The 500 (actually "just" 499 now!) Rakans of Morioka's Ho-onji (Photo-essay)

Did you know that Morioka's on the New York Times' "52 Places To Go in 2023" list? I only learnt about it after making my hotel bookings for my October 2023 Japan trip -- and was actually a little horrified to hear this as I feared that this would mean that the prefectural capital of Iwate would be swarming with tourists.  But the only time I saw noticeably non-Japanese tourists in the city was over in the ruined castle grounds on my first day in Morioka -- a very loud Thai group, for the record -- and a couple of forlorn looking Americans looking for a place to shelter from the rain, like me, on my first evening in the city (I guess it's a city but it feels more like a small town by Hong Kong standards).  

 

And when I went over to that which I think is the most impressive of Morioka's attractions/sights, my experience was definitely accentuated by my being the only visitor to it!  I guess it "helps" that the 500 Rakans (Buddha's disciples) of Ho-onji aren't mentioned in the Morioka section of many Japan guide books. (One of the books I had listed just two actual sites in Morioka to check out that were not shops or restaurants!) But trust me when they are quite the sight -- and what an experience to be in a (large) room with them and other wooden carvings/sculptures and no one else! 

 

At the risk of blasphemy, I must say that it can make for quite an eerie experience -- but also a very cool one. And if one is able to resist running out screaming with fear after a few seconds and look closely at the Rakans (or, rather, the carvings of them), it really is very impressive how each and every one of them is distinct in look and, also, perceived personality! ;b

 

Not a Rakan (or Arhat) but Puppet Ponyo pointing at the

awesome gate of Ho-onji that gave me a clue that

this was a temple with some impressive sights within ;b 

 

Seriously, the carvings on the gate (including of this dragon

and another mythical creature) were pretty awesome!

 

Assorted statuary line the corridor between the main building

of the temple and that which is home to the  500 Rakans carved

between 1731 and 1735 in Kyoto by nine Buddhist masters

 

It takes the eye a few seconds to get used to the darkness

inside the hall of the 500 Rakans (and here's letting you

know that it also is eerily quiet in there!)

 

As your eye adjusts though, you'll notice the Rakans -- 

and how each and everyone of the 499 (one's not survived 

the centuries!) really does look distinct!

 

Look closely, and you'll see that the Rakans don't all have the

same clothing style; and that some have beards while others

are beardless, and some are bald but others are not, etc.!

 

They're also not also posed the same way -- and there are

a few that look like they're about to jump off the shelves! :D

 

All in all, I'm pretty proud of myself for staying as long as I

did in that hall -- and, in fact, making two complete circuits

of it to check out the Rakans as carefully as I did... before leaving,

and breathing a sigh of relief once I got outdoors into the sunlight! ;b

An out-of-season visit to Akita Prefecture's Tazawako (Photo-essay)

With a depth of 423 metres (1,388 ft), Tazawako (Lake Tazawa) is Japan's deepest lake. A caldera lake that's not had much development around it (which makes it pretty rural -- and pretty, period!), it's nonetheless reachable by public transportation; albeit with the catch that service there is not super frequent; so timing is of the essence to get there (and out of there)!

Also, if you go to Tazawako out of season (i.e., not in the summer months), there's really not too much that's open or to do there.  That is, if one is not on an organized tour, one can either go on a sightseeing boat that goes around the lake (which runs only once every 2 hours!) or rent a bicycle to ride around the lake.  And while the latter could be a nice option in fine weather, the former's really the one thing to do there on a day where rain was predicted!

 

Thus it was that after we go to the lake shore, all but one of the bus passengers who disembarked at the Tawazako stop ran up to a nearby hut where a woman was selling tickets for a sightseeing boat ride around the lake. Seconds after I got on, the boat took off -- leaving just one person on the shore, looking perplexed at what had happened. As it so happens, that person was the one non-Asian passenger on the bus I had been on.  Unlike the rest of us -- who numbered less than a dozen -- it seemed he hadn't got the complete memo about the place; something which I hope readers of this blog post now will make sure to do prior to going to a locale that's far more off the beaten track than even I had realized before venturing there! :D

 

 
Puppet Ponyo and the ONE Tazawako sightseeing boat in operation 

the morning I was there (Also, this is a post-trip pic as I was 

too much in a hurry to get on the boat to take a pre-trip pic!)

