When Katsushika Hokusai was nearly 90 years old, he was invited to stay in Obuse four times by a patron from Obuse whom he met in Edo. He was said to have walked 250km one way in 8 days, so even though he was almost 90 years old, he had great physical strength to walk 30km a day. That’s probably why the paintings had such power. The last ceiling painting in his later years is in Gansho-in Temple. In addition to Hokusai’s paintings, it is also famous as the place where the haiku poet Issa Kobayashi wrote a haiku about frogs, and the mausoleum of Masanori Fukushima, a man of great service in establishing the Toyotomi government, who was demoted to Obuse by Tokugawa Ieyasu. During the off-season, community buses are not running, so you have no choice but to walk towards the mountain.
obuse gansho-in (2)famous for Hokusai ceiling painting
obuse gansho-in (1)
obuse gansho-in (4)mausoleum of Masanori Fukushima
obuse gansho-in (3)famos for Issa haiku
An old guide with a strong voice explains that the phoenix drawn is a symbol of longevity, and that is why plants such as pine trees drawn on its body were growing. The paintings were drawn directly on 12 cypress boards and pasted together on the ceiling, and since they used a lot of gold leaf and pigments ordered from Edo, the patron must had been very wealthy. When I sat in the recommended sitting position, the phoenix’s eyes looked extremely sexy. This must be a picture drawn by an old man who was almost 90 years old !
ceiling paint by hokusai (Source: Gansho-in Temple website)
There is also the Hokusai Museum in town, where paintings drawn on the ceilings of festival stalls are on display.
Although it has nothing to do with Hokusai, there is Jokoji Temple, which has a beautiful thatched roof, near Gansho-in Temple. This temple is famous for its slackline club. That’s why the World Cup of slackline was held in Obuse for the first time in Asia.
When we arrived at the center of Obuse town, a large group of young tourists got off the large bus. It seemed like they were on a graduation trip, but it’s rare to see so many young people coming together in groups at tourist destinations in Japan. Japan’s tourist spots are now filled with energetic old people or foreigners who have benefited from the weak yen. This site, however, is disseminating information to non-Japanese people.
obuse scenery (4)
obuse scenery (5)
obuse scenery (6)
The first thing I noticed in Obuse was that each house and plot of land was large, and it was far more spacious than in Tokyo. Also, since there is no shopping street itself, there are no shuttered streets that are often seen, and there are no abandoned houses. Perhaps because of this, it has the feel of a rich country town. This area is also an alluvial fan, and fruit trees such as grapes and chestnut trees are cultivated on the farm.
obuse scenery (2)
obuse scenery (20)
obuse scenery (3)
This town does not give the impression of being depopulated or deserted at all. Although it only has a population of 10,000 people, it is famous as a chestnut production area that has continued since the Edo period. During the chestnut harvest season, long lines form in the morning for the seasonal fresh chestnut sweets, but you can enjoy chestnut sweets all year round along with delicious Italian cuisine at Evolve, which is a sister store to the famous store.
evolve lunch (1)entrance
evolve lunch (2)
evolve lunch (3)
evolve lunch (4)
evolve lunch (5)
evolve lunch (6)
evolve lunch (7)
evolve lunch (8)chestnut sweet
There are sweets shops all over the place, and you can enjoy all kinds of chestnut sweets. I wonder if the young group who got off the large bus came looking for these or rare sake from this region, but I couldn’t trace them after that.
I headed to the Nagaden Railway station, Zenkoji-shita to go to Obuse. More than just a means of transportation, the Nagaden is a sacred place for both mania riding a train (“Nori-tetsu”) and mania taking photos of trains (“Tori-Tetsu”).
Walk down to the east from Zenkoji Temple at the top of the alluvial fan, go underground to Zenkoji-Shita Station, get on one station back toward Nagano Station, and board the limited express. Limited express tickets cost 100 yen, but front seats of the limited express can be reserved online for 300 yen. I wonder why the reserved tickets are more expensive than the limited express tickets.
