Hakone's Shrines; 箱根神社と九頭竜神社

Today was hot and humid, and I ended up doing a lot of walking which wasn't the best combination. Anyway, I went to Hakone this morning and spent a few hours at Hakone-jinja 箱根神社 and Kuzuryu-jinja 九頭竜神社. I went to Hakone-jinja last year and really wanted to go back, so it was about time that I got around to it.

One of the benefits of living in Odawara is that it's incredibly easy (and pretty cheap) to get to Hakone. The most expensive part is the bus. Right. Today's journey was as follows...

• Kamonomiya to Odawara, 190円, Tokaido Line
• Odawara to Hakone-Yumoto, 310円, Hakone-Tozan Line
• Bus from Hakone-Yumoto to Motohakone, 960円
• Walked around for a while
• Bus from Hakone-en to Hakone-Yumoto, 1180円
• Back to Kamonomiya via Odawara, as always

The bus from Hakone-Yumoto to Motohakone takes about 35minutes and you can get some really good views across the valley on the way. I recommend getting off at Motohakone as it's got pretty much everything there; pirate ship, shrine, shops, buses etc. It isn't too far from the rope-ways either if you fancy a stroll. 

So, first stop was Hakone-jinja 箱根神社.

It's a short walk from the Motohakone bus stop, so it's easy to get to. It's definitely not the biggest shrine in the world, but it is very atmospheric (even with building work going on, like today). The shrine is located in a cedar grove, so it's sheltered and pretty quiet. There is no entry fee for this one, which is always a bonus.

The shrine is also well-known for the Heiwa-no-Torii - 平和の鳥居 - the Torii of Peace. It's pretty common to queue to take a photo without people standing beneath it, but the shrine was quiet today so I didn't have to wait long. 

From here, it's possible to walk along the edge of the lake (there's a paved path) to Kuzuryo-jinja, and that's what I did. For the most part, you're on a path beside the road but there is a short section where you have to walk along the road before you reach Hakone-en. It took me about half an hour to get to Hakone-en, and another twenty minutes from there before I arrived at the shrine entrance. It's not a bad walk, but if it's hot and humid then I think the bus would be a much better idea!

Anyway, here's some photos from my walk to Kuzuryo-jinja.

Kuzuryu-jinja has an entrance fee of 500円, which I thought was a bit much considering that most shrines/temples that you have to pay to enter are only around the 200円 mark. Still, it looked a fair size on the map and the old lady behind the desk was adorable so I coughed up and headed in. 

I'm not convinced it was worth it. Not at all. You have to walk a fair way to get to the shrine building and the area seems to be mostly run-down holiday cabins. That being said, I imagine that it would have been glorious last month when the hydrangeas were flowering. Still, I took some photos and managed to see to Torii that is out in the lake, which was good. I got a few pictures of it before the wake from one of the ships caught me and left me with one wet foot.

Thus concludes my day-trip to Hakone. I got the bus back to the station from Hakone-en and got to use some Japanese which is a plus. I bought a few souvenirs for people, and shall spend the next few hours studying in Starbucks so I can use their wifi.

じゃ、またね ~

Photoshoot with トルネード

On the 8th of July, I did a photoshoot for トルネード (Tornado) hair salon in Omotesando. It was really good fun, and recently I received a few of the photos.

So, let's start at the beginning.

I was actually contacted by Shotaro through instagram, which moved onto LINE via some rapid googling of the salon to see if it was a real place and what sort of thing to expect. We managed to understand each other despite neither of us speaking the other's language particularly well.

The first step was to organise a meeting to discuss the shoot. We met in Omotesando and chatted over lunch. One thing I will say is that trying to find the correct exit in Omotesando station when you don't know where you're going is a damned nightmare. It was also raining really hard, so I had a day of umbrellas at eye-height. Anyway, we had a good talk about what I've done to my hair in the past and what would probably be done to it this time. According to a range of people in this country, I look like Taylor Swift (I don't really see it, but whatever), so it was decided to do a shoot inspired by her.

Shortly after that, we headed into Harajuku to buy some clothes. Most of them are white, which is a colour I hardly ever wear. I'm getting used to it now, and it's certainly much cooler in summer here as a result.

