In Japan, it's traditional to visit a shrine or temple after the New Year for prayers; I hadn't done so, so a friend and I hiked up the part of the mountain to visit Iiyama Temple to give prayers. It was here, I took photos using my cell phone, as I had forgotten to bring my camera. Unfortunately, my cell phone camera's quality is quite poor, so the photos aren't high resolution. I'm very sorry, but hope you can get a sense of the temple grounds via the pictures. Enjoy!
The front gate of the temple, featuring a God guarding the way:
After climbing some steep steeps, we entered the temple's main grounds. Featured up front was a caldron in which incense sticks were placed. People believe the smoke, when wafted over parts of the body, will cure a person of any aliments. I hadn't been sleeping well and am also worried about my upcoming studies, so I tossed the smoke over my head in hopes of peaceful studies and sleeping well during this year.
Stone lanterns line the way, with the caldron for incense in the middle:
I loved this single tree set up with discarded fortunes. If you receive a bad fortune at a temple, it's custom to tie it to a tree branch in hopes the bad luck will "blow away with the wind".
More tied paper fortunes:
An interesting point about this temple: there are many hiking courses and trails. According to maps posted in the area, should you wish to complete the entire course, it runs 3.4 kilometers and takes approximately 2 hours to complete. There are many temples and shines along the route, so it's quite a nice hike. The trails are a little steep, but well marked, so it's easy for beginners. I'll be sure to come back and give it a go. ^_^
These signs below surprised me most: there are also trail running courses! Further down the road from the temple is an office, which provides lots of information, maps and guides for trail runners. I'm interested so I'll give this a shot when the weather warms up.
Trail running course signposts:
Orange sign: Momiji course
White sign: Sakura course
Blue sign: Ayame course
At the base of the temple stairs was this stone centerpiece: a pagoda and a Buddhist statue.
Iiyama temple is very famous for its Sakura Festival, held in late March to mid April, due to the numerous cherry blossom trees in the area. There is also a children's park at the bottom of the temple grounds, which is perfect for kindergarten to elementary aged children.
~ Information ~
Iiyama and Shiroyama are located in central Kanagawa. The area also hosts a number of natural hot springs.
Access: Odakyu Train Line to Hon Atsugi station. Change to a Kanachu bus getting off at Iiyama-Konnonmae-Nishi. Follow the stairs on your right, through the large wooden gate, all the way up to temple. Price not known, just take a Pasmo (electronic pre-paid travel card).
English info is HERE.
A video showing this temple in great detail is below. (courtesy of James Kemlo via You Tube)
No comments:
Post a Comment