Ian and I turned a bend in the road and found this ancient fire tower. They used to be quite common, but with the advent of radios and cell phones, they are no longer needed or used. They are picturesque, though. In the past, if there was a fire, someone ran up to the top and rang a bell, pointing the way to the fire.
We continued around the same corner and ran into another of those buildings with the siding that looks like stone block.
Just a little bit further down the road, we came to some old stone stairs that led to Temple #12. There was a statue of a jizo (a bodhisattva) protecting the stairs from evil influences. I wondered whether the two gaijin (foreigners) would be one of those negative influences. Nothing happened to us, so I guess that we were not.
At the top of the stairs there was a flat area with more statues. Notice that these are wearing knit hats, even though the day was getting quite warm. Behind this little building was another flight of stairs going up to the main gate into the actual temple grounds.
Here is Ian climbing those stairs on his way to the gate.
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