I meant what I said last post about liking the contrast in Japan between old and new, city and country.

Spring is already nice in Japan since it’s a country that actually experiences an effect from spring, but there seeing some manicured trees at a castle or shrine, and then there’s seeing whole embankments of cherry blossoms along a river and up into the hillsides.

As the train moves out and the city slowly begins to drop away. You start to see the reveal of more fields, some clusters of houses, and no tall buildings. Then you turn a corner, and suddenly you’ve entered into a valley where walls of mountain rise up either side of you, thick with trees and a river has started winding in and out beneath the train.

Then the blossoms start. First, it’s one or two. Then, whole swarthes of the river sporting the gentle light pink and drifting petals flutter to the ground like snow.

Of course, I had no idea this was going to be the case when I hopped on the train. I was just heading out to Nanzoin to see the giant reclining Budda, which was not as plain as every video makes it out to be.

But pictures first. I hopped on a pretty old, beat up looking train that was definitely going to take me out to the boonies.

I was sitting backwards and starting to not feel well, regretting coming out when we entered the last stretches of train journey, and the cherry blossoms appeared.

Well, you can bet I forgot all about my turn for the worse, as the Kidonanzoin-Mae station appeared and when came to a stop. Now, it was quite apparent we had left the city. The station was small and exposed to the elements, but it had Sakura(Cherry blossoms) everywhere.

I left the station to find more sakura out in the parking lot.

I also found this cutie. Who looks awfully like a famous yellow mouse.

I left the photo op to go find the budda, but the surprises just didn’t stop. I paused on a bridge to take another photo and found a sign in japanese. When I read it, this is what I discovered:

Kidonanzoin-Mae has been set up to fully take advantage of the tourists coming to see the budda. It has some gravitas and tradtion to it that was probably helped by the recent rain

There is a lot at the Nanzoin temple, things apart from the budda, but there are signs everywhere saying no photos. Those previous photos are all just coming up the entrance road. I have few sneaky photos, but nothing artistic and there are lots of beautiful moss strewn areas ripe for photos. A large sculpture of the God of Thunder (Not Thor), and steep, uneven widing pathways into the forest. Waterfalls and bridges and a pond full of turtles with a staute of a turtle in the water.

Beautiful but not so serene. There is construction going on nearby, and it’s loud.

I was heading to the budda when two bus groups of tourists (possibly from China or South East Asian) arrived. So, most of my first photos of the budda are filled with scores of people until the rain scared them to shelter. Videos you watch of the budda make it seem like it’s on flat ground perhaps behind a temple, but it’s not. You enter through a 20m tunnel with brass names (I think those who donated money for the budda) covering all sides. You then emerge into a lookout.

Then you wind your way up a cliffside path. Mountains and thick forest vegetation reach up one side. On the other, a steep drop down to the road and river below. There are more buddhist statues of all sizes, cranes hanging up, and small paths disappearing into the mountain above.

Then you turn a corner and suddenly. A Head!

The picture just can’t convey who the shock of how big it is when you first see it. You kinda have to recoil a little and take a step back. Then you get in front and there are all sorts of little stautes nearby. Along with the big mamba jamba.

Of course, after climbing up that path, there is another lookout down the valley towards the station and up further disappearing around the bends in the road.

By the time I had done all this, it was 2.30pm with a 30min ride back into town. I took the obligatory selfies, and I touched his footsies for luck. Nanzoin was a lot more than what I was expecting and sitting on the train, riding back through the story, that was exactly what I loved about living in Japan. Going out to explore and finding so much more than what I was expecting.