Day 4 - Temples and Tall Trees

We were very comfortable on the futons in the ryokan last night, but breakfast was presented in a small window, 7am to 8am, and so everyone was roused to appreciate it. Artfully arranged, small ceramic bowls with tiny portions of shredded mushrooms, green beans, salmon, lotus fruit, aubergine with plum jam, sticky rice and a big bowl of broth (origins unclear), and a small portion of fruit. Tasty, but it required more brain-space than say, a bowl of cornflakes! Also much healthier, with none of that shortlived insulin spike delivered by processed wheat and sugar.

Undoubtedly the best thing about our Japanese Inn is that it is on the premises of Zenkoji, a magnificent Buddhist temple. The grounds are all beautiful gravel and paved paths, artfully sculpted pine trees and hundreds of carved stone lanterns. Tranquility is the word.

The temple itself is a vast and lofty cedarwood edifice erected in 1707 after (you guessed it) a fire, actually the last of eleven such events! This image below is simply the main gate. The temple itself can be glimpsed through the gate.

After Zenkoji, Diana and I drifted down the main street into Nagano centre and caught a bus up into the hills to another set of shrines. Togakushi Okusha is the highest of three in the area and is accessed via a long path through rainforest and immense cedar trees.

Happily, at this altitude, the air was a little cooler, but most importantly, now that we have visited these sacred places, we are now Enlightened!