 

The view encompassing the now distant shore that I had 

boarded the  sightseeing boat seconds after getting on it!

 

The water at the Goza no Ishi Jinja side of Tazawako

was an incredibly bright, almost unnatural blue!

 

At the western end of Tazawako, what first caught my eye 

was the tree on the side of the lake with red leaves on it...

 

But, actually, what this section of Tazawako is famous for is 

the golden statue of Tatsuko, a local beauty who, legend has it, 

got cursed and turned into a dragon after drinking water from the lake! 

 

Imagine how this was look during the height of koyo season...

 

Still, it's not like I didn't see much beauty on my visit to Tazawako! :)
 

Au revoir, Tazawako, its swan boats and all. (And yes, 

there really not being that many other people around when

I was there made the experience feel all the more precious!) :)

Red leaves and more in Morioka, the first stop in Tohoku on my most recent Japan trip (Photo-essay)

I walked by a few trees in Victoria Park this afternoon with red leaves on them.  This being Hong Kong though, it's possible that the leaves were red because they were young rather than because it's a sign that autumn is here.  And even while there are places in Hong Kong where one can see seasonal red leaves, the ratio of humans to red leaves can leave me cold -- unlike when I was over in Morioka last month!

The prefectural capital of Iwate was where the shinkansen (on which I had had the amazing 30 ingredient ekiben!) took me.  Being some 3.5 hours up north from Tokyo even on the super fast train, I found the temperatures noticeably cooler there than in the Japanese capital, never mind Hong Kong -- and the red leaves of autumn evident in many parts of the town/city, including from my hotel room window as well at the old castle grounds in Morioka which has been conveted into a public park known both as Iwate Park and Morioka Castle Ruins Park.

All this made for some nice visuals -- and quite the change from the previous time I had been up in Tohoku: back in May 2019, when I was pleasantly surprised to come across still blossoming sakura (in Sendai and Hiraizumi).  And while I know there are people who go gaga over sakura, I must say that I adore the sight of koyo (autumn leaves) -- and catching sight of some of them on this recent Japan visit was a nice bonus; something which I didn't really expect to do in view of the leaves of the trees at Shinjuku Gyoen that I viewed on the same trip (and, in fact, just the day before!) having been pretty green for the most part! :)      

 

View of red leaves (and pink sky courtesy of a sunrise)  

from my Morioka hotel window :)

Red leaves at Tawazako (teaser for a future blog post!)

 

Puppet Ponyo and some trees 

with a few red leaves at Iwate Park

 

A nice mix of red and green leaves

 

What a sight this tree would be at the height of the koya season!

 

Some red leaves and really high castle walls!

 

What look to be old castle stones -- 

laid out for a rebuilding project?

 

A stream ran through the old castle/current park grounds

-- and this was one of a two ducks I spotted paddling in it :)

Japan and movies help me to keep the blues away (touch wood!)

120 years ago, master filmmaker Yazujiro Ozu was born

 

Puppet Ponyo at a "photo spot" which allowed people

to pretend they were on a set of Tokyo Story :)
 

Japan has been on my mind in recent months as well as Hong Kong.  It's not only because I was over in the Land of the Rising Sun a few weeks ago and was planning -- and thus thinking about -- it for a couple of months beforehand.  Rather, it's also I've been viewing a number of Japanese films courtesy of the Summer International Film Festival (at which I ended up viewing six Japanese films and zero ones from Hong Kong!) and still ongoing Hong Kong Asian Film Festival (at which I'll again be viewing more Japanese than Hong Kong movies -- though with this fest, I at least managed to get tickets for two Hong Kong offerings!).

