tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79754211404466684772026-04-11T01:33:34.028+09:00More glimpses of unfamiliar JapanOff the beaten track in Japan:- Nature, Culture, History, Spirit, Art....Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.comBlogger2623125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-43562568587573631612026-04-10T16:37:00.001+09:002026-04-10T16:37:29.514+09:00Ebisu Shrine on Miyagajima Island Miyagajima is a small island connected to the mainland by a sandbar that at the highest tides disappears beneath the water.However, the tides along this stretch of Japan Sea coastline are really quite small and my guess is the highest tides of the year probably cut off access for just a few hours on a few days a year.That has not stopped some local tourist websites claiming it to be the Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-87204170508554099522026-04-09T15:01:00.002+09:002026-04-09T15:01:32.483+09:00Upper Saigo Bay The main port of Dogo Island in the Japan Sea off the coast of Shimane is Saigo.The mouth of Saigo Bay is less than 300 meters wide, but the bay opens up with a long arms headong West and North.These shots were taken at the northern edge of the bay where the main road that encircles the island passes.This was the first day of my 3 day walk around the circumference of the island.The Sea of Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-20556509465600023672026-04-08T16:29:00.001+09:002026-04-08T16:29:14.477+09:00Iinoura Coast The first settlement on the coast in Shimane after entering from Yamaguchi Prefecture is Iinoura.I started here on day 33 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage. The pilgrimage has taken me through Okayama, Hiroshima, and now Yamaguchi, so only two prefectures to go.... my home prefecture of Shimane, and then Tottori.First stop was the local shrine, a Hachimangu. Like many shrines Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-19162817781671755982026-04-07T14:24:00.001+09:002026-04-07T14:24:18.538+09:00Kurihara Bridge over the Gonokawa River Kurihara Bridge is the 13th bridge across the Gonokawa River from the rivermouth in Gotsu on the Sea of Japan.It is the seond of many that fall within the boundaries of Misato, a large collection of villages and mountains grouped together as a municipality in the mountainous interior of Shimane.I was here on day 3 of my walk from the mouth of the river to the source. It is about 40-45 Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-71309857544539058602026-04-06T11:43:00.001+09:002026-04-06T11:43:11.049+09:00Esaki Itsukushima Shrine The fishing village of Esaki os at the head of a long, narrow inlet, and so has been a sheltered harbour since time immemorial and was one of the Kitamaebune ports in the Edo period.The local shrine is an Itsukushima Shrine, though before Meiji it was a Benten Shrine.Benzaiten, the Hindu goddess connected to water, introduced into Japan through Buddhism, and one of the Seven Luck Gods, was Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-88609656413486700672026-04-04T20:03:45.558+09:002026-04-04T20:03:45.558+09:00Namba Hatch Namba Hatch is a uniquely-shaped building on the south bank of the Dotonbori River in Namba, Osaka.It is a kind of concert hall and music venue, though not an auditorium with fixed seats.Rock, Jazz, Blues, Hip-Hop and other contemporary styles are put on and the venue can hold less than 2,000 standing, much less sitting.Several boat tours leave from the river landing here....The octagonal Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-30344881636192131692026-04-03T18:04:00.000+09:002026-04-03T18:04:38.250+09:00Saidoji Rokkakudo Seemingly floating in Esaki Bay, Saidoji Temple has a distinctive hexagonal hall.The origin dates back to the early part of the 15th Century and a wealthy family by the name of Nabeyama who had an ony daughter named Okiku. They had hoped to marry her off but she fell in love with a servant named Shichigoro.When she became pregnant by him, her parents drove him away, and in her sorrow, she Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-22639087831703246462026-04-02T12:52:00.001+09:002026-04-02T12:52:31.717+09:00Shoyoen Garden at Dogakuji Temple Dogakuji Temple in Tokushima on Shikoku is the temple where Kobo Daishi studied as a young child. It is the 2nd of the 20 extra temples on the famous Shikoku Ohenro Pilgrimage, but also the 11th temple of the Shikoku Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage, which is why I visited it.Behind the main buildings is a small pond garden named Shoyoen.It is thought to have been built in the late Muromachi