As we walked down the river valley toward the ocean, we passed a farmer getting the rice paddy ready for planting.
At one point the Henro Trail veered off the road for a kilometer or so, and we found this delightful little building which protects a small statue.
A few meters up the trail, there was a Shinto shrine that was just as picturesque.
Next we came to a small pond full of bright green water with cherry trees around the shore. The cherries were no quite in blossom yet but the were still pretty, another week and they would have been beautiful. I do not remember if I mentioned it and I am too lazy to go back through all my entries, so bear with me. You can just skip down to the next picture if you have heard this before. The Japanese are wild about cherry blossoms. When they are in bloom, people bring tarps, food, and lots of beer and party under the blossoms. The blossoms carry a very strong Buddhist symbolism. The arise in the spring, have a very short and beautiful life, and they pass away, creating an ugly mess where the petals fall on the ground and rot. The Japanese say that this is just like human existence.
A little further toward the ocean and the Henro Trail turned right and passed through some hills, still heading for the ocean but at a point further south. The right side of the pave road we were walking was bordered by steep hillsides that were covered with bamboo groves which were being farmed. In the picture you can see, cut bamboo at the bottom left and a slide for bringing them down from the hill top.
As we walked down the river valley toward the ocean, we passed a farmer getting the rice paddy ready for planting.
At one point the Henro Trail veered off the road for a kilometer or so, and we found this delightful little building which protects a small statue.
A few meters up the trail, there was a Shinto shrine that was just as picturesque.
Next we came to a small pond full of bright green water with cherry trees around the shore. The cherries were no quite in blossom yet but the were still pretty, another week and they would have been beautiful. I do not remember if I mentioned it and I am too lazy to go back through all my entries, so bear with me. You can just skip down to the next picture if you have heard this before. The Japanese are wild about cherry blossoms. When they are in bloom, people bring tarps, food, and lots of beer and party under the blossoms. The blossoms carry a very strong Buddhist symbolism. The arise in the spring, have a very short and beautiful life, and they pass away, creating an ugly mess where the petals fall on the ground and rot. The Japanese say that this is just like human existence.
A little further toward the ocean and the Henro Trail turned right and passed through some hills, still heading for the ocean but at a point further south. The right side of the pave road we were walking was bordered by steep hillsides that were covered with bamboo groves which were being farmed. In the picture you can see, cut bamboo at the bottom left and a slide for bringing them down from the hill top.
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