As soon as I got on the train, the mania riding trains occupied the front observation seats and took video. Yes, this train is an old model of the Romance Car that Odakyu Railway had been running between Shinjuku and Hakone, and Nagaden Railway traded it in and is running it as an observation train. It’s difficult to reserve a front observation seat in Tokyo, but my dream can come true on Nagaden Railway. But, I am not a mania riding trains.
nagano dentetsu scenery (7)
In addition to the Romance Car, the JR 253 series Narita Express, which was used to access Narita International Airport, also runs under the name Snow Monkey. It’s not like the people on the train are monkeys. It was named this way because zoos along the railway line often show monkeys relaxing in hot springs during snowy winters, and capyparas are now also shown relaxing in hot springs at zoos.
nagano dentetsu snow monkey
nagano dentetsu monkey decoration
Exit the underground, cross the Chikuma River, get to Suzaka on double track, and from here on single track. The mountain range of North Shinetsu is beautiful. There is a train depot at Suzaka Station, and there are old 03 series cars that ran on the Hibiya Line. Come to think of it, I thought the car I rode on my way back to Nagano Station from Obuse was a Tokyu 8500 series.
This area was the site of a major flood caused by a typhoon five years ago, and the Hokuriku Shinkansen depot along the Chikuma River was submerged under water, causing many Shinkansen cars to be scrapped. On the other hand, although the Nagaden Railway line is meandering, it does run on a slightly higher ground. Was it a matter of foresight that the route was designed to avoid areas expected to be submerged?
Just 80 minutes from Tokyo on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, you will arrive at the snow-covered city of prayer. The exterior design of the Nagano Station building is an homage to the main hall of Zenkoji Temple. Daimon, entrance of Zenkoji, is about a 10 minute bus ride from bus stop number 1 in front of the station. The best time to visit is early in the morning when there are fewer worshipers on the approach, and this is when the shops on both sides of the approach open their shutters.
hokuriku bullet train
nagano station
The pair of statues of A-un at the Niomon gate is powerful and reminds us of the statues made by Unkei at Todaiji Temple.
niomon1
niomon2
niomon3
sanmon1 approach
The Sanmon Gate finally comes into view in front of us, and it reminds us of the Sanmon Gate of Chion-in Temple in Kyoto, or the Sanmon Gate of Nanzen-ji Temple, where the great thief Goemon enjoyed a spectacular view from the top of the gate. When you climb up here, you can see Nagano city below and the surrounding mountains, but you can also feel that Zenkoji is located at the top of the alluvial fan.
sanmon2
from sanmon1 nagano city
sanmon3 plaque
The name of Zenkoji is written on the plaque on the temple gate. Normally people would be excited to find the five pigeons hidden inside the kanji, but I’m more curious about why the name of the temple is written on the plaque when the mountain name is usually written on it. Returning to the topic of looking for pigeons, it is difficult to find the last one, but the biggest hint is that its tail is visible. Just find it on site.
zenkoji eko pillar
I also asked the security guard at the temple gate and was convinced that there was still a knowledge hidden in this plaque. At Zenkoji Temple, an Eko (memorial service) pillar is erected in front of the main hall once every six years in order to connect with Maedachi on behalf of the principal image, and touching this pillar is a major event. Speaking of Zenkoji Temple, there is a famous story called
“Visiting Zenkoji Temple being pulled by a Cow”
in which a woman who did not believe in Buddhism got her costume caught in the horns of a cow, and the woman chased after it to get it back and ends up visiting Zenkoji Temple. The cow was an incarnation of Buddha. The face of the cow and the Kanji character of a sheep, animal 6th year after a cow year in the Chinese zodiac, are hidden in this Zenkoji plaque.
from sanmon2
from sanmon3 kyozo
from sanmon4 hondo
Now, we finally enter the main hall, but since the attraction here is famous, where you search for the key to connect with the principal image in the dark, you can’t help but head towards the entrance of an altar tour first. Then, the monk who guides tourists inside the temple scolds them, saying, “What’s wrong with going into someone’s house and not greeting the Lord?” Then you notice that the principal image of the Buddha, which should be located directly in front of the center inside the main hall, is now to the left of the center. To the right of the center is a statue of the Lord of the house and his family. The monk explains that Zenkoji is not actually a temple, but Zenko-san’s private residence, and the Buddha is enshrined there. So, first of all, you have to say hello to the Lord.
By the way, I couldn’t get enough of being scolded, so I asked him about the secret Buddha statue, which even the head priest of Zenkoji Temple had never seen, how big it was and what it was made of, and he answered smoothly that it was 1 sun and 8 shaku (about 54cm) tall and made of gold. The story is about Mr. HONDA Yoshimitsu (Zenko), a local civil servant, who picked up a Buddhist statue that had been abandoned (due to the Mononobe clan’s anti-Buddhism movement during the Asuka period) in Namba (Osaka) while on a business trip. The story is that since people didn’t know about the existence of Buddha or the value of gold at that time, no one would have paid any attention to it even if it was thrown away. It makes sense, but I wonder if that’s true.
Afterwards, Minamoto no Yoritomo also visited Zenkoji Temple, and the secret Buddha statue was brought out by Takeda Shingen and returned by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In any case, it was famous enough to be talked about at the time. By the way, when you look up at the ceiling, you can see the pattern of the chrysanthemum crest. The monk boasts that this is proof that the Imperial family donated the money.
entrance of altar tour at zenkoji (Source: Zenkoji HP)
Now it’s time to tour the altar. At the entrance, hold your luggage in your left hand and run along the wall with your right hand to touch the key that connects to the principal image above. It’s getting darker and darker, and I’m afraid to take a step forward. I don’t think anything will come out, but it’s scarier than a haunted house. I suddenly feel anxious and want to hold on to something or someone (=> Buddha) to guide me. This is the purpose of the altar tour. At first I thought that if someone lost something in the pitch darkness, the monk would look for it with a flashlight, but as the tour progressed, the darkness made me forget that.
zenkoji pine tree
zennkoji pagoda
zenkouji the person who invest rinzo
Finally, go to the sutra. I’m amazed at the opportunism that by rotating the octagonal receptacle that holds the sutras by hands, you can get the same merit as reading all 7,000 volumes of sutras. I heard that the weight of the storage receptacle is 5 tons, of which 1.2 tons are sutras, but does the difference of 3.8 tons relate to merit?
What conditions make it feel like a resort? It is important not only to have a good view, but also to have a painterly color and a quiet atmosphere.
venus line (3) mt.tateshina
venus line (2) white birch
Perhaps it’s because the white birch (Shirakaba in Japanese) forest looks completely white and gives off a feeling that can’t exist in the ordinary world. So why are pure white birch forest areas created? This is because seeds in the soil stay dormant until the conditions are right, and when a forest fire or landslide leaves a ruin, they all switch to germinate all at once in order to suppress other plants and monopolize the area where they can grow as quickly as possible. That’s why there’s a white forest all around, so it’s beautiful. However, the lifespan of a tree is about 70 years, so the expression “beautiful and short-lived” can also be applied to these trees.
Lake Shirakaba View Point
shirakaba highlands (1) left kurumayama
shirakaba highlands (2) center shirakaba lake
shirakaba highlands (3)right yatsugatake
Although it looks like a picturesque scene, Lake Shirakaba in the center of photos is actually an artificial lake. There is a restaurant called Asahigaoka on this lakeside that serves very delicious soba noodles. It’s more like a private house than a storefront. You can also eat rainbow trout caught in Lake Shirakaba. This is real, not artificial, indeed.
shirakaba highlands (6)
shirakaba highlands (5) soba at asahigaoka
shirakaba highlands (8) sibukawa maron
shirakaba highlands (7) nijimasu
Detour (Goddess View Point on the way of Venus-Line)
menokami viewpoint (1) left
menokami viewpoint (3) center right central alps
menokami viewpoint (4) right
Detour (Going down to Lake Tateshina on the way of Venus-Line)
This was during the Jomon period. To begin with, the Suwa region is where the Japanese archipelago was split in two after it was torn apart from Asia due to tectonic plate movement. It is said that 5,000 years ago during the middle Jomon period, it had the highest population density in Japan. The reason for this is said that people have fled as sea levels have risen due to global warming, people have fled ash fall from a major eruption in Kyushu, and people have come looking for obsidian to use as arrowheads and knives. The Jomon period had a strong image of being primarily about hunting, but recent research shows that there was a lot of farming involved.
jomon clay figurine1 venus
jomon clay figurine2 venus side
jomon clay figurine3 venus back
jomon clay figurine4 masked goddess
jomon clay figurine5 masked goddess diagonal
jomon clay figurine6 masked goddess side
go to Hachinohe clay ( national tresure)
Chino also has two of the five national treasure clay figurines. Pregnant Jomon Venus, masked goddess (above). Their shape probably have a meaning from the Jomon period, but their deformation is amazing even as modern art. I also like the clay figures with palms together of Hachinohe.
windbreak for save rice2
The current foothills of Mt. Yatsugatake are cool throughout the year, sometimes causing rice harvest failures. The water is warmed by a reservoir, and the crops are protected by a windbreak forest of red pines. The cabbage fields, buckwheat fields, and windbreak forest with Yatsugatake in the background are the best photo spots.
chino hightland2
soba field in chino
manhole cover at chino
jomon clay figurine museum
jomon clay figurine7 national treature certificate
As soon as you step inside, you will be greeted by a ”moss forest” that covers everything from the ground to the roots of the primeval forest. This scenery has been used in various TV commercials, so you may have seen it somewhere at least once. It is said that 485 types of moss live there, so I went in with a magnifying glass, but I couldn’t really observe each one individually.
shirakoma forest6 huge rocks
Anyway, as I climbed up to the Takami-ishi Hut enjoying the scenery I had never seen before, I suddenly saw a mountain piled up with large rocks that looked like they had been piled up by giants. If you drop something into a crevice between rocks, you will never be able to get it out, so be careful when climbing. When you reach the top of the rocky mountain, you can see the round Shirakoma Pond floating just below, and beyond that you can see a vast panoramic view of the Saku and Karuizawa basins, and even Mt. Asama with its volcanic smoke behind them.
shirakoma forest10 top left mt.asamayama
shirakoma forest11 top center saku karuizawa
shirakoma forest12 top right
We crawled down the rocky mountain, passed the mirror-like shores of Shirakoma Pond, and returned to the parking lot through ”Mononoke Forest”, which is also reminiscent of the world of Ghibli. It’s a different world for three hours above the clouds, but it’s a beauty that no amount of words can express.
shirakoma forest1 entrance
shirakoma forest2
shirakoma forest4 baby mushroom
shirakoma forest5 takamiishi hut
shirakoma forest7
shirakoma forest8
shirakoma forest9 shirakoma pond
shirakoma forest14 moss
shirakoma forest13
shirakoma forest15 butterfly
shirakoma forest16 shirakoma pond
shirakoma forest16 walking pass
shirakoma forest18
shirakoma forest17
shirakoma forest19
shirakoma forest20 mononoke forest
shirakoma forest22
shirakoma forest23
shirakoma forest24
shirakoma forest26
The largest lake above the clouds, “Shirakoma Pond”
shirakoma pond1 left
shirakoma pond2 center left
shirakoma pond3 center
shirakoma pond4 center right
Detour (View Point)
Midway through the winding descent on the way back, at a point where my fellow passengers were beginning to feel uncomfortable, we came to the Hinata-Koba Observation Deck. A resting place, not a detour. You can see the Yatsugatake Mountains to the east, the Southern Alps and Kiso Mountains to the south, the Northern Alps to the west, and Mt. Tateshina at the northern tip of Yatsugatake. I have never seen so many mountains in Japan in one direction. The weather was so nice that day that I could see the summit of Mt. Yarigatake and was very impressed.
hinatakoba viewpoint1 left yatsugatake
hinatakoba viewpoint2 south alps
hinatakoba viewpoint3 kiso mountains
hinatakoba viewpoint4
hinatakoba viewpoint6 right mt.tateshina
hinatakoba viewpoint7 front left kirigamine center back mt.yarigatake
The pond that served as a motif in the painting “Green Echo” by Japanese artist Kaii Higashiyama.
