More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan

Kumano Taisha Kumano Taisha was the most important shrine in Izumo for centuries before Izumo Taisha supplanted it in the late Heian Perio...

Mt. Senkoji is only 140 meters high, but it does go right down to the sea and is fairly steep, so the ropeway is a good way to get up....

After a very long time of being too busy with regular and unexpected chores, I finally was prompted by an order to get around to finis...

Ushio Shrine was the last shrine I visited before heading over the pass out of the Hi watershed. It is named after the Ushio clan who ha...

Chochin, Japanese paper lanterns are particularly associated with matsuri, like this first photo at a summer matsuri in Shima, Mie. ...

Koan-ji was founded in the early 8th Century, Tempyo 11. Now it is a Soto sect zen temple. Originally it belonged to the Hosso sect, ...

It's become a tradition of mine to go for a nice long walk in the countryside during Golden Week, and this year was no exception. I w...

It is not uncommon to see chickens running free in the grounds of shrines, like these first two photos in Aoiaso Shrine, Hitoyoshi. ...

This is another ancient shrine listed in the Izumo Fudoki. The main kami enshrined here is Ohirumemuchi, which is either an old name for...

On the afternoon of September 4th, 2011, I was approaching Byodo-ji, Temple 22 of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, when I spied a torii with b...