 Most viewed - Nagahama 長浜市 |
Chikubushima boat dock.25 views
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After you get off the boat at Chikubushima, you face this slope of buildings. Many monuments. On the upper right is the famous Karamon Gate.25 views
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Candle holder.25 views
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Kannon-do Hall roof corner with a tokyo assemblage. So much eye candy in this building. 25 views
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Before photo of the statue of Pindola Bharadvaja and the nearby wall with flower carvings. (See the next photo after the restoration.)25 views
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Behind the Karamon Gate.25 views
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Left side of the kaeru-mata.25 views
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It looks new because it was magnificently restored (including the roof) after six years of meticulous work completed in March 2020. Finally came to see it. I was not disappointed. It's jaw-dropping beautiful.25 views
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The roof was also entirely restored. The gate is a splendid example of the finest art from the Momoyama Period (late 16th century).25 views
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About the Kannon-do Hall.25 views
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What the Karamon looks like with the doors closed.25 views
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Karamon Gate entrance to Kannon-do Hall.25 views
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Another statue of Benzaiten.25 views
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Bell tower25 views
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"Interlaken" boat to Imazu at Chikubushima.25 views
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Inside the Interlaken boat. Very comfortable and looks new.25 views
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Leaving Chikubushima.25 views
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Mt. Shizugatake has a bald patch where the lookout point is for tourists. Accessible by chair lift on the other side of the mountain.25 views
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Lake Yogo is also called "Mirror Lake" for its mirror reflections.25 views
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Lake Yogo cherry blossom trees in late May.25 views
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Entrance to the long hiking trail to Mt. Shizugatake.25 views
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Long hiking trail to Mt. Shizugatake.25 views
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From Mt. Shizugatake, a short downhill trail to Lake Yogo.25 views
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Lake Yogo green with algae in late Sept.25 views
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JR Yogo Station.25 views
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Entrance to the site. 15-min. walk from JR Torahime Station.24 views
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Food stalls.24 views
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About Chikubushima in Japanese.24 views
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Leaving Nagahama in winter. After a major snowfall in late Jan. 2021, went on a scenic snow cruise on Lake Biwa.24 views
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Small shrine for the goddess Benzaiten at Hogonji, Chikubushima. Benzaiten is the goddess of everything that flows: Water, rivers, music, etc. 弁才天24 views
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Tsukubusuma Shrine used to be part of Hogonji, but it's now legally separate from the Buddhist temple as mandated by law. 24 views
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Kannon-do ceiling and transom carvings. Absolutely brilliant colors.24 views
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Before photo of the statue of Pindola Bharadvaja and the nearby wall with flower carvings.24 views
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Before photo of a very old and worn statue of Pindola Bharadvaja (賓頭盧尊者). Traditionally, you touch his body part corresponding to the part of your body you want to heal. 24 viewsNotice the pillars and ceiling beams which were plastered with pilgrim name stickers called "senjafuda" (千社札). They bear the ardent pilgrim's name and pilgrims stuck their name stickers on the temples they visited to indicate "I wuz here!"
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After photo of Pindola Bharadvaja statue. These days, best not to touch unless you use hand sanitizer afterward.24 viewsAll those old pilgrim name stickers (mostly from the Edo Period when it was fad) were removed for a new layer of lacquer.
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Inside Karamon Gate. Just gorgeous. Too bad most people just walk in without looking back and noticing. 24 views
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Karamon Gate door.24 views
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Closeup of the "kaeru-mata" showing a nest of birds. (蟇股).24 views
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Ceiling inside Karamon Gate, looking directly upward. 24 views
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Before photo. Without the colors, it was so hard to see the wood carvings.24 views
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It's really pleasing to see this and other major National Treasures being restored during the past 10 years. There's also Nikko Toshogu Shrine in Tochigi and Menuma Shodenzan Temple in Saitama which have been refreshed with vibrant colors and la24 viewsWith modern technologies, computers, laser measurements, and scientific techniques, restoration specialists can more accurately assess and reproduce the original colors and pigments. But much of the work is done by hand.
