Here’s some final pictures from the Daishoi-In Shrine on Miyajima island. This quirky little temple is chock a block with interesting sights. These little Buddhas demonstrate the concept of getting through life by ignoring everything! Within the shrine is a beautiful cave full of hundreds of lanterns. Henjokutsu Cave holds 88 principal Buddhist icons which are relatedContinue reading “Last shrine scenes”
Tag Archives: religion
Statue mash up
Carrying on our trip around Daishoi-In Shrine we come across a room full of little gold statues. This is the room of 1000 Fudo Images. Commemorating the succession of the current (77th) head priest, one thousand Fudo myo-o, or Immovable King, images were donated by worshippers. The shrine is stuffed to the gills with aContinue reading “Statue mash up”
Daisho-in Shrine
Itsukushima Shrine might be the most well known but it is not the only shrine on Miyajima Island. We’re off to explore one of the lesser known (but to my mind even better) shrines. Daisho-in is the main temple of the Shingon Buddhist school of Omuro and it’s a treat! It is located at theContinue reading “Daisho-in Shrine”
Miyajima Island
Next stop on our whistle stop tour is Itsukushima, also known as Miyajima, a small island in Hiroshima Bay. We hopped on the JR ferry for the short trip across the bay to the island. You can get a ticket as part of the Japan Rail Pass so bonus for us! Just offshore, a giant, orangeContinue reading “Miyajima Island”
Shrines and sushi
Follow us as we trot around the quaint little streets of Takayama, chock full of gorgeous old buildings and quirky sights. Takayama gained importance as a source of high quality timber and highly skilled carpenters during the feudal ages. Consequently the city was put under direct control of the shogun and had quite a bitContinue reading “Shrines and sushi”
Into the abyss
After the wonders of Nikko we head to the impressively named Kanmangafuchi abyss. Kanmangafuchi is also known for its row of about 70 stone statues of Jizo, a Bodhisattva who cares for the deceased. This particular group of Jizo statues is alternately called “Bake Jizo” (Ghost Jizo), “Narabi Jizo” (Jizo in a line) or “HyakuContinue reading “Into the abyss”
For Sakes sake . . .
Another of my Japanese obsessions is the beautifully ornate Sake barrels often found displayed close to shrines. There is a particularly impressive Sake barrel display close to the entrance of Meiji Jingu Shrine in Shibuyu. When displayed near a Shinto shrine, such barrels are called kazaridaru, which means “decoration barrels.” The barrels on display areContinue reading “For Sakes sake . . .”
Raccoon dogs and tiny peeps
Heading on from Senso-ji we briefly admire this impressive copper statue of the 9th Danjuro Ichikawa the famous kabuki actor. He is shown in the role depicting “Shibaraku”. Then it’s onwards for more exploring of the winding streets of Asakusa, complete with colourful wall hangings and delightfully garish posters. Now we find ourselves exploring the curiousContinue reading “Raccoon dogs and tiny peeps”
Faux food and fascinations
Finally back on the blog to carry on charting the epic trip to Japan that we took last year. Still in Tokyo’s Asakusa district we carry on exploring the fascinating back streets full of incredible sights. The man starts off his holiday task of being “stick your head in that” man and poses for aContinue reading “Faux food and fascinations”
Old churches and ancient stones
On a slightly grey, overcast day we all pile into the cars for a day trip from Loctudy to Camaret. On route we stop at a traditional stone church. Here we can see some of the archetypal religious architecture that is prevalent in Brittany. There are several regional features that mark out the Breton countryContinue reading “Old churches and ancient stones”