the far end of the beach is the tiny harbour for Hashi.On the hillside up above the harbour is Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-45048440673735392982026-06-22T15:23:17.896+09:002026-06-22T15:23:17.896+09:00Inside HITOHAKU HITOHAKU in Sanda, Hyogo is a huge natural history museum.I covered the exterior architecture in the last post in this series.In English, it is called the Museum of Nature and Human Activities.When I visited in 2017 there was little information in English, but now the whole museum is covered with smartphone-readable info in multiple languages.It is not just a museum,but also includes Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-59812916292813046592026-06-21T14:39:24.336+09:002026-06-21T14:39:24.336+09:00Majima Island. Westernmost point of the 35th Parallel & Abandoned Benten Shrine Majima Island is an outcropping on the coast between Tsunozu and Waki in Gotsu. It may have been a tiny island at some point, but now it is connected to the land by a sandy hill.There are a few tiny fishing boats on the beach, but no harbour,Steps lead up to a first torii with a Jizo statue nearby.When I first visited Majima it had a Benten shrine on top, but now no maps show a shrine at Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-23345778366792870932026-06-20T13:24:14.174+09:002026-06-20T13:24:14.174+09:00Fujishiro Toge... the Final Pass The final leg of the day's walk along the Kiiji route of the Kumano Kodo from Yuasa to Kainan was over the Fujishirotoge Pass.It had been a thoroughly enjoyable day, and one of my favorite sections of the numerous Kumano Kodo trails I had walked in the previous week or so....After leaving Fukusho-ji temple and its glorious display of cherry blossoms, the route heads uphill and offers a viewOjisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1