Period, Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-22763473730618426902026-04-01T13:37:00.001+09:002026-04-01T13:37:23.126+09:00Dogaku Temple 11 Shikoku Fudo Myoo Pilgrimage The gate at Dogaku-ji is quite unusual. Architecturally, it is, I believe, Chinese in style, but with a different style of roof that is not normally seen with this kind of gate.Some people complain about the graffiti scratched into the walls, but some of it seems quite old and overall gives a kind of wabi-sabi patina....Dogakuji turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise.It is the second ofOjisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-65368118063404391172026-03-31T12:55:00.001+09:002026-03-31T12:55:29.513+09:00From Susa Bay to Esaki Bay Susa Bay and Esaki Bay are two inlets either side of Mount Takayama that protrudes out into the Japan Sea. There are no roads or trails that go around the coast so my route cuts across.The cherry blossoms are in full bloom as I meander around the convoluted inlets of Susa Bay.There is actually not a lot to report..... mountain road was almost completely trafficless and, other than one smallOjisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-86250369847842727062026-03-30T12:14:00.005+09:002026-03-30T12:14:58.641+09:00OCAT Osaka City Air Terminal Osaka City Air Terminal does have buses that run to both Kansai Airport and Itami Airport, but in reality it is a multi-use business and commercial complex in Namba.As well as the bus terminal, which was the biggest in all of west Japan at one point, the complex hosts government offices, commercial offices, and a variety of retail establishments.I rarely visit cities, so for me they are Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-17165564447267498562026-03-28T11:56:00.000+09:002026-03-28T11:56:23.278+09:00Over the Mountains to Susa After leaving Utago I pass by the relatively famous Sogogawa Bridge.Built in 1932 it is 189 meters long with a slight curve, and carries the Sanin Rail Line across the mouth of the Sogo River. Each time I have passed by, there has been a few train enthusiasts who travel from all over the country to snap shots of trains passing over the bridge with the sea as a background.It's quite a Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-40083744448160711832026-03-27T10:40:00.001+09:002026-03-27T10:40:10.744+09:00From Taisha to Hinomisaki The day after the Summer Solstice, and my route now hugs the convoluted coastline up to Hinomisaki.Hinomisaki is the western cape of the Shimane Peninsula, with Mihonoseki being the eastern cape.!0,000 years ago the Shimane Peninsula was an island. In Izumo mythology it was formed from the land of three distant countries that were pulled here and attached to Izumo by two giant ropes. Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-41886484039480446892026-03-25T14:38:00.000+09:002026-03-25T14:38:07.936+09:00Utago Miho Shrine This small shrine goes overboard with marine-safety gods, has the most strangely looking Fudo Myoo, and proves that angry ghosts can be horses.The main shrine in the old fishing harbour of Utago is a Miho Shrine on what was until the 1700's a small island named Ebisujima, but which was connected to the mainland by a man-made causeway.As a branch of the famous Miho Shrine in Mihonoseki, the Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-37105438458050558982026-03-24T17:10:00.002+09:002026-03-24T17:10:34.962+09:00Magical Giant Bamboo Forests of Sasaguri One of the great bonuses found on the Sasaguri Pilgrimage is that numerous times the walking trail passes through pristine forests of Giant Bamboo.With only the merest whisper of a breeze, the bamboos clack against each other like wind chimes....I know that the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is one of the most popular tourist sites in all of Japan, but who prefers shuffling shoulder to shoulder Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-35513276048294566632026-03-23T15:33:00.002+09:002026-03-23T15:33:46.367+09:00Utago Fishing Village Utago is a fairly decent-sized little fishing village. At the edge of town is a new fishing harbour, but the old, original harbour is in the middle of town after crossing over a small river.Dark, weathered wood is the norm for these places affected by the weather that often arrives from the sea. Utago has a railway station, but the buildings were destroyed in a storm a few years ago and hasOjisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-23145786341294286262026-03-22T13:43:00.000+09:002026-03-22T13:43:07.594+09:00Rakan at Tamonji Rakan, sometimes called arhats, are said to be the disciples of the historical Buddha.Statues of them are known for being quite expressive, with every one being distinct.It is said that you cannot