 

Of the six Japanese films I viewed at this past Summer International Film Festival, four were works by Yazujiro Ozu -- one of my favorite Japanese filmmakers.  Actually, heck, I'd say he's one of my favorite filmmakers.  Period!  I mean: I've happily viewed his Late Autumn twice on a big screen now, and would quite happily go watch it again on a big screen should the chance to do so come up again!   

So imagine my delight when I happened upon a Yasujiro Ozu 120th Anniversary exhibition going on in a shop in Shinjuku on my recent Japan trip!  (Beams appears to be a popular, international brand -- but I must admit that I hadn't previously known about it and it was very much Ozu's name that enticed me into the shop rather than Beams itself!)

Something that I do very much enjoy is when my movie world and "real" world come together.  I've previously blogged about how part of my love for Hong Kong is that I often feel like I'm on/living in a giant movie set.  (And by the way, a place I frequent featured in a Hong Kong movie I viewed just last night!)  But there have been times now in Japan too where I've -- sometimes inadvertently -- ended up in locales that have featured in Japanese movies I've seen (including Akira Kurosawa's Dreams and Ran)!   

Also, let's face it, I can look at the world through cinematic lenses -- or make/find associations with movies -- more so than others.  As an example: earlier in the day, I had spotted water spiders on one of the ponds of Shinjuku Gyoen and got to thinking of Mon Mon The Water Spider, a short film I had viewed when I visited the Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka back in 2006!

In any case: you know the saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"?  Sometimes, for me, it can be a case of "A movie a day keeps the blues away".  And I must say that the combination of film festing here in Hong Kong as well as the recent Japan trip has helped me be to be in a better mood -- touch wood! -- than one would think given what Hong Kong has become in recent years. :)

Memories of a visit to Hagi's Daishoin close to four years after the fact (Photo-essay)

Close to four years ago now, I went on a trip to Japan that would be my last one for far longer than I thought would be the case.  So much has happened in the intervening years (including more protests than I actually can remember and also a multi-year pandemic).  As a result, my chronicling of what actually was a pretty awesome trip (which included visits to a cool rabbit island, an island in Seto Inland Sea that's home to an unbelievable temple and an amazing underground cave along with a historic town along the Sea of Japan that attracts few foreign visitors) has been broken up... and not completed!

 

But I complete it I must and will; not least because I want to share how wonderful the places I visited on that October 2019 trip were.  So eight months after offering up a photo-essay of my visit to Mori clan temple of Tokoji in Hagi, here's sharing photos from my visit to the scond Mori clan temple that same autumn day: with Daisho-in being home to another atmospheric, lantern-filled graveyard -- this time the even-numbered generations of Mori lords (as opposed to Tokoji's odd-number generations of Mori lords!)...   

 

While Tokoji is located within walking distance of other historical  sites 

(including Shoin Jinja and the former home of Ito Hirobumi), Daishoin is 

literally on the other side of the train tracks from the more built up part of Hagi 

 

The walk from the nearest bus stop to the temple passes along 

citrus fruit orchards which are the dwelling places 

of critter like this cool looking spider :)

 

It's easy enough to figure out the path to Daishoin though

thanks to the way being lined by these stone lanterns

 

Daishoin's temple compound is quieter and more rustic than expected

 

There's a distinct air of age and neglect about the place

-- and I admit it, I thought it felt kind of eerie!

 

Nonetheless, through the gates of the graveyard I went!

 

Thank goodness for Puppet Ponyo being with me -- 

and she really did add some color to the place, at the very least! ;b

 

All joking aside, I found the graveyard of the Mori lords (and 

eight samurai who committed seppuku on the death of their lord) to be 

a thoroughly impressive place that I feel privileged to have got to visit

Memories of a visit to Hagi's Tokoji more than three years on (Photo-essay)

I went to a travelling exhibition of ningyo this afternoon and was thinking of blogging about it -- but then I realized that I've yet to finish blogging about my most recent trip to Japan; one undertaken more than three years ago now!  Truly, when I visited back in October 2019, I had no idea that I'd not be spending time in my favorite country to visit for so long.  And yes, I miss it so; this not least because, like with every other trip to the Land of the Rising Sun, I came away from it with great memories -- some of them so vivid that, in some ways, it doesn't feel like it was so long ago that I was having the experiences that I continue to so fondly remember.      

