We took trains south out of Kyoto to arrive at Shimizu-Ura station on the west coast of the Kii peninsula. From there we walked up & down the mountain behind the town, and found that what was described as a 2 hour walk turned into a 4 hour strenuous hike.
These small trail shrines house small guardians along the way. They pre-date the introduction of Buddhist traditions in this area. We were met by a sign at the Fujishiro shrine, an auspicious site for the Kumano Kodo, that read “welcome Linda Jacobsen”. I was near exhaustion and ready to take a taxi, but found hope in the welcoming temple staff who gave us a brief tour, complete with a ceremony to wish us well on our journey. So humbling & adds meaning to our journey here.
We spent the night outside of Yuasa in the midst of orange groves, eating food prepared by our host.
Day 2: We adapted our plans to don our rain ponchos and ended up touring a black bamboo workshop, the Dojo-jo temple (birthplace of Kabuki), and the Kokokuji temple with a tour by one the monks. We were soaked & amazed. Photos below show a glimpse of the day ….
1 comment:
Wow! Each photo is worth at least a thousand words, inspiring questions and awe. What an adventure!
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