Where's Fuji?
Where's Fuji?
It was a Japanese holiday on the 12th, so my cousin took my aunt and me out for a drive. We went to Ibaraki, to see a couple of famous shrines. They know that I'm not into religion, but like the architecture.
The first shrine we went to was the Izumo Shrine, known for the thick Shimenawa, which is is a sacred rope made of rice straw and paper strips that's used to mark holy spaces and ward off evil spirits. The rope is one of the thickest ones in Japan. There were still people visiting the shrine to pay their respects for the new year, but I'm sure it was absolute chaos during the first 3 days in January.
On the way to another shrine, the Kashima Shrine, which offers a lovely view of Tokyo Skytree and Mt. Fuji in the distance on clear days, my cousin saw a sign to the Ishikiri Stone Quarry. He's never been, so he suggested we stop by. The entrance was hard to find so we drove past it but finally figured out where it was. There was a pagoda standing tall and proud at the entrance. The quarry is known for having the largest source of a white granite which have been used at the Tokyo Station and National Diet. There is a lovely lake at the base of the quarry and a variety of stone sculptures scattered about the grounds. The stone processing factory was pretty derelict, as was the grounds around the cave that had wall paintings. What was interesting was that there were a bunch of small coin offerings at the base of buddha sculptures.
We then headed to the Kashima Shrine. Unfortunately, it was hazy so we didn't get a clear view of Mt. Fuji. We could barely see a shadow of the mountain. There were smaller shrines scattered around the grounds. Aside from being big, there wasn't anything unique about the shrine. I've seen similar architecture at other sites. But, this shrine is also the entrance to a couple of hiking trails for serious hikers, unlike me, who sticks to easy nature trails.
We ended the day with a nice soak at an onsen bath house. Of course, I spent my time there soaking in the outdoor bath. Yes, it was rather nippy when I first walked outside, but the hot water warmed me up in no time.
It was a fun day hanging out with my aunt and cousin. They know a bunch of cool places to visit.
Been to anywhere interesting lately?
Can you find Mt. Fuji?
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