#i want to go here
Tateyama Shinko refers to a kind of mountain worship practiced around the Tateyama mountain range in Toyama Prefecture, where the harsh conditions on the slopes of (Mt.) Tateyama were believed to reflect Buddhist visions of hell.
Pilgrimages to the mountain were believed to lead to the rewards of a heaven-like realm that existed beyond the harsh climb, somewhere beyond the clouds floating above the mountain’s Oyama Peak.
Oyama Shrine is a key symbol and place of worship for followers of Tateyama Shinko.
The main shrine is located near the summit of Tateyama’s main Oyama Peak, at an altitude of around 3,000 m. Needles to say, the branch of Oyama Shrine - Maedate-shadan - has easier access, near the banks of the Joganji River almost within touching distance of Toyama City’s urban sprawl. Where these photos were taken in November 2021.
https://www.city-cost.com/blogs/City-Cost/GQKZ3-living_tateyama_machi_toyama
Who knows what we can expect from the upcoming sakura season in Japan this year but we’re hoping that the situation will at least allow for a stroll under some blossoms. We’ll just have to wait and see.
In the meantime we’re going back two years to a trip to Wakayama Prefecture and the city of Tanabe on the beautiful Kii Peninsula.
These pictures of cherry blossom were taken around the ootorri gate of Oyunohara, the original site of the Kumano Hongu Taisha. The current site of the Kumano Hongu Taisha - the grand shrine to which Kumano Kodo pilgrimages gravitate - is a little further north of Oyunohara.
Video from the region: https://youtu.be/7rUPnG_in5g
Kajika Bridge in hot spring town Ikaho Onsen, Gunma Prefecture, is something of an autumn-leaves hot spot.
In winter there’s a fair chance of having the bridge to yourselves. The pleasant, if a little slippery, walk to the bridge in the snow is a fine way to prepare for a well-earned soak in the local onsen.
Japan sure does present us with some amazing winter scenes.
This is the Buddhist temple Sazae-do which sits on the lower slopes of Mt. Iimoriyama in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture.
The three-story, double-helix design of Sazae-do is one that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. It allows visitors to ascend and descend the structure without meeting those moving in the opposite direction.
Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima: Journey to Japan’s samurai stronghold:
