This was the perfect morning for a number of reasons:
1. Didn’t see a single tourist
2. Nice mix of clouds, blue sky, and mist
3. Temperature was perfect
4. Breakfast was coming and, based on the past night’s dinner, I knew it would be fantastic
5. Prior night’s rain left the air crisp and clean and the rice and flowers with water droplets my camera couldn’t miss
6. I love thatched roofs
On our first day in Shirakawago, we had only an hour or two before the rain began. The downpour was incredible and only added to the town’s character (assuming it let up for the following day, right?). There is nothing like thunder and lightning when you are lodging in a gassho zukuri (合掌造り).
Breakfast was scheduled for 7:30 so I headed out of the thatched roof home (Hisamatsu 久松民宿) where we were staying at 6 a.m., hoping for a morning walk of more than an hour that didn’t include rain or tourists. The above photo is what Myozenji looked like across the road as I began my walk. I didn’t see any tourists. Everything was extremely peaceful. There were a couple of old Japanese guys tending their rice fields, but I didn’t see anyone else. The mountains were shrouded in mist that slowly began to burn away with the clouds.
It was a morning I will never forget. I returned just before breakfast and took the pic below of the same basic scene. This time it was mostly blue skies, with just a bit of mist remaining to keep the atmosphere extra special.
Life doesn’t get much better than a stroll through the rice paddies of Shirakawago on a sunny morning after a downpour the night before.
Today’s first photo is of the two-storied Sanmon (山門) Gate at Heirin-Ji. Another original from the 17th Century, it was moved 25 kilometers to its present location long ago.
This cemetery (霊園) was one of several, and the only typical one we saw, on the grounds. One featured a large burial mound and then there was the stone lantern resting place (松平信綱墓) as well.
The Zen apprentices at Heirin-Ji live a simple life. We saw them doing their laundry. The above, thatch-roof building appeared to be their woodshed.
Today’s second pic is the promised one from yesterday.
The Butsuden (仏殿) at Heirinji is an original from the 17th Century. It is one of many structures at Heirinji with a thatched roof.
The above long row of stone lanterns (石燈籠) led to a graveyard of hundreds of large stone lanterns. Photos from there tomorrow as our week of Zen continues…
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