Next step was on the 7th of July - hair dye. I went to the salon in the evening and spent a good few hours stripping most of the red out of my hair until it was a sort of strawberry-blonde colour. It was also my first experience in a Japanese salon, and now that I've compared it to my other experiences in Japan and England, I can say that it is far nicer here than in England. It's much more of an event and the whole process is more relaxed.

So, now onto the shoot itself. After getting changed, doing my hair and make-up, we headed to the studio in Shibuya. Myself and another girl were modelling, each with our own hair stylist (myself and Shotaro; Misaki and Ryuta). They were all very sweet and very patient with my awful Japanese. In return, I entertained them with the English pronunciation of words. We had a few hours to get everything done, including a range of outfit changes, and I was pretty unsure of what to do when we first started - I've never modelled for anything in my life. I got into it after a while, and Shotaro seemed happy.

Here are some of the photos that I was sent, and I'm pretty happy with them. My favourites are the first two.

The whole thing was a really good experience! 

トルネード

Shotaro

Ryuta

Misaki

Whilst I was wandering around Harajuku before getting my hair done, I was approached by a lovely girl named Ayumi who asked me to model for her as part of her training with Toni&Guy. As a result, my fringe is shorter (I'm rocking it) and my hair is thinner (which is much easier for summer). At the moment, I am waiting to hear back from the salon manager with regards to a photoshoot with them, though I'm not holding out much hope as my work schedule is really impractical for everyone else (my days off are Thursdays and Fridays, and my hours are weird). Hopefully, we can get something organised.

A day in Kita-Kamakura

I've only got the one day off this week (today), so I decided to head out despite the rain and go to Kita-Kamakura 北鎌倉. I really enjoyed Engaku-ji last time I went (you can read about it here), so I wanted to go back and see a few more temples whilst I was there. Fortunately, the rain eased off pretty early on, but it meant I had to carry my umbrella all day and it was horrendously humid.

始めましょう!

Engaku-ji 円覚寺

I last went to Engaku-ji in June, though the weather was basically the same as today. The temple was quieter today, but I wasn't there for as long. I picked up a leaflet this time around which has a pretty good map of the temple grounds and all the building names. The tickets also change design depending on the month and flower season.

Anyway, here's some info about the temple.

• Founded in 1282 - the 5th year of the Koan Era - by Mugaku Sogen
• Patron - Hojo Tokimune of the Kamakura Shogunate
• Built to honour the war-dead of both Japan and Mongolia
• The temple has endured several major fires and periods of decline
• The present form of the temple was consolidates by Priest Seisetsu at the end of the Edo Era
• The Meiji Era saw many unsui 雲水 (zen novices) train and practice zen at the temple

Please enjoy some of the photos from today.

This time, I went to the Kaiki Byou 開基廟 (Kaiki Mausoleum) as well. It costs 100円 to get in, and for an extra 500円 you can enjoy a cup of hot or iced green tea. It's a very peaceful part of the temple, and I enjoyed a few moments of quiet there. 

The mausoleum enshrines three high-ranking people. One of these people is Tokimune, who died two years prior to the completion of the temple. Tokimune helped to stabilise the feudal government and overcame many difficulties in war. As such, he is still worshipped as a god of study and fortune by some.

Engaku-ji's website 

Meigetsu-in 明月院

My next stop was Meigestu-in, a Rinzai temple, which is only a short walk up the road from Engaku-ji. The walk itself is very pleasant, and you can get a real feel for Kita-Kamakura. I'd be very happy if I ever got the chance to leave there.

The temple itself is up a narrow road that runs along a stream, and is really quite charming. At the entrance Meigetsu-in looks very small, but I was pleasantly surprised at the size of it. Here's some information on the temple, according to the leaflet.

• Founded in 1160 as Meigetsu-an, meaning "Bright Moon Hermitage", by Yamanouchi Tsunetoshi
• The site was selected for the construction of a Buddhist temple in 1256 by Hojo Tokiyori
• The main image of worship is Kannon Bodhisattva, the deity of compassion
• The temple is part of the Kenchoji School of the Rinzai Zen Sect

The temple is full of trees and flowers, as well as bamboo, so it is very quiet and feels very enclosed. There are lots of small paths, so you can easily spend an hour or so wandering around. The main temple buildings are at the back of the grounds, which are accessed by steps (there is also a road for those who cannot use the stairs). At the main buildings, there is a Japanese rock garden. It's the first one I've seen since I've been here, and it was rather nice. However, a squirrel had run across it so there was a trail of little footprints. 

