Sutra repository on a rock peak at Yamadera, overlooking the valley and the mountains to the south.

Yamadera

Yamadera, north of Yamagata City

I was visiting Tōhoku, north of Tōkyō on Japan's largest island of Honshū. I had been exploring the area of Aizu-Wakamatsu and Mount Bandai. Now I was moving north to Yamagata Prefecture.

I would stay in Yamagata City while visiting local sites, especially the Risshaku-ji temple complex spread out along a staircase of a thousand stone steps above Yamadera, and the trail from there through the associated Minenoura ancient temple and ascetic training area.

I started by traveling by train from Aizu-Wakamatsu to Yamagata.

I would see prehistory and history, Bashō the ninja–poet–wanderer's haiku-writing spots, the result of enthroning a psychopathic child Emperor, haiku about cicadas and rocks, a thousand-stairstep climb, monkey and bear warnings, cliff-face shrines, sūtra-copying facilities, and more.

Start❯ By Shinkansen and local train from Aizu-Wakamatsu to Yamagata

Start❯ By Shinkansen and local train from Aizu-Wakamatsu to Yamagata

Other topics in Japan:

Prehistoric Yamato
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Fodors Japan
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Tōhoku region, northern Honshū — Nikkō, Aizu-Wakamatsu, Mount Bandai, Yamadera, Mount Haguro
Kanman ga fuchi at Nikkō.
Nikkō
Shrines, Temples, and Tokugawa Shōgun Tombs
The Five-Colored Lakes on the north slope of Mount Bandai near Aizu-Wakamatsu.
Southern Tōhoku
Aizu-Wakamatsu, Mount Bandai, the Five-Colored Lakes, Samurai and Daimyō Castles, Prehistoric Tombs, Modern Art, Medical History, and Kitakata
Sutra repository at Yamadera.
Yamadera
Risshaku-ji Cliff-Face Temple Complex and its 1000-Step Path, Minimoura Forest Path to Buddhist Monastery and Shugendō Training Area, Yamagata City
Suga waterfall at Mount Haguro.
Mount Haguro
The 2,446-Step Path, Suga Waterfall, Haguromachi Town and Shugendō Retreats, Shrines and Temples
Kansai region, central Honshū — Kyōto, Nara, Kōya-san, Ise, and Ōsaka
Inari Taisha shrine in Kyōto.
Kyōto
Japanese tradition, shrines, temples, and food markets
Buddhist tomb markers in the enormous Okunoin cemetery at Kōya-san.
Kōya-san
Mountaintop Buddhist monastery complex, home of the Shingon sect
Daibutsu, the Great Buddha in the Tōdai-ji temple in Nara.
Nara
The Great Buddha of Tōdai-ji, sacred deer, Buddhist temples and Shintō shrines
Kofun, megalithic burial mounds in and around the ancient Japanese capital of Nara.
Kofun
Megalithic tombs of the legendary Emperors of prehistoric Japan
Meoto Iwa, the Wedded Rocks near Ise.
Ise
The "Wedded Rocks", the Grand Shrine, and the home of Shintō
Dōtonbori entertainment district in Osaka at night.
Osaka
Capsule Hotels, Amerika-mura, Dōtonbori, Den-Den Town, otaku culture
Inland Sea — Takamatsu, Naoshima and the art islands, Hiroshima
Fishing boats at Takamatsu.
Takamatsu
Inland Sea, Yashima Temple, Ritsurin Garden
Yayoi 'Yellow Pumpkin' on the Art Island of Naoshima
Naoshima
Art Island in the Seto Inland Sea
Itsukushima Shrine near Hiroshima
Hiroshima
Travel by Shinkansen, Itsukushima Shrine
Kyūshū — Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kagoshima and Sakurajima, Oita, Mount Aso
Yatai, tonkotsu ramen stand in Fukuoka
Fukuoka
The home of tonkotsu ramen, Kushida Shrine, and a special Buddhist service
Streetcar platforms at Nagasaki train station.
Nagasaki
Travel through Kyūshū, the harbor, temples, shrines, the Samurai Path, and a World War II air defense bunker
Sakurajima volcano with an ash plume at dusk, seen form Kagoshima harbor.
Kagoshima and Sakurajima
Japan's most active volcano, a World War II naval bunker, and exploring Kagoshima City
Shrine and torii at Usuki castle, near the Stone Buddhas.
Ōita
Prehistoric megalithic tombs and the Stone Buddhas of Usuki
Steam venting from Mount Aso.
Aso-san
Mount Aso, Japan's largest active volcano, with five central peaks in a caldera eighteen by twenty-five kilometers
Kantō region — Tōkyō and nearby
Sensō-ji.
Asakusa, in Tōkyō
Buddhist temples, Shintō shrines, markets, back streets, and the riverfront
Izakya in Shinjuku, Tōkyō.
Shinjuku Izakaya
Small taverns in Omoide Yokochō or "Memory Alley" at Shinjuku Station in Tōkyō
Electronics shops in the Akihabara district in Tōkyō.
Akihabara, Tōkyō's Electric Town
Electronics parts and tools, the otaku lifestyle, cosplay, anime, and manga
Ameya-Yokochō market in Tōkyō.
Ameya-Yokochō Market, in Tōkyō
Busy market area under the Yamanote Line tracks
Ueno Park in Tōkyō.
Ueno Park, in Tōkyō
Temples, shrines, museums, and a mid-city kofun or megalithic burial mound
Wild fashions in Takeshita-dori in Harajuku, Tōkyō, Japan
Harajuku, in Tōkyō
Fashion, trends, and kawaii in Takeshita Street, Omotesandō, and Cat Street
Shibuya Crossing in Tōkyō.
Shibuya, in Tōkyō
Shibuya Crossing, commerce, entertainment, and shopping
Graves of the 47 Rōnin at Sengaku-ji in Tōkyō.
The 47 Rōnin
Samurai, Bushidō, and Revenge
Imperial Shrine of Yasukuni in Tōkyō.
Imperial Shrine of Yasukuni
Japan's shrine to its war dead
Daibutsu, enormous bronze Buddha statue near Kamakura.
Kamakura
Daibutsu, the Great Buddha, "Five Mountains" Zen Buddhist temples, and samurai
Background and Logistics
Map of Japan.
Introduction
Getting to Japan, and some business trips to Tōkyō and Misawa
Torii or sacred gates at Okazaki Shintō shrine in Kyōto.
Shintō and Buddhism
Religion in Japan
Pocari Sweat.
Katakana and Hiragana
The Japanese kana scripts aren't that hard to learn!
Railroad staff using 'Point and Call' to eliminate errors.
Logistics
"Point and Call", blue traffic signals, finding addresses, identity stamps, train tickets
JADE cipher machines.
Cryptanalysis and the Nuclear Bombs
The Allies knew of Japan's suicidal defense plans
Complex Japanese toilet control panel.
Japanese Toilets
They're possibly far more complicated than you expect

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