Japan 2019

Wednesday13November

Here we are in Tsuwano after almost three hours of driving. We go directly to the Taikodani Inari Jinja shrine to enjoy the falling night (it's only 5:30 PM). The temple is located at the top of the small mountain, and the path leading to it is dotted with Torii gates and lanterns.

The torii gates follow one another all along the path, forming a tunnel that zigzags from turn to turn up to the shrine.

Unbeknownst to us, we will pass under more than 1000 torii gates!!!  

Each torii is a donation made by individuals, towns, or companies. The donated torii is thus adorned with a plaque showing the date of installation and the name of its donor...    

A small makeshift temple halfway.

We arrive at the temple after 15 minutes of climbing (much longer in fact to take a photo of each torii).    

The Shimenawa rope confirms that we are entering a Shinto shrine.

We leave the shrine just for one night because we will return tomorrow morning in the sunlight. Another opportunity to enjoy Japanese toilets!  

Thursday14November

Waking up to the landscape facing the hotel north of Tsuwano.

And here we are again at the foot of Mount Taikodani Inari Jinja.

The flashy vermilion red of the main Torii no longer has the same discreet appearance as the previous evening.

If you look up at the sky between two torii, it's not a blue sky dotted with white clouds that appears before my eyes, but the trees of the upper level dotted with their colorful leaves...

To the torii, shadows and light with modern graphics are added.

The torii path on the upper level, adorned with colorful Japanese maples (Acer palmatum).

The dated inscriptions and names of the donors.

And at the end of the torii path, the temple with the same vermilion red colors. The temple is dedicated to the God Inari, highly revered in Japan. He is, among other things, the guardian of homes.

Always the same ritual facing the temple: ring the suzu (the bell) to scare away evil spirits, then attract the Gods' attention by clapping twice and finally bowing. Repeat the procedure if you doubt the Gods' concentration level.  

Above the heads of the faithful, the enormous rope braided from rice straw, the shimenawa, protects the premises.

The ropes used to ring the suzu.

Next to the temple, a Shishimai Omikuji performs the Lion Dance in its glass booth. The automaton has just received a silver coin from the three visitors so that the machine delivers with music a ticket revealing a happy or bad omen to come...  

The Shishimai or lion dance, is this tradition, originally Chinese, where dancers move a large costume with a lion's head above their heads.

The suzu that must be rung before clapping your hands.

Two Zuijin guard the temple. "In Shintoism, zuijin or zuishin are warrior-guardian kami, often depicted with a bow and arrows. The name originally referred to the bodyguards of the Emperor of Japan. Statues of zuijin are often placed on either side of shrine gates. The kami who guard shrine gates are considered to be Kado-Mori-no-Kami or Kadomori-no-kami, the gods who watch over the gates. © Wikipedia

The statue of Kitsune the fox. The representation of the latter is a must-have in shrines dedicated to the God Inari (sometimes represented as a fox himself). Kitsune is his messenger.

One of the rooms adjoining the temple.

A painting of kitsune

The regulars who maintain the premises wear the essential kimono as well as zōri, the name given to sandals that force the most sensitive to cold to wear tabi, these socks that isolate the big toe from its smaller counterparts.  

The torii gate located at the top of the steps we took to get here.

A quick glance at the other side of the valley. Above the forest, a large Torii stands out. We passed it by car when arriving in Tsuwano! It is located right at the highway exit!

On the way down, we pass by the chōzubachi fountain and its hishaku ladles again.

Tsuwano and the river of the same name.

At the bottom of the path, a large sign informs tourists about the importance of the shrine...   One still has to find their way through this incredible writing!   These small characters combine kanji, symbols representing a word, and kana which indicates a sound... The reality is much more complex, combinations are multiple and depend on the context... Google Translate still has a lot of work ahead to translate Japanese!

Last photo of the beautiful torii ascent before getting in the car. It's 10:30 AM and we plan to reach Kyoto tonight, located 450 kilometers from here. Fortunately, the country is well served by good roads and highways!

Before reaching the highways, the roads pass through superb landscapes.

Lunch break in one of the E2A highway restaurants. The menu choice is very simple... Choose what you want to eat from the display case, each dish has its exact plastic replica! The manufacturing of these fake dishes or "sampuru" is a real business in the country, and many restaurants hope to attract customers with these plates that are more real than nature.  

And here is my dish... Which one looks more "real"?  

On the highway leading to Kyoto, near the city of Fukusaki.

And here we are in Kyoto for two days at the Shijo hotel! And as you can see, the nights will be spent on futons!