7 days. 4 friends. 2170km. One RV
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To the average passerby, this shrine may seem like a fairly commonplace neighbourhood shrine, crammed into a small nook. From the outside it seems pretty nondescript. Its neighbors include a busy main road, a concrete hotel and a building site. The unexceptional grey stone shrine gate is unassuming and the trees on either side seem to enclose the entrance. But take just a couple of steps inside and the world lightens revealing a tiny oasis in an urban world, and it’s filled with bunnies. Sorry no real ones, but bunny motifs, statues, fortunes, carvings. The over looming trees that surround the shrine have cornered off this tranquil haven from the city, giving you fresh air and quiet time.
UNTIL AROUND 150 YEARS AGO the mountain of Rai, where the temple Sennyo-ji Daihioin sits, would have been filled with dozens, if not hundreds of shrines and temples. Most sites of worship were home to both Buddhist and Shinto beliefs, and worked in harmony with each other for centuries. All that came to a stop during the Meiji Restoration, in the 19th century. The restoration preferred Shintoism, which favoured the emperor’s ancestral lineage to the gods, where as Buddhism was an import from the previous government. Shrines and temples across Japan were ordered to separate these beliefs, and most of the sacred sites on the mountain were destroyed. Buddhist property and artefacts fell victim to a large amount of damage and loss due to anti-Buddhist movements at the time. The Monks at Sennyo-ji gathered all the important artefacts in the area, and placed them in Sennyo-ji to protect and preserve their historical, and cultural value. The temple is now home to the 500 stone Buddha disciples, many antique documents and a 16ft tall, 1000-armed Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva wooden statue, the main interest of the temples faith.
View from Daimonji across Kyoto The seamless transition from urban to nature is one of Japan’s the most outstanding qualities, so take some time to enjoy a little forest bathing while your in Kyoto. All the way along the east mountains are hidden hiking trails, easily missed if you’re not looking. Nanzen-ji is a great place to start these trails, as you have so many options for destinations. Whether you want a scenic walk to another shrine, get you heart pumping climbing mountains, or loop around for a short nature walk; there is so much variety on offer. To take yourself from the cobbled streets of Nanzen-ji Temple to the tranquillity of the forest paths head towards the aqueduct. Go through the archway and turn right up some stony stairs, you will quickly lose all your urban stresses, up in the calm forest. Here you can revel in the green space, and put a little heat in your cheeks as you participate in some moderate hiking. The aqueduct soon fades away as the ground you're walking on becomes the worn soil path of those who came before. It is a winding path with many roots and routes. You might even think you aren't on a path to start with, which perhaps contributes to its secrecy. Head upwards, over and under a few fallen trees that have become part of the trail.
Fukuoka, where do I begin? Before I moved here, I had never heard of it, and the island of Kyushu was some magical place, untouched by western tourism that was just too far to reach on a two-week holiday. In the summer of 2019 I got the opportunity to move down from Tokyo and work on a new project. I was so excited to finally discover the south! Every first time Japan goer knows the 3 big boys: Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Anyone on a Japanese guided tour may even get as far as Hiroshima, but only the dedicated and the mad get down to Fukuoka. Boasting as Japans 8th largest city, Fukuoka is the hub of the South. It has everything you expect from a large city for entertainment, easy transportation in and out of the city, a beautiful coastline and wonderful views of mountains and rural life that you can’t find anywhere else. Fukuoka is mild in the winter, and hot, humid and wet in the summer. In general it’s more airy in the summer than Tokyo or Kyoto because of its proximity to a good sea breeze. The autumn is later, with the changing of the leaves, happening in late November, early December and you begin to feel the warmth of spring in early March. To put it in perspective, I was wearing sandals in the first week of November, but thermals in the last week!
I am going to give you recommendations of various places I’ve visited, with my honest and personal opinion on them. These are the places I would take visiting friends or go myself. I’ve divided the into four categories;
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July 2020
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