Today Robin and I revisited the mountain we walked on Thanksgiving in the rain and fog. Today was a glorious day and I had no rehearsals or appointments of any kind. (That's getting to be more rare each week) So we donned our hiking boots, gloves, goofy hat and coats and took the train to Takaosanguchi Station and began our hike.
These guys just above were along the trail near the end of the hike. The Japanese are very concerned about the souls of unborn babies. Abortion rates are high, and no one talks about it, but in many places there are hats and bibs stuck on statues at shrines. These are suposed to keep the little ones warm in the afterlife. The thing that struck me about this particular congregation of statues is that they were from different religious traditions- some smiling and round, and some fierce looking. The smiling ones looked right at home in the festive bibs and hats, but frankly, the fierce ones looked kind of pissed off about it.
These guys just above were along the trail near the end of the hike. The Japanese are very concerned about the souls of unborn babies. Abortion rates are high, and no one talks about it, but in many places there are hats and bibs stuck on statues at shrines. These are suposed to keep the little ones warm in the afterlife. The thing that struck me about this particular congregation of statues is that they were from different religious traditions- some smiling and round, and some fierce looking. The smiling ones looked right at home in the festive bibs and hats, but frankly, the fierce ones looked kind of pissed off about it.
He looks like a grumpy lil' god of fire.
This blue sky is so typical of the weather here this time of year. We call it "buddha-blue" after a day at Kamakura last January.The hike up was tough. The trail was rocky, uneven and very steep (up to 1,956 feet) and slippery in places. I was a huffing and puffing today. Here we stopped at a lookout station about 2/3 of the way up and took in the view. Tokyo is off in the distance somewhere.
Here is the entire assembly of warm little statues.
And here is the prize of the day-Fuji-san. This is from the summit of Takao. It was a splendid day for Fuji viewing as you can see. We ate at a noodle shop at the top, before heading back down. I don't think the pictures we take do the mountain justice. I've seen Fuji from near and far, from the air, in the clouds, in the sunset, from the water, from the train, and it always takes my breath away. It is so darned prominent. And strong. It dwarfs all other peaks anywhere. It has a mystical quality about it. Just a very cool sight, in my opinion.
Tonight, sleep will not be a problem... we took ibuprofin and are hoping we can get out of bed tomorrow morning!
No comments:
Post a Comment