(source: https://www.higashiyama-kaii.or.jp/)
Karamatsu pine trees change color with the seasons, and the tranquil surface of the water reflects them. It’s a very famous sight that everyone has seen it somewhere at least once, but when you go to the real site you will find out that it is actually an agricultural reservoir. Since the area is so cold that agar can form, there is a pond to warm up the water for agriculture.
misyaka pond (1)
misyaka pond (2)
misyaka pond (3)
misyaka pond (5)
misyaka pond (7)
misyaka pond (8)
misyaka pond (9)
misyaka pond (10)
misyaka pond (11)
misyaka pond (12)
misyaka pond (13)
Even when you go out first thing in the morning, photographers with super expensive telephoto lenses line up and take up space. That may not be interesting, but it’s definitely a sight you should see at least once.
misyaka pond (6)
Photography locations are limited to the west side of the pond, and in the afternoon the surface of the pond reflects light, making it unsuitable for photography. The best time to take photos is in the morning, because the pine forest on the east side of the pond acts as a light shield and prevents the early morning sunlight from directly reaching the water surface, making the water surface look like a mirror.
Naturally, travelers planning to visit Suwa will have researched the Onbashira Festival, which is held once every seven years, in advance, so I will omit any details about it.
suwa shrine kamisyahongu8 haiden
Shrines with a long history or, more directly saying, with the enough funds, are rebuilt in different near locations every 20 years. Some people think of this as the rebirth of life, but I think it’s an exquisite way of thinking from the perspective of passing down techniques and connecting people in carrying out festivals. With the same idea of rebirth of life, you can think of Suwa Shrine as having the pillars at the four corners surrounding the shrine replaced every seven years, but without changing the location. Some people think of these pillars as a barrier that marks the boundary between the divine world and the human world. Furthermore, there are four Suwa shrines with the same name in this area, and Lake Suwa is in the middle of these four shrines.
suwa shrine kamisyamaemiya2 onbashira
suwa shrine kamisyahongu6 onbashira
suwa shrine simosyaharumiya5 onbashira
suwa shrine simosyaakimiya4 onbashira
Let me mention here that there are shrines with the same name in various places. Shinto shrines are translated into English as one word ‘shrines’, but in Japanese they are roughly divided into several groups based on their relationship with the imperial family, those with special pedigree such as historical figures, the centers of local beliefs, and etc. The Japanese names of ‘shrines’ also change depending on the relationship, for example, ’Jingu’ like Ise Jingu shrine, ‘Gu’ like Kitano Tenman-gu shrine, ‘Taisha’ like Suwa shrine. They are further divided into several groups depending on the purpose they are enshrined. For example, there are about 30,000 ‘Inari’ shrines for agriculture or business, about 40,000 ‘Hachiman’ shrines for military luck (The head of it is Usa Shrine.), about 12,000 ‘Tenjin’ shrines for academics, and about 25,000 ‘Suwa’ shrines for agricultural irrigation. This is why the same name ‘Suwa Shrine’ is also located in Nagasaki, for example, which is not only Suwa. Four Suwa Shrines in Suwa region are the head of the group.
Suwa Shrine Kamisha-Maemiya (Chino city)
suwa shrine kamisyamaemiya1
suwa shrine kamisyamaemiya4 natural water source
suwa shrine kamisyamaemiya5 water source
suwa shrine kamisyamaemiya3 front
suwa shrine kamisyamaemiya7 cosmos
Suwa Shrine Kamisha-Hongu (Chino city)
suwa shrine kamisyahongu1 side entrance
suwa shrine kamisyahongu0
suwa shrine kamisyahongu2
suwa shrine kamisyahongu3 wood carving
suwa shrine kamisyahongu4 dragon
suwa shrine kamisyahongu7 ochozu
suwa shrine kamisyahongu10
suwa shrine kamisyahongu9 sculpture
suwa shrine kamisyahongu11 looking back at approach
Suwa Shrine Shimosha-Harumiya (Shimo-suwa town)
suwa shrine simosyaharumiya1 point of dismounting horse
suwa shrine simosyaharumiya2 gate
suwa shrine simosyaharumiya3
suwa shrine simosyaharumiya4 sculpture
Suwa Shrine Shimosha-Akimiya (Shimo-suwa town)
suwa shrine simosyaakimiya1 wash your hands at hot spring
suwa shrine simosyaakimiya2
suwa shrine simosyaakimiya3
suwa shrine simosyaakimiya5 looking down at suwa lake
suwa shrines locatopn
express kaiji at chino
Although you will not receive any blessings if you do not visit all four Suwa shrines, you can visit them all in one day. You can get off the JR train at Chino Station and rent a bicycle to visit Kamisha-Maemiya and Kamisha-Hongu, then move to Shimo-Suwa Station and rent a bicycle or walk around Shimosha-Harumiya and Shimosha-Akimiya.