There's also a small tea house in the temple grounds. I decided to pop in for a while before heading on to the next temple. The staff were very sweet, and one girl kindly translated the menu for me. I ordered the 'Green Tea & Sweet Set', which came in some very beautiful dishes. It cost me 700円, which I thought was maybe a little expensive, but I didn't mind too much.

It was all really rather delicious. The sweet was made of shortbread, red bean jam and a layer of mochi. There were very few other people in the temple, and I was the only one in the tea house, so I had a good twenty minutes or so enjoying the view before collecting my umbrella and heading across the train tracks to Jochi-ji Temple.

Jochi-ji 浄智寺

I don't have a vast amount to say about this one, really. Kinpozan Jochi-ji is another Rinzai Zen temple, but is really rather small. If anything, the most impressive part is the walk up to the entrance. After that, it's rather uneventful compared to the other temples in the area.

Kencho-ji 建長寺

Kencho-ji was my final stop for the day. From the map I had, it looked like it was a fair size and had a good number halls to look at, and indeed it does. In face, it's huge. It's a little over 1km from Kita-Kamakura Station I think, but it's an easy walk - just follow the road and you really can't miss it. There's a huge pillar with it's name on it and a massive gate.

As with all the temples here, there's a small entry fee of 300円, but that's easy enough to run to. Kencho-ji is very impressive, and it was pretty busy today because there was a service on (which I was fortunate enough to be able to watch), but it's easy to get away from the crowds due to the sheer size of the temple grounds.

There are currently 10 main buildings and around 10 subtemples. The main buildings are as follows:

1. Somon - General Gate
2. Sanmon - Main Gate, built in 1754. It is also called "Tanuki Mon", meaning Badger's Gate
3. Bonsho - Temple Bell, cast in 1255 and is now designated as a National Treasure
4. Junipers - Whilst not a building, they are counted as such in the guide and are National Treasures, as each is over 750 years old and were planted by the Founder
5. Butsuden and Karamon - Buddha Hall and Chinese Gate respectively. The image inside Butsuden represents Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva, the guardian of children and children who died before their parents
6. Hatto - Dharma Hall
7. Hojo - Main Hall
8. Garden
9. Hanso-bo - Protecting shrine of Kencho-ji
10. Monastery

Kencho-ji is the oldest Zen training monastery in Japan, and was completed in 1253 - the 5th year of the Kench Era, hence it's name.

Anyway, here are some photos from the main part of the temple grounds.

After wandering around the main part of the temple grounds, I headed up hill to Hanso-bo 半僧坊. The route is simple enough - just follow the road and then take the stairs. The steps nearly killed me, but the view at the top is definitely worth it (even on a cloudy day like today). If you are tired of people, then Hanso-bo is definitely worth a look. It's quiet and has a very different feel to the rest of the complex. 

I also went to the Shojoken Observatory 勝上嶽展望台(basically just a small viewing platform up more horribly steep steps), and the view was even better.

If you're fit enough (and brave enough), I highly recommend going to the top. From there, you can continue on the hiking course as well.

On the way back down through the temple, I was lucky enough to be in time to watch the service. I've never seen anything like it before, so for me it was fascinating. It lasted for maybe 15 minutes in total, and involved a procession from the Hojo to Hatto for chanting, and then out again to go through the Sanmon. It was a really good experience, and I wish I knew more about it. I shall do some research!

Kencho-ji's twitter

Before heading home, I stopped in at a local sweets shop next to the station. I'd really enjoyed the one I'd had earlier, so I thought I'd treat myself. The ones I bought are two soft wafers sandwiching different jams. The red bean one is the best! The packaging was really pretty too, and it didn't cost me a vast amount.

So that's it. A pretty successful day out, I think.

I'm really starting to wish that I didn't have to go back to England. I feel so much happier here.