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Center metal fitting on the Karamon.24 views
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Left door of Karamon Gate.24 views
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Path to Karamon Gate.24 views
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Five-story Stone Pagoda 五重石塔. Important Cultural Property24 views
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Kannon statue on Chikubushima.24 views
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Lake Yogo as seen from Mt. Shizugatake. From Shizugatake, there are trails going down to the lake. The long trail is on the right.24 views
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Hiking trail from Mt. Shizugatake. Heavily wooded with a few clearings.24 views
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Stone monuments at Lake Yogo swan maiden monument. Looks like poetry monuments.24 views
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Rice already harvested by late Sept.24 views
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Rice paddies in late May.24 views
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Lake Yogo cherry blossoms.24 views
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Trail up the mountain to Mt. Shizugatake.24 views
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Lake Yogo green with algae in late Sept.24 views
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Lake Yogo Tourist Center exhibition space had a model of Mt. Shizugatake.24 views
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Mascot Torapi shows the way.23 views
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For kids.23 views
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Also on stage.23 views
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Local mascot Torapi.23 views
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Rice paddy art in Torahime.23 views
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Tobidashi boya23 views
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Snowy mountains around Lake Biwa.23 views
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Corridor facing the Funa-roka.23 views
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Corridor and incense burner in front of the altar. The wooden pillars totally re-lacquered.23 views
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Ceiling paintings of flowers.23 views
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Worn statue of Pindola Bharadvaja (賓頭盧尊者). 23 views
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Karamon Gate door.23 views
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Front of Karamon Gate.23 views
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Right side of the kaeru-mata.23 views
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Karamon Gate before the restoration. Very drab-looking with most of the paint and lacquer weathered away by the elements after 67 years when it was last repainted.23 views
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Some of the wood carvings had pieces that broke off or worn out. So they were reconstructed too. The metal fittings were also re-plated or remade.23 views
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In winter, most everything is covered with deep snow.23 views
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Lake Yogo from Mt. Shizugatake on a day in Sept. when the lake was green with algae.23 views
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Flame juggling.22 views
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Port staff waving goodbye.22 views
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Corridor facing the Funa-roka before the restoration. Everything was drab looking. After the restoration, the windows on the right are now kept closed.22 views
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Kannon-do ceiling of painted flowers. Peonies (red), chrysanthemum (white), and paulownia (blue). 牡丹、菊、桐 22 views
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Corridor in front of the altar.22 views
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About Benzaiten-do Hall.22 views
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By late May, rice seedlings already planted and paddies flooded.22 views
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Swan maiden willow tree. Unknown how old the tree is.22 views
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View from the western shore of Lake Yogo.22 views
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JR Yogo Station train platform.22 views
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Scenery from JR Yogo Station's northern side.22 views
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Nagahama Castle in autumn.22 views
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Gourd monument on the roadside of Nagahama Castle.22 views
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Nagahama Castle in autumn.22 views
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Chikubushima in sight.21 views
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From JR Yogo Station on the JR Hokuriku Line, there's a view of Lake Yogo and the rice paddies before it. This is in April when farmers are preparing the soil for rice.21 views
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JR Yogo Station train platform.21 views
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Scenery from JR Yogo Station.21 views
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Verse 3 Song Monument in Nagahama's Hokoen Park near Nagahama Castle is engraved with Verse 3.21 viewsNami no mani mani, tadayoeba
Akai tomaribi, natsukashimi
Yukue sadamenu, nami makura
Kyo wa Imazu ka, Nagahama ka
浪のまにまに 漂えば
赤い泊火 懐かしみ
行方定めぬ 浪枕
今日は今津か 長浜か
We drift from wave to wave, straying aimlessly.
On shore we see red fire, brings back memories.
With our sights set nowhere, rolling with the waves.
Today is Imazu or, Nagahama huh.