For example, I can pretty vividly remember details of the hotel I stayed in at the historic Yamaguchi prefectural town of Hagi; one that resembled a ryokan in many ways more than its English name (which does have the word "hotel" in it) would suggest.  Sadly, the pandemic appears to have put paid to the establishment's existence.  On the other hand, I'm sure it's safe to say that the two temples I visited on my final day in Hagi are still around; this not least since they 've been around for centuries already -- with the fist one I visited (and the one that's the subject of this photo-essay) having been in existence already in the final decade of the 17th century!

 

The impressive entrance of Tokoji, a Zen Buddhist 

temple which was founded in 1691

 

Get closer to this gate and you'll be presented with this sight

(Note the hut in which its ticketing office lies, and that Japanees 

Buddhist temples often charge for entry but Shinto shrines never!)

The temple has a main and other halls...

 

...but most visitors, including yours truly, make a beeline for 

its atmospheric graveyard which lie behind the temple buildings!

 

 

 Actually, I say that but I had the graveyard pretty much all 

to myself (bar for the dead buried there, that is) when I visited! :O

 

It was interesting to see though that a couple of the graves had 

floral offerings (even while the vast majority of them didn't)

 

 

More than three years on, I remember how impressive the graveyard 

(of one of the family temples of the powerful Mori clan) was,

and also how rather eerily quiet the place was too :S

 

So, actually, it was nice to have Puppet Ponyo with me

for company -- and let's face it, she also does add color

to pictures wherever she goes, including graveyards! ;D

Much to see in Hagi's old castle grounds despite the castle having been long ruined! (Photo-essay)

Yesterday came startling news that China had withdrawn from hosting the Asian Football Confederation's Asian Cup because of Covid issues -- startling because that tournament's not due to take place until June of next year.  While Hong Kong is not subject to (all of) the same restrictions as Mainland China (e.g., there have not been reports of mass "clipping" of passports the way there has been over in Mainland China in recent days to prevent its citizens from travelling abroad), it does make me think and worry that Hong Kong will remain largely closed, with a minimum of one week's hotel quarantine being required upon people arriving in/returning to Hong Kong for some time to come.

 

As it is, it's quite the shock for me to realize that I've not been out of Hong Kong for some two and a half years... and, also, that I've not yet finished blogging about my most recent trip abroad -- to Japan back in October 2019!  So here's going ahead and sharing more photos taken from that trip: this time, focusing on ones taken while exploring the old castle grounds of Hagi; the Yamaguchi prefecture city which I spent a few days in after moving my base there from Hiroshima (which has come to be one of my favorite cities in Japan; from where I had made day trips to Okunoshima (AKA Rabbit Island), Ikuchijma, Osaka (mainly for the Funassyiland there this time!) and Akiyoshido)...

 

The first photo I took of the picturesque town of Hagi outside of my hotel 

there -- of the pier for sightseeing boats which I elected not to go on!

 

Puppet Ponyo (remember her?) posing in the grounds 

 of the long-ruined Hagijo (Hagi Castle)

 

Much of the grounds have a neglected feel even though

there's a still functioning Shinto shrine located within it

 

From one side of it, there are splendid views to be had

of the Sea of Japan, the coastal section of Hagi, and 

one of those sightseeing boats whose pier I had passed by earlier 

 

A Japanese garden within the ruined castle grounds

(which are formally known as Shizuki-koen (aka Shizuki Park))

 

With so few other people about the place, the park

turned out to be great for critter spotting (including 

of this grey heron) and nature photography! :)

 

One of those large spiders that I've only ever seen 

in Japan and Hong Kong :)

 

Spotted as I was leaving the old castle grounds:is that a hawk 

or an eagle?  I know for sure though that it's a bird of prey!