Yamadera

 This is the meditation hall that is not open to the public. The main temple building is to the left. This picture was taken from the last building in the complex, the one that was most obvious on the left side of the pictures taken from the train station.

 This last building is actually a roofed viewing platform with a splended view out over the valley. The train station is just below the large white buildings in the center.

 Behind this building there is a little altar. The path apparently leads up to the highest peak and we were told that there are meditation places up there as well as meditation paths (physically difficult so that you have to become completely in the moment in order not to get hurt). This path is now closed, apparently due to earthquake damage.

 Opposite the above altar was a cave with a very small roofed altar inside on the left.

 We left the observation platform and headed back toward the main temple and then started back down the hill.

This was the strangest sight we encountered. This man is delivering the takubin (a parcel post delivery service like UPS). He has a frame backpack and carried these boxes up from the bottom of the hill. He was huffing and puffing and leaving a trail of sweat behind him. In the city of Nagasaki (of A-bomb fame), a large section of the city is built on the side of a steep hill and there are basically no roads. Everything must be delivered by people hand carrying it up the steep paths. I visit there once and saw a large refrigerator being manhandle up the side of the mountain. Incredible sight.