More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan

Iwamotoji is the 37th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, and is reached, by foot at least, by quite long passage over the mountains. Fall...

After getting my hotel room in Hayato I set off the explore the local shrine, Kagoshima Jingu, and was delighted to discover that this e...

Asari Beach The second leg of my walk exploring the beaches and coves of the Japan Sea coast began at Asari, with its white sand beach. ...

After dropping down from the mountains to the river valley that would lead to my hotel for the night in Hayato City, I spied a big red...

Tachikue Gorge in the mountains south of Izumo City is a scenic spot with cliffs and strange rock formations. Just the kind of plac...

Temple 37 of the Sasaguri Pilgrimage was just 20 meters from the previous temple, number 21, Takada Kokuzo-do . Takada Amida-do looked l...

After spending the night near Kirishima Jingu I headed south on my 28th day along the Kyushu Pilgrimage. Pretty much all downhill, my fa...

Kirishima Jingu is a large Shinto shrine on the lower slopes of the Kirishima Mountains, a group of volcanoes in northern Kagoshima. ...

Kirishima Mask Museum The mask museum in Kirishima was called "Tengu-kan", and obviously there were a lot of masks of tengu o...

Being a mask maker myself, I have a great interest in masks and am always on the lookout for them on my walks. Ive visited a few small m...