Mt. Daimonji has the gigantic Kanji character for dai (大) near the top of the mountain. During the Daimonji Gozan Okuribi festival in August giant bonfires are burned in the form of 5 different shapes or characters on five of the surrounding mountains. This is an ancient Kyoto festival, and the fires are lit to send-off their ancestors' spirits. (If you're interested, here's a link to a more detailed description of the festival: http://www.kyoto.travel/2009/11/gozan-no-okuribi-mountain-bon.html.)
Sunday was a pretty gray, cloudy day, so unfortunately the views of Kyoto weren't at their finest. Still it was a warmer day, and it felt nice to be out and about exploring the new terrain. Here are some pictures from our hike.
on the way up: log stairs, rock stairs, stone stairs, lots of stairs...
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| "Now this is more like it." |
views from the top: hazy mountains and city
One of the "legs" of the dia (大) character descending the mountain.
The bonfires are built by volunteers, and our host Kiwamu-san is one of the volunteers who helps with the 大.
Higashiyama Ward
Mountains to the east of Yamashiana Ward (Can you see the tops of the temples/houses in the mountains?)
The green field on the right side of the pic is Kyoto University baseball/softball fields.
North Kyoto
Anyway, at the top of the mountain we met a guy from Atlanta who has been living in Kyoto for the past two years. We sat and talked for awhile and then followed him to Osaka and Kobe. Details on that quick, spontaneous adventure to come, but for now please enjoy the cuteness...
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| One of the "babies" climbing the mountain. |
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| She even carried her stuffed rabbit up with her. |
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| Chillin' at the top |
Nice pics!!
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful!
ReplyDelete