DAY 7
KISO-FUKUSHIMA TO NARAI
In the lift on the way down to breakfast....
Aren't they lovely cushions....in the foyer of our hotel...we were quite sad to be leaving this morning...the staff have been so friendly...
On our walk to the railway station we passed this free foot bath in the middle of town....you lift up the wooden lid , sit of the edge of the trough and place your feet in the warm thermal water from a natural hot spring.
This is just one of the many shops in the town that sells beautifully crafted Japanese lacquerware.
Pete and I were so pleased to see the sun shining today ...I took this photo of Kiso-Fukushima from the railway station....
Standing near the station....this Japanese samurai...
And this fellow....Nio, a type of deity found at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in Japan.
A rather attractive mosaic at the railway station...we caught a train to Yabuhara (14km) and then hiked 8 kilometres up and over the mountains (highest point 1197m) to Narai.
The forest was quite different to what we had walked through on previous days ...much more colour in the trees ....and no bamboo...
The highest point on this hike was Torii Pass...
...and from there we had a great view of Yabuhara and Mount Ontake, the second highest mountain in Japan.
It was a magnificent walk through the forest as we descended....
Plenty of shrines and statues on the way...
An amazing statue, so life like, of a Buddhist disciple, known as a rakan in Japanese. Placed in front of almost every statue that we have seen on the trip are many coins....so surprising that no-one takes the money.
This is a statue of Jizo, one of the most beloved figures in Buddhism. He is considered the guardian of children....
We finally arrived in Narai....this is their village shrine..
The view of the old street in the area has been maintained and the houses, built using unique local techniques, are of historical and academic value.
Almost every shop, restaurant and private home has a small garden or at least one pot plant....I just love seeing them...
This painting was on the ceiling of the Jyoryu-ji Temple in Narai...it is over 100 years old...
And this statue was in the delightful garden of the temple (loved the trees) ...
Ikariya Guesthouse ....where we stayed for the night
My lunch...it was as big as my hand and extremely delicious...called a Gohei-mochi, a specialty of the area, skewered sweet rice cakes served with soy sauce and miso.
Pete had fried chicken and sweet potato chips....we sat on little stools in the street and watched the people stroll by.
On our way to dinner....
The meals have been awesome....met up with another Australian couple at dinner...they were from Melbourne....apparently there are quite a lot of Australians in this part of Japan, so the locals keep telling us.