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Nagahama Castle in autumn.21 views
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Near Nagahama Castle is Hoko-so, a low-cost lodge. 豊公荘21 views
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Nest of birds in this decorative, hump-shaped wood support called "kaeru-mata" (蟇股). Commonly found on entrances of important buildings. In Nikko, Toshogu Shrine's famous "Sleeping Cat" carving is also a kaeru-mata.20 views
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According to legend, Mt. Ibuki and Mt. Azai-dake (Kanakuso-dake) in northern Shiga argued over who was the highest in Shiga. Mt. Ibuki got so upset by the argument that he drew a sword and sliced off Azai-dake's head.20 viewsThe sliced-off peak fell into Lake Biwa and became Chikubushima. Read the full folktale here: https://shiga-ken.com/blog/2014/07/the-birth-of-chikubushima/
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JR Yogo Station as seen from the train platform.20 views
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Verse 3 Song Monument at Nagahama's Hokoen Park. It is shaped like a boat and the top has a wavy surface like the water. It is called the "nami-makura" (rolling waves) design.20 viewsSince the original glass bench song monument broke, it was replaced by this one made of stone having a similar shape and design concept.
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Nagahama Castle in autumn.20 views
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No skateboarding, kickboarding, roller skating, etc., at Hokoen Park.20 views
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Lake Yogo as seen from Mt. Shizugatake in early June. Although it's close to Lake Biwa, it is totally separate from Lake Biwa.19 views
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Stone monuments at Lake Yogo swan maiden monument.19 views
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This side of the monument faces the lake. It's a popular bench to sit on during weekends and holidays.19 views
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Wavy bench surface. Looks like marble, but not sure what type of stone it is.19 views
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Nagahama Castle and autumn foliage.19 views
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Nagahama Castle is most famous for cherry blossoms, but it also has some maple trees too.19 views
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Hokoen Park with cherry trees in autumn.19 views
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Sadly, Hoko-so has been closed since the start of the pandemic. As of Nov. 2022, they still don't know when it will reopen.19 views
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Lunch at Yogoko-so lodge: Eel (unagi) and udon noodles. I think it was 700 yen or so.11 views
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Dead end. Right after the lodge, the road was closed due to snow. But I decided to walk over the snow in order to walk around the entire lake. I knew there were some great shots to be had on the other side of the lake. But it almost froze my feet.11 views
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Tree fallen by the weight of snow.11 views
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Snowed-over park11 views
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Yogo Station and train.11 views
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View from Yogo Station. The Yogo area always sees Shiga's heaviest snowfall. One winter when there was heavy snow, I went to Lake Yogo and walked around the lake in deep snow.10 views
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Train at Yogo Station in winter.10 views
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Little winter fish. Fishing is a business at Lake Yogo.10 views
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Ice and water10 views
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Finally the road is cleared. This is near civilization so the road was cleared of snow. It made walking a lot easier.10 views
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Maybe cherry trees.10 views
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Train at Yogo Station.10 views
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Old Hokuriku Line train at Yogo Station in winter10 views
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Yogo Station platform in winter. 9 views
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Path to Yogo Station from platform9 views
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Fishing pier9 views
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The road going to the minshuku was cleared of snow on one side of the lake.9 views
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The sun came out.9 views
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Road cleared of snow for cars. Different story on the other side of the lake though.9 views
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Yogoko-so Kokuminshuku lodge at the southern tip of the lake. It affords a scenic view of the lake. This is a national pension so prices are affordable. 国民宿舎 余呉湖荘9 viewsSadly, after 40 years in business, this pension closed in Sept. 2013 due to aging facilities that were too expensive to repair.
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Dining room at Yogoko-so lodge. This is where I took a lunch break. Great place to warm up (especially your feet). 国民宿舎 余呉湖荘9 viewsSadly, this pension closed in Sept. 2013 due to aging facilities.
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Great view from the Yogoko-so lodge 国民宿舎 余呉湖荘からの景色9 views
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A patch of road under the snow.9 views
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Yogo's most famous tree, the swan maiden tree in winter.9 views
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Snow trail only on this side of the lake. It took me a total of 3 hours to walk around the lake, including picture-taking time.8 views
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