A walk in the woods - Engyoji Temple, WTRD 28, October 1, 2017

Happy First Day of October.  The woods are still very green, but we are definitely beginning to see some change in color.

Wanting to get out of the city and into the woods today before everyone else, we took an early bus from Himeji to the base of Mt. Shosha.  

From a different and slower perspective.

Unlike the high speed trains where the scenery flies by, the bus wove its way through narrow village streets allowing us to see suburbia with enough to time to actually focus on one building at a time.  With few exceptions, our observation seems to be that most houses are built in the low lands and few homes are built on mountainsides.  The flora on the mountains is incredibly dense and thick with greenery; Japanese maples and tall straight cedars.

As soon as the houses stop, the forest begins, and all trails start upward.  It is believed that hiking to the temple on Mt Shosha  as a ritual, cleanses and purifies the body and mind.  We don't start at the bottom however, and take the ropeway or tram to a middle high level on the mountain and walk from that point.  Maybe we will only get partially purified.

Before we began our hike, we enjoy the scenery at the tram moves us upward.

The trail winds up the mountain through statues of Buddha with definite Hindu influence.  Buddha grows more arms and hands as we move up the mountain.

Hindu dieties possess many arms to fight off cosmic forces and can achieve many objectives simultaneously.  We come to the main gate of the temple complex that dates back to the 6th century.

We come to the main part of the Temple Complex and the biggest building.  The Maniden, dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy, was constructed A.D. 970, it later burnt down to the ground 1000 years later and was reconstructed and finished in 1932.

 

 The building has the ambiance of a treehouse.

The next set of three buidings built in the 16th century are the ones we think were used as a scene set for the movie the Last Samaurai.

Jogyodo  (above)- Where ceremonial music and graceful dance was performed.

The Daikodo (above) was a training ground for priests and was the great lecture hall and incarnation of Truth.  Seems we need to have more buildings today dedicated to truth.

and the Jikido, training hall and boarding place for priests.

Many faithful bring books to the temple for monk (yogi) to sign.  We think he is writing blessings, words of wisdom. The couple below is checking out what he has written in their book.

We continue our walk through the forest and by other lesser temples,  buildings, and Buddha gardens.

We have missed lunch and stop at a little cafe on our way down the mountain.  Where we sit under a large red umbrella and watch the fish swimming in a pond, 

We continue down the path returning to our hotel late in the afternoon.  Too late for an afternoon in Kobe.

As a pebble is thrown in a pond and ripples outward, let there be peace in the world,  and let it begin with me.

All is Well With the Worrall Travel R's in Himeji, leaving for Hikone tomorrow. 

Himeji Castle, WTRD 27 of 49, September 30, 2017

We asked this traditionally well-dressed couple directions to the castle

After a leisurely morning in Okayama, we arrived 35 minutes away by fast train to Himeji to see the most massive and well preserved castle in Japan. Read more about this castle's history here. By the time we visited the tourist information center, chatted with the guy below,  

got settled at our hotel, ate lunch, and walked to the castle it was about 2:30-3:00 pm.

A model of the castle shows how massive the castle and 85 outbuildings are. 

Built on a hill,  the castle dates back to 1333 and according to Wikipedia  "is frequently known as Hakuro-jō or Shirasagi-jō ("White Egret Castle" or "White Heron Castle") because of its brilliant white exterior and supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight.^[" 

The castle has been rebuilt and restored many times since then.  

Still standing after bombing in World War II

When we left the south entrance of the train station, Himeji  castle dominates the horizon.  

It is about a 30-40 minute walk.  The castle is partially surrounded  by a moat 

and  it is a challenge just to get in (climbing up the hill with multiple twists, turns, passageways, and gates, all a part of the defensive strategy to protect the occupants.  

Archer's windows on wall

Artistic arrow openings pilfered from a temple.

One must stoop to get through this door.

The massive boulder walls are built on an angled up slope with large rectangular holes at the top of the wall. While the angled wall made it easier for invaders to climb, it also provided a better view for the defenders to see the position of the enemy and with more precision roll out large rocks out of the rectangular openings to crush and kill invaders.

Inside the castle, the first floor is very dark, with little outside light from small openings in the thick rock walls.  

More interesting than the other castles we have been in, this one is not a museum and still maintains the character and design of the rooms of the original castle.  The rooms at the base are quite large and become smaller but with increasing light until the top layer of this castle is reached.

The top two levels of the castle provide an excellent observation tower.

After a couple of hours at the castle, we walked back along the main boulevard to the train station doing a little window shopping, 

and dining along the way.  

Tomorrow, we plan to visit a Buddhist Temple where part of the movie the Last Samauri was filmed, and take the train to Kobe.....maybe for dinner of Kobe beef, and then return to Himeji before heading to Hikone on Monday.

All is well with the Worrall Travel R's in Himeji Japan