Vacation 2011 Day 16 Over the Atlas to Marrakesh

Heading back to Marrakesh by car after 10 days trekking, we retraced our route down the "Valley of the Roses". Some of the country reminded me very much of the Colorado Plateau in the SW U.S.

We then followed the Dades Valley known as "the valley of a Thousand Kasbahs" for obvious reasons.

After Ouarzazate we headed north into the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. The day we drove here the weather was overcast and rainy, but on this return journey we had good weather to the colors and shadows made it far more photogenic.

It was a long, slow , climb up the winding road that switchbacks its way to the pass. I recently watched an old B&W French movie about truckers in this part of Morroco and much of it was filmed on this road. Other than a bit more traffic and the fact that now it is tarmaced, nothing else has changed since it was filmed.

After lunch at the pass we started down to the plain below. This side of the Atlas is greener with more settlements. Parts of it looked just like the red-rock country around Sedona (without mosques :))

Late afternoon saw us arriving back in Marrakesh and Hotel Ali. After 10 days in the desert the noise and crowds of Marrakesh were too much for me so I spent the evening in the refuge of my room....

Kotohira

The draincover for the town of Kotohira in Kagawa on Shikoku, depicts pilgrims ascending the steps of Konpira-san.

Known also as Kotohira-gu, or simply Konpira Shrine, it was a major pilgrimage site with millions coming from all over Japan.

In total there are 1,368 steps to reach the highest shrine, but the vast majority nowadays only climb to the main shrine at 785 steps.

Most of the way up is lined with souvenir shops and eating establishments.

From the main shrine there are expansive views and I imagine the views from the top must be more impressive.

Sun Hiroba

Sun Hiroba is the name of the atrium-like space in the middle of the Kobe Fashion Plaza complex.

It's 50 meters across and rises to a height of 40 meters.

The Kobe fashion Plaza was designed by Showa Sekkei and opened in 1997.

It is located on Rokko Island, the largest man-made island off Kobe.

Shikoku 88 Temple 11 Fujiidera

The first ten temples on the Shikoku Pilgrimage are all on the north side of the Yoshino River. Temple 11, Fujiidera (which means Wisteria Temple) is the first one south of the river.

Reputedly founded by Kukai, the temple was converted to a Rinzai Zen temple in the Edo Period and is one of only 3 Zen temples on the 88 temple pilgrimage.

The main deity is Yakushi Nyorai and legend says Kukai carved the wooden statue (honzon) though historical evidence suggests otherwise. Like most temple, it has suffered repeated fires, but the honzon has always survived unscathed and so the temple has a reputation as offering protection from disaster.

From here its is a steep, long climb up into the mountains to temple 12.

Another Blue Hanya Mask

Just shipped off a couple of new masks today. This is the fourth Blue Hanya I've sold and am quite pleased as it is an original design of mine.

Yet More Nio of Kunisaki

Continuing with my cataloging of the Nio found in the Kunisaki Peninsular of northern Kyushu. Nio, temple guardians, ar nowadays found only at temples whereas before the separation of buddhas and kami, shinbutsu bunri, of early Meiji they could be found at many shrines as well. The Nio of Kunisaki are unusual in two ways, one they are made of stone rather than the usual wood, and second that they are still found guarding shrines.

These first two are at Hie Shrine, a branch of the shrine complex below Mt Hie and Enraykuji. The kunisaki area is home to a version of shugendo that was based on tendai buddhism from Enryakuji so its not surprising to find a Hie Shrine here.

When we came upon these next two Yoko remarked that they looked like they were talking on cellphones and now I cant get that image out of my head.........

They are standing guard at Tawara Wakamiya Shrine. We chatted with an old gentleman who was tidying the shrine grounds and he very kindly unlocked the shrines office/meeting room and showed us the shrines "treasures", a great collection of old masks....

There was also this pair of small wooden nio in a style quite unlike anything Ive seen before.....

The shrine was home to an old buddhist painting but it has been removed to a museum.

This final Nio is on the steps to Shirahige Tahara Shrine, a branch of the main Shirahige Shrine located on the shore of Lake Biwa not far from Hie. It enshrines a Korean "king" who settled the area around Mt. Hie and lake Biwa.

A Walk from Honshu to Shikoku Day 2 (afternoon)

After crossing the Tatara Bridge the Shimanami kaido runs down the SE edge of Omishima. Omishima is the biggest of the islands on the route, and there is plenty to see around the island, but I had been here a month or two earlier so this time I decided to press on and try to get to the next island, Hakatajima, to spend the night.

On calm, sunny days, of which there are plenty in the Inland Sea, the sea is really quite beautiful. There are just a few small fishing harbors on this part of the island.

Omishima and Hakatajima are quite close together, so no suspension bridge is needed. The arch bridge was the first of the bridges to be built on the Shimanami kaido, opening to traffic in 1979, and at that time was the longest arch bridge in Japan with a span of 297 meters. There are a few minshuku on Hakatajima, and I was hoping to rent a room for the night, but I had no luck, not because they were full but because they were empty and didnt want to open at such short notice for just one customer, so I replenished my supplies at the conbini and headed the short distance to the next bridge to try and find somewhere to sleep out.

Hakatajima connects to the last island Ohshima by two bridges. The first reaches to a tiny uninhabited island called Michika Island and there is an exit from the bridge for pedestrians and cyclists because there is a campsite down on a small beach. The campsite was closed and no-one else was on the island so I set up camp in a roofed picnic area right on the highest point of the island. I spent the last hour or so of the day relaxing, eating, and drinking as I took in the great views of the sunset....

The Garden at Kannon-in

The main reason to visit Kannon-in, a Tendai Temple in Tottori City, is for the garden.

The garden took ten years to build, beginning in 1650, 11 years after the temple was rebuilt on this site.

It is a "Chisenkansho-shiki" style of garden which roughly translates as "pond viewing garden", and is meant to be viewed from a fixed viewpoint, not strolled around in.

The viewpoint at Kannon-in is from the veranda of the study hall.

The 600yen entrance fee includes a green tea to enjoy while contemplating the view.

Ichibacho Hachimangu

Ichibacho, which means "market town", is located on the north of the Yoshino River in Tokushima. The village around the shrine is named Yawata, another way of reading Hachiman, and is an example of a place being named after the shrine.

Its a fairly standard village Hachiman Shrine, and unfortunately there was no signboard so I have no information on its history or any of the other kami enshrined there in secondary shrines.

There were some nice big paintings in the main hall, nicely weathered.....

Strangest thing of all were these masks. Never seen anything like them before. None of the locals I asked had any idea what there were about....

Spring Reflections

I've been wandering the back country up in Izumo the last few weekends. A little later than usual but the paddies are flooded and those that are not yet planted are in the process of being...

....all very photogenic.....

Mostly it was old people out in the paddies, but I did see a few three generation families out working and even one 4 generation family....

I've been walking the Izumo 33 Kannon Temple pilgrimage, and while many people I encountered have been kind I do have to say that I am absolutely sick and tired of being stopped by the police and forced to show ID and then be interrogated, all because I don't look Japanese. But then what could one expect from a country where racial discrimination is perfectly legal.