When asked what is the best time of year to travel through Japan, you will probably get a wide variety of answers. I often recommend the beginning of spring, the time of Sakura the cherry blossoms, when the whole country seems to turn into a sea of pink and white petals. But this magical time is not the only good time to visit the Land of the Rising Sun, it is actually worth coming to Japan all year round and checking it out.
Every season has its own charm and unique features. And even though it can sometimes be far too hot in summer and far too wet and cold in winter, I still enjoy all seasons. Of course, this also applies to fall, which here in Japan is often quite difficult to pinpoint. At the beginning of fall, it's usually still really warm and you think summer will never end. But then it suddenly gets cooler and the trees around you start to change color and put on their bright, colorful dress.
This late time of year, usually until the middle or end of November, is the perfect time to take a few more trips to get out of the city and into nature. There is so much magic to discover in the countryside at this time of year that you often can't help being amazed. What's more, the weather is usually really pleasant and it's just fun to be outside, get active and look around.
And that's how we felt on that fall day, which had once again taken us to previously unknown regions. Even though they may not have been that far away, for some reason we hadn't had the chance to discover and explore them.
We were traveling in the Tainai region, and one of our stops took us to Niou-den, a temple complex that houses the Echigo Tainai Kannon. In 1967, there was a major flood disaster in this area, and to pray for the souls of the victims and for the safety of the country and future peace and prosperity, in 1970 people erected a Bodhisattva statue here.
And since we were in the area and our next destination was actually just across the road, we took the opportunity to stop by here too.
The entrance gate, built in the Buddhist architectural style, looked more modern than the gates of other temples I had visited in Japan so far. I think this was mainly due to the fact that it was made of concrete and not wood, but this certainly didn't spoil the first impression.
In the gate itself, there was a statue of a demon on either side of the entrance to keep evil and danger away from this place.
They didn't seem to have any major problems with their job that day, and we were also allowed to pass as we had come with good intentions.
The Niou-den is not a normal temple, but appears to be used primarily to house the aforementioned Kannon statue. You have to walk up a few steps to reach the Kannon which is errecte din the foothills of Mount Torisaka.
But we're not quite there yet. First we pass the bronze vessel with the incense sticks, which is guarded by a majestic dragon.
And then we took a look at the water basin for the ritual hand cleansing, in the middle of which a whole squadron of small plastic ducks had made themselves comfortable.
We then walked up the stairs and were now standing in front of the Echigo Tainai Kannon, which was the largest bronze Kannon in Japan at the time of its erection in 1970. The statue is 7.30 meters high and weighs around 4 tons and, as mentioned, depicts a bodhisattva, a so-called enlightened being.
We then walked up the stairs and were now standing in front of the Echigo Tainai Kannon, which was the largest bronze Kannon in Japan at the time of its erection in 1970. The statue is 7.30 meters high and weighs around 4 tons and, as mentioned, depicts a bodhisattva, a so-called enlightenment being.
Some also refer to this Kannon as the goddess of mercy and here she is standing on an eight-petalled lotus. It looks a little like she is riding the waves, which is why she was given the name 波乗り観音 (Naminori), the surfing Kannon.
In any case, I hope that this Kannon will continue to stand here so peacefully for a very long time, enjoying this magnificent view. Unfortunately, storms and natural disasters are not uncommon in Japan, which is why people also seek protection and help from gods and religions. And since we ourselves can always use a little help and support as well, we too paid our respects on this day and hopefully won her over to our side.
And speaking of faith, this mantis comes at just the right time, as here in Japan, praying mantises have a reputation for being able to predict the coming winter. The higher they climb in the fall and lay their eggs, the higher the snow will be in a few months. Having this thought in mind, this mantis had already climbed a little higher than one would have liked. But as it was not clear where it had laid its eggs, so our winter prediction was unfortunately a little vague. I was quite curious to see how much snowfall we'll have to deal with in winter.
We then set off again, as we still had a few things to do. And we didn't have far to go, as we mentioned at the beginning, we only had to cross the road. We were only halfway through this wonderful fall day and the sun had come as well out to accompany us for a while. We had already seen quite a lot so far and hopefully it would go on like this.
But there will be more of that in another post, and I would be delighted if you would drop by here again soon. I still have quite some interesting pictures and impressions that I would like to share with you here at this place. And maybe some of you will make it to the land of the rising sun one day yourself and be able to tell us about it here on this blog....
