All about a beautiful path in Kyoto with cherry trees along canal like a stream from Lake Biwa. You can enjoy Japanese great landscape when walking on the path called "Philosopher's Walk".
 
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【2005.12.20 Tuesday 】 author : スポンサードリンク
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Japanese Pampas grass at Otoyo shrine
1103ootoyo_susuki

It is the first time since I posted in July 10th.

I love shrine a little better than temple in that Shrine keeps plants and trees as they are and combine buildings with them.

The best season of Otoyo shrine is I suppose winter.
I like to see flowers which tells me the return of spring in winter in Otoyo shrine.
【2004.11.03 Wednesday 22:48】 author : walking
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A pair of stone-carved guardian mice

The feature of Otoyo Shrine is a pair of stone carved guardian mice. You can see almost every shrine with stone carved guardian dogs. However, it is the only shrine in Japan which has guardian mice instead of guardian dogs, so many of visitors see them rather than to pray.

It might be hard to spot where these two mice are. They are on the front of the last small wooden building on the right usually called “Yashiro” in Japanese where God lives.

One mouse has a water ball which stands for abundance, healing powers, and a long life and is believed to bring you those luck. Those who want to have babies also visit this guardian mouse to pray.

Why mice instead of a pair of guardian dogs?
It is said that back to the myth, God now worshipped in this “Yashiro” was once in the danger of great fire in the mountain and the mice appeared and saved him.

Above all, how cute he is!
【2004.02.26 Thursday 06:00】 author : walking
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O-toyo Shrine is unique for their sacred animals
★★

I took it just before the sunset on February 11th. The picture left on the top is the entranceway of O-toyo Shrine, and right on the top is a mansion with beautiful Japanese garden. The picture left on th bottom is a sacred gardian mouse and right is slope leading to the main shrine.
Famous flowers in O-toyo Shrine are various camellias and especially overhanging centuries old Japanese plum.
I will post overhanging centuries old Japanese plum when it blooms in late February or early March.
It is just between Nyakuoji Shrine and Honen-in. It is 10 minutes' walk from both.
How to spot its entranceway (above the picture) is to find the Japanese style shop first of all named "fumi-maro" in the West along the Philosopher’s walk. O-toyo Shrine entranceway is the opposite side of a shop.

You need to walk up for a couple of minutes to reach their real entrance on the hill. They hang a drawing of mice on a white wooden board at the entrance as the picture left on the top row shows. That drawing also will help you to find the place.

Their sacred animals are quite unique and you won't find anywhere else in Japan, which are two mice
, a monkey, and a kite, and The shrine also worship 400-year-old tree as a god.
The tree is in the bottom of the Shrine on the right side.
It is worth watching because its trunk is about twice as thick as that of Nyakuoji Shrine. It also has a sign as sacred tree with a white cloth around thick trunk. It might be a little hard to find the sacred tree surrounded by other trees without sun light reaching it.

It's not a typical tourist point but has a nice warm, cozy atmosphere truly for local people. That's why it has O-toyo Shrine lovers. We can say that the atmosphere in O-toyo Shrine is what Shrine should have because most of them except shrines like Heian Jingu Shrine
have been originally gathering place for local people all over Japan, not for tourists’ spots.

When going up the slope, have a look at a garden through bamboo fence on your right and you'll see well-maintained Japanese garden almost as beautiful as that of Ginkakuji-temple. Its owner must have a strong affection for Japanese style garden.

And at last here you are the real entrance! Running water you see close to gate on your left is sacred one. I really want you to feel it when it gets warmer. Like other temples and shrines, sacred water will purify you to enter their holy area.
【2004.02.26 Thursday 06:00】 author : walking
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