A mere 370 yen train ride from Shinjuku lands you at the bottom of Mt. Takao. There are lots of ways to get up the mountain. We took the Inariyama Trail as our guidebook says it is the least crowded and includes nice views of Mt. Fuji. Neither was true on this day.

Our best views of Mt. Fuji were from the train on the way there and from the train on the way back. While we were hiking and when we ate lunch on the top of Mt. Takao, Mt. Fuji was mostly obscured by clouds. If you want a picture of Mt. Fuji and can see Mt. Fuji from the train (after Kitano Station) you may want to hop off at the Keio-Katakura Station (京王片倉駅) as there is a good view from the station platform (near the rear of the train). You can then get on the next train and your train fare won’t be any different, assuming you don’t exit the station.

I was amazed at the crowds. I figured few would be climbing Mount Takao in winter, on the last Wednesday of January no less. Not so. The trail was swarming with people and hundreds of people were on top of the mountain. I can’t imagine how crazy crowded it must be on a weekend or holiday during spring, summer, or fall.

Takaosan Yakuoin Yukiji Temple (高尾山薬王院有喜寺) was one of the nicer temples I’ve experienced. Don’t miss it if you are hiking Mt. Takao. We almost did.

The colorful flag/banner/hanging seemed to be on all of the Buddhist temples during January. They are gone now that February has arrived.

Posted on February 4th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: buddhist, hiking, Mt. Takao, temples, Tokyo. Comments: 1

After our meal, mentioned last time, we headed toward the complex that houses the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) and Grand Palace. Unfortunately, there are no signs telling you where the entrance is and we approached from the west and turned south. The entrance, we eventually found out, is on the north side, but the walls around it go on forever.

Numerous scammers tried to convince us that the place was closed for one reason or another in order to get us into a Tuk Tuk that an accomplice was operating. Eventually we made it to the south of the Grand Palace walls. While there we decided to check out Wat Po.

The highlight of Wat Po is the giant, gold Buddha inside one of the many buildings. Photos don’t do this Buddha justice. I tried numerous angles to try and capture its essence, but I just don’t get the same impression from the photos as I did in its presence. The statue is over 150 feet in length (imagine half a football field if that helps).

You could fit a dozen people in the Buddha’s gold feet alone.

The bottom of the Buddha’s feet and the eyes are the only parts not covered in gold.

The building around the gold Buddha adds to the atmosphere. In addition to the pillars, which make a full view impossible (except from the end), the walls and ceiling are covered in frieze and paintings, and the sound inside is of metallic rain.

Once you round the Buddha, you will see where the sound is coming from. People drop coins into 108 bronze bowls along the wall on the Buddha’s back side. Offerings at such places always seem tacky to me, but the sound created by the coins hitting the bronze bowls actually added to the atmosphere.

Posted on January 2nd, 2010 under Thailand. Tags: bangkok, buddhist, temples. Comments: None

From my apartment window I can see the top of a Buddhist temple not far away. It took me almost a week to actually pay the place a visit. The Nichiren sect temple is called Ryochoin (亮朝院). The structure and grounds are set a bit above the rest of the neighborhood. At this link you can see an old Edo Period drawing of the place.

These two guys are the Nio guardians of the Buddha. Usually they are in the sides of the gate leading to the temple and made of wood, but at this temple they are out in the open, past the gate, at the top of the stone stairs, and made of stone. I posted some more typical pictures of them previously.

I imagine I’ll be taking many morning walks through these temple and burial grounds in the coming year. It’s nice to have so much protection nearby.

This last protector is on the roof of the bell tower at 亮朝院.

Posted on August 24th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: buddhist, buildings, japan pictures, nishi-waseda, temples, Tokyo. Comments: 3

When I visited Kiyomizu Dera for the first time, I hadn’t read anything about the place in a guide book. Therefore, I had sort of a “Duh” moment when after following around the packs of tourists we actually arrived at the kiyomizu that makes up its name. I hadn’t really thought about why it was named as it was or what the significance of the name was until this point. Duh!

Anyway, I bet you can’t tell which of these kiyomizu samplers is my daughter.

Posted on July 2nd, 2009 under Japan. Tags: japan pictures, kyoto, temples. Comments: None