Monjusen-ji to Baien-no-Sato

We walked between two grand temples on forest tracks and then badly overgrown logging roads. Only a few spots with ropes there if needed, but a few endless flights of mossy stone steps at the beginning and end of the two big temples and a little one on the way. The forests were mainly 30m cedar trees, but centuries ago they were terraced fields on the temple land and supported thousands of people. Hence the occasional beautiful stone wall in the middle of nowhere, and crowds of lichen-covered little buddhas under many overhangs.

Ended up at a grand, mountain temple and a personable monk from whom we bought incense for Rose and Alistair. 15,306/10kmRead more