On Saturday we successfully navigated the inner city train line (once again) to get us from Shinjuku to Ueno station where we had to pick up the bullet train (shinkansen) to Nagano. And 90 minutes later we were well north of Tokyo and at the foothills of the Japan Alps. The Winter Olympics were here in 1998, and some of the stadiums and other arenas are still in place, as well as a memorial to the event. It is a lovely small city, best known historically for the Zenkoji Temple, the second largest in Japan. We spent some time figuring out what there is to do in the area, found someplace for dinner and then it was Sunday.
The walk to the temple was about 2 km, and the streets were quiet as I walked up early this morning. The closer I got to the temple grounds the more evident a few touristy spots, but mostly along the street were cafes and ryokan and some historical monuments. Legend relates that the temple was founded in order to house a statue of Amida (the Buddha of the Western Paradise), offered as a gift to Emperor Kinmei from Korea in 552, when Buddhism was introduced to Japan. The statue was thrown into a canal during an epidemic, later retrieved by a peasant who built an oratory for it in 602, which then grew in popularity during the Kamakura era. It is a temple of tolerance, welcoming both the Jodo and Tendai sects and has always been open to women. There are two gate, one of which had scores of woven flip flops hung on the fence — like a pilgrim might leave. The two story Hondo is the main worship hall, and there were many statues along the esplanade. The Roku Jizo are very popular among Japanese people. They are our protectors of the next six realms. All souls must transmigrate through the realms until they attain enlightenment. Each of the the Jizo protects one of the six realms: Hell, Hungry Ghosts, Animals, Asura, Humans and Heavenly Beings. Several other temples line the side avenues. Finally, there’s a set of stairs to climb down and a walk through a completely dark tunnel, where worshippers grapple for a metal key in the wall directly beneath the sacred statue, which is supposed to open the gates of paradise. I walked through the dark tunnel, but somehow missed the key, so I guess I’ve blown that!
Then it was off to the Monkey Park. A bus from the station goes directly to Yudanaka, and then it’s a 2 km walk through the village and up a steep wooded path to the entrance to the Jigodkudani Yaen-Koen Wild Snow Monkey Park. This park has been open for 50 years as the place where the intriguing natural habitat of Japanese macaques can be observed. The landscape is dotted with streams of the Yokoyukawa River that flow from the Shiga Plateau, with steep cliffs and hot springs spewing steam. During the winter it is an inhospitable area, and the monkeys regularly bath in the hot spring (onsen) at the edge of the river. At this time of year they don’t sit in the onsen, but they are all over the area, and don’t seem at all bothered by all the humans taking photos, so they are quite close and running and playing along the same walkways that the tourists are using. It was easy to spend 2 hours there just watching them groom each other, and the young “teens” wrestle and moms with babies on their backs. There was one mom with a baby that was only 4 days old! So very cute. I had a wonderful time talking with a fellow from Italy who has visited Japan 10 times, and also been around the world; it’s always wonderful to connect with and learn from a fellow traveler.
Then it was back to Nagano and meeting up with Karen for dinner and plans for tomorrow.
