Japanese Countryside Travel Notes
Photo Gallery, Recommend Itinerary, Best Season
There are various categories of railfans. ‘Tori-tetsu’ is a railroad photography enthusiast, ‘Nori-Tetsu’ is a ride lover, ‘Nomi-tetsu’ is a person who rides and drinks, ‘Mama-Tetsu’ is a mother who enjoy railway with her children, etc. By the way, there was a railway study group in every high school. Japanese people really like railways.
Steam Locomotive connected to Niigata revived only on Saturdays and Sundays one round trip a day. If you are ‘Tori-Tetsu’, find a suitable crossing point !
Torioi-Kannon Temple is one component of Western Pure Land.
Since no one wants to suffer when they die, the ’Korori’ Kannon faith was born. People are fine(‘pin-pin’) just before they die, and when they die, they want to die lightly(‘korori’). In Japanese, this is called pin-pin korori.
You can listen to the fun story of the monk. However, although it is in Japanese.
There are famous sculptures you should not miss in this temple. One of them is a monkey hiding from a eagle. It is said to have been made by Hidari Jingoro, a famous sculptor of the Edo period. However, it seems that there are about 100 works in the whole country, and the authenticity is unknown.
A basket woven from mountain grape skin is a luxury item. It is difficult to find out good quality of skin in the mountains and it takes huge time to knit a delicate basket. Each work is tagged with the villager’s production name.
There are various other materials for the basket, and there is also a light material called Hiroro. Her Majesty the Empress Emerita visited and bought one.
It is also famous for the production of paulownia chest of drawers. It is said that paulownia was light and had a moisture-proof effect, and the chest of drawers was closed tightly, so even if it was flooded, the clothes inside did not get wet. Also, in this region, as soon as a girl is born, plant a paulownia tree and make a paulownia chest of drawers with a tree that has grown when going to the bride
There are various places to take a scenic view on the Tadami Line, but this is a must.
Tadami River First Bridge !
Park your car at roadside rest area and walk 10min. to the viewpoint. Many photographers are on standby. Check time table of train passing on the bridge.
In late autumn, the pasting “The first product of the season appears !” is indicated at the entrance of Soba restaurant here and there. Buckwheat that bloomed small white flowers in the summer is harvested in early autumn and good scent of the first product of season comes out. Usually the locals are waiting in line for eat. Feel the fall with your tongue in the mountains.
Western Pure Land, namely paradise after death in the direction where the sun sets, is where the Agano River flows out west from the Aizu Basin.
As I mentioned three types of Buddha statues, the latest type was ‘Amida’ who promises the happiness of the next life in an uneasy era when the plague spread and war began to break out here and there at Heian period end. “The next life begins from next day” was connected to sun set and people has believed in paradise after death in the west.
That is Western Pure Land.
On the other hand, it seems that the people of the Middle Ages had traveled quite far. The Aizu Lord regretted that money would drop in other areas, and set up 33 Kannon tours in his territory by connecting 33 Buddhist temples with the same history as Nara, accomplishment of it would promise happiness for the next life.
There are many places of faith in Western Pure Land in Aizu, but choose below.
Shingu-Kumano Shrine
800 years old Ginkgo and huge worship hall without walls
Kamiunai-Yakushi Temple
(prior reservation)
The same style of Buddha statue as in Shoujiji Temple.
Eryuji Temple
7m height Kannon(Buddha statue) carved in a standing tree with 30 statues including statues with wings like a christian angel statue.
Faith and sake have always been linked. Great sake exists in Western Pure Land.
‘Hiroki’ is my favorite sake. Side dish is not needed and I enjoy it alone.
“Even I can’t get it.”, said the worker in that brewery in Aizu Bange downtown. I failed to get fantastic sake directly.
There are a lot of histrical warehouses in Kitakata City. Normaly they are used for storage but here in Kitakata the situation might be different. Warehouse is a living space and a status symbol.
Recently many sake breweries in Aizu have got prizes of sake every year, especially in Kitakata. You can visit and enjoy factory tour, tasting and walk in the garden there. Find your favorite sake in case you are not a driver, otherwise you need a capable navigator of not driving but tasting.
Floor heating system for winter
I happened to see a construction site of a snow melting system for winter. It’s like a floor heating system for a house.
Temple size is now small but the meaning is comparable to Yakushiji Temple in Nara, where the main statue is Buddha giving medicine to people.
If I write without fear of misunderstanding, there are three types of Buddha statues: Buddha, the founder of enlightenment, pharmacist (Namely ‘Yakushi’ is a medicine master in literary in Japanese.) who cures the illness of this world, and Amida who promises the happiness of the next life.
Advance reservations* are required to view Yakushi Nyorai(Buddha statue), but it is a good opportunity to know that there was a similar Buddhist culture in the area away from Kyoto and Nara.
*)Local people take care of the temple by themselves.
There are many tourist destinations in Aizu-Wakamatsu City, but this site is about the countryside, so I will omit it here. I had a glance of historical street ‘Nanukamachi’ by chance passing through the city.
Since the thatched roof is made from thin and manpower is required, dubbing work is done by all the villagers, which helps to form a community.
An ancient post town was on the highroad connecting Aizu and Nikko in Edo period. Now it is left from main transportation route but the community keeps Ouchijuku remain as it is. Thatched roof is not just beautiful, it is an important gimmick to maintain the community !
At each thatched-roof house, a charming saleswoman sits at the edge of the porches and sells her own cooked food and crafts. Each item is hand-made, and the wallet’s string is loosened as the grandmother smiles.
The cliff of towers’ shape was created by nature, 1 million years of erosion and weathering. People had been worshiping the tower like a Buddha.
The river flows gracefully and you can cross the suspension bridge and walk under the cliff of towers.
Bottled snake(mamushi or viper) with liquor is on sale as a souvenir at the entrance shop. Who buy it? Instead, be careful of walking the cliff of towers?
A cat stationmaster ‘Love’ welcome you at Ashinomaki Hot Spring station. He will appear if he is in a good mood, but I don’t think he is fulfilling his duties as a stationmaster. Although he is the stationmaster, he is merely living at the station. In the countryside, we often see small animals as honorary stationmasters.