miya river1
The two Shimosha shrines are similar in structure, so if you don’t have time, you can lie and say you visited both shrines even if you only visit one. Only God knows! If I was really short on time and had to choose one of the four shrines, I would choose the most rustic Kamisha-Maemiya. There is another reason to chose it, Matsuki Agar Industry is right in front of it. Being an agar-producing area means that there are harsh winds in the winter, but the factory here lets you try plenty of samples, and you can get agar at a cheap price.
suwa shrine kamisyamaemiya6 yatsugatake from shirineagar factory direct sales store at chino
You can make delicious milk agar at home using just canned pineapple, granulated sugar, and milk. First, soak one stick of agar in 300ml of water, heat until it dissolves, add half of the canned syrup and 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, heat further, turn off the heat, and slowly pour in 500ml of milk. Sprinkle finely chopped canned pineapple in a container, add melted milk agar, and serve.
daiya sake brewery1
daiya sake brewery2
dropping point1 of big tree stem on onbashira festival
dropping point2 looking down
dropping point3 demonstration
dropping point4 at harumiya
The Onbashira Festival is a series of events in which a pillar of a fir tree weighing 10 tons is cut down from the mountain, dragged by hand on the road, descended down a steep slope with many people straddling on the pillar, and finally placed at the four corners of the shrine. Therefore, if you don’t come across it once every seven years, you can find it on a dragged road (Onbashira road, especially the sharp curve in front of the Tamagawa post office), on a steep slope (Kiotoshizaka, near Toda Sake Brewery of Chino, Daiya-Kiku) or on the flat side of the dragged pillar in shrines. You can think about the grandeur of the festival by looking at them. There is also a demonstration at Onbashira-kan near Suwa Shrine Shimosha-Harumiya where you can ride a pillar and feel going down a steep slope, so be sure to try it out.
Onbashira Festival （source: suwataisha.or.jp）
suwa shrine simosyaakimiya1 wash your hands at hot spring
Also, at the entrance of the shrine there is a place to wash your hands to purify yourself, but I was surprised to find out that the water at Suwa Shrine is hot spring water.
Detour 1 (Ghibli World near Shimosha-Harumiya )
Manji’s stone Buddha statue reminds you of the robot soldiers in the world of Ghibli, “Laputa: Castle in the Sky”. There is a legend that when trying to put a chisel into that stone while making the torii gate of Shimosha-Harumiya, blood spilled out. So the stonemason used that stone to carve a stone Buddha.
laputa in the sky1 approach
laputa in the sky3
laputa in the sky2
Detour2 (Real hot spring)
The old road from Shimosha-Harumiya to Shimosha-Akimiya remains. Spring water is everywhere, and most of it is hot spring water. There is a public bath called ‘Tanga no Yu’ with hot water being poured of 52 degrees. The hot springs are colorless and transparent, but once you dip one foot in, you’ll be hesitant about putting the other foot in. It’s more than just a good bath, it’s a test of patience. When I came out, I felt the woman at the reception desk look at me, as if to say, oh, you’re already here, you’re early. Someone please look back. By the way, one person who appeared to be a local was soaked up to his shoulders! Brave !
suwa town1 hotspring water
suwa town2 turtle shell pattern
suwa town3 dedicate rice to a shrine
suwa town4 too hot spring public bath tanga
suwa town5
suwa town6
suwa town7 hotspring public bath in the town
Detour3
There are various places to view Lake Suwa in its entirety, but if you are driving, the best option is to go up the narrow road that leads to the back door of Suwa Lake Service Area building (used mainly by employees) without entering the expressway. You can take fine photos with the sun behind you.
suwa lake1 suwa service area
suwa lake2 yatsugatake
Takashima Castle is located on the eastern shore of Lake Suwa, and the cherry blossoms surrounding the moat are spectacular in spring. There is a record that it once faced Lake Suwa, but the special feature is that the roof tiles were broken due to the cold climate, so at that time the roof was changed to shingled roof. The famous historical building with shingled roof is Ginkakuji Temple in Kyoto.
(source: https://www.higashiyama-kaii.or.jp/)