fail to see the features of someone you know in at least one of them.Sometimes, a full 500 Rakan statues will be on display, but more commonly, much fewer.On the hillside approach to Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-70633064176955984152026-03-21T14:01:00.000+09:002026-03-21T14:01:58.121+09:00Kisshoin Tamonji Temple This temple in the mountains north of downtown Kobe was a real revelation.The sign at the entrance to Tamonji Temple told me about something I had never heard of .... that for half a year the capital of Japan was not Kyoto, but Fukuharakyo, in what is now Kobe.Taira Kiyomori moved the child emperor Antoku and set up court in Fukuharakyo in 1180. It was also Kiyomori's retirement palace.At Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-49128378070052217922026-03-20T13:44:00.000+09:002026-03-20T13:44:26.162+09:00Chichi Sugi... the Boob Cedar
Chichi Sugi, which translates as Boob Cedar is an 800 year old tree on the slopes of Mount Daimanji on Dogo, the biggest of the Oki Islands in the Japan Sea off the coast of Shimane.It is an Urasugi, a species that grows on the Japan Sea side of the main Japanese island of Honshu.Heavy snowfall causes the trees to produce stronger lateral branches that then grow vertically.The rounded Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-33368654121848954432026-03-19T12:53:00.000+09:002026-03-19T12:53:41.289+09:00A Lovely Walk from Kiyo to Utago I began day 31 of my walk along the Chugoku Pilgrimage at Kiyo, a fishing harbour on the north coast of YamaguchiIts late March, and so Spring is gathering steam on the land....Kiyo's little harbour only has a few small boats..... there is a beach here, and a surf shop suggests surfing, though I have not seen any on my trips here....This whole section of coastline, from a couple of days Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-13536793979819871062026-03-18T16:14:00.004+09:002026-03-18T16:14:43.976+09:00Baby Sumo & the God of Sweets Kitsumoto, a remote settlement along the Kumano Kodo, turned out to be a delightful surprise. Not only is it a scenic, traditional village in itself, but the two shrines in the village are both home to some unique features.Located on the Yuasa to Kainan section of the Kiiji Route of the Kumano Kodo, the old Imperial route from the capital down to the Kumano sanzan shrines, I was walking in Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-91775639583044309212026-03-17T15:00:00.002+09:002026-03-17T15:00:22.319+09:00Married Islands & Sugawara Shrine Approaching Abu, 2 small islands lie just offshore.The smaller island is named Megashima, which means Doe Island. It has a single torii and may have a hokura.The larger island is named Ogashima, which means Stag Island. It has several torii and some shrine buildings. It is a branch of Kashima Shrine.Being male and female islands, they are known as Married Couple Islands.In Abu itself, the Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-51803408765174646722026-03-16T19:01:00.001+09:002026-03-16T19:01:45.943+09:00Tamonji Temple 46 & Enmanji Temple 74 Shodoshima Pilgrimage Day 4 of my walk along the 88 temple Shodoshima Pilgrimage was fast coming to a close, and I needed to head across the narrow valley to the main road to catch a bus back into Tonosho to my room for the night.In the distance is the Giant Kannon I would be visiting the next day.Tamonji was founded in the late 12th century as a shrine-temple named Torinbo. Shrine temples performed ceremonies Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-42362513546484866642026-03-15T12:18:00.004+09:002026-03-15T12:18:41.181+09:00A Walk from Oi to Abu Oshima Island, about 4 kilometers offshore from Oi on the mainland of Yamaguchi, has only one settlement, but big enough to have a small supermarket and an elementary school.Oi has quite a large cemetery. In my area, we have no big cemeteries as graves and tombs are scattered throughout the community.Along the way, a Buddhist statue with Inari fox guardians.....The Ooi River begins about 10Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7975421140446668477.post-56926596331302085322026-03-12T13:39:00.003+09:002026-03-12T13:39:32.910+09:00Luminous Wall OCAT Walk Namba Not long after arriving in Japan, and having seen the massive complex of underground shopping malls and passageways in Osaka, I entertained the notion that maybe the Japanese were becoming troglodytes.Of course they do offer protection from the traffic and inclement weather, including the dangerous sunshine that the Japanese female lives in terror of....As a visitor, I hate them, not least Ojisanjakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05506748719638540152noreply@blogger.com1