This is another of my favourite temples, I love coming here and I often bring visitors to Japan here it is such a beautiful spot. It is near my home, maybe 30 minutes drive I guess, not far at all, near Mt. Yamizo, It is a Zen temple of the Myoshinji school of Rinzaishu sect. I… Read More Unganji Temple
Nasu no Yoichi (c. 1169 – c. 1232) was a samurai who fought alongside the Minamoto clan in the Genpei War. He is particularly famous for his actions at the Battle of Yashima in 1184. According to the Heike Monogatari, (The tale of the Heike) based on a historical battle between two top clans in 12th century Japan. The enemy Taira placed a fan atop the… Read More Nasu no Yoichi
Matsuo Bashō (1644 – November 28, 1694), was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku. His poetry is internationally renowned, and in Japan many of his poems… Read More Kurobane and Matsou Basho
Otawara castle is south of Otawara on a hill overlooking the river and the town. There is no castle anymore, but you can see where it was and also the original layout on a map below the site. Originally constructed in 1545 by Otawara Sukekiyo, Otawara Castle was the residence of Lord Otawara. Before… Read More Otawara Castle
Kanodoro is metal lantern, this one is at the junction of 400 & 461 (The old Rikuu Highway) in Otawara, which was the main road from Tokyo north in the old days. The main road had lighted markers every so often to help travelers find their way. This commemorates one of these, the original was built in 1819… Read More Kanadoro – metal lantern
Otawara shrine is on a hill north of the site of Otawara castle… It is surrounded by great old trees, Cedar & camphor… There is a lot of evidence of damage , earthquakes and age… Not much information though, but I’ll keep working on it… http://www.ohtawara.info/spot/ohtawarajinja.html
This is one of my favourite temples, There are some lovely statues here.. In particular I love the Buddha’s feet
Near Nishinasuno is Nogi Jinja or Nogi Shrine. This is the resting place of Nogi Maresuke , the head of the army during the Meiji period. There is a beautiful park and grounds beyond the shrine that includes a house where Maresuke lived,, The Seisho pond is beautiful all year, but particularly so in spring
I’m struggling to find out anything about this temple, apart from it was badly damaged by a fire in 1908 and rebuilt in 1923 by the Abbot Baian Hakujun Kuroda . It was also damaged in the big earthquake in March 2011, you can see one of the statues is missing from the right of the gate. I love… Read More Koshin Ji Temple
While out walking I came across a bike/pedestrian trail track with lots of statues and odd artefacts along the way. Investigation turns up that it’s called Poppo-dori and is what is left of the old Toya Tetsudo (Toya railroad), which ran 24.4km from Nishinasuno to Nasu Ogawa, in the 1920-50’s and used to carry timber,… Read More Poppo Dori
Just Life in Japan 