Our Weekend in Sendai - Yamadera

A trip to the Sendai area isn't compete without hiking up the 1000 steps to Yamadera, a mountain shrine in Yamagata.  Yamadera is about an hour from Sendai, but it's worth it even just for the train ride!  The tracks run through the mountains and it's absolutely beautiful, especially in the fall.  Benny was being so funny on the train; he just kept hugging Clara and cuddling up to her!  

The hike, even though it's straight up a mountain and consists of 1015 steps, really wasn't too bad.  Clara actually walked more than half on her own before we stuck her in the backpack, and honestly, I think she could have made it the whole way had we just slowed down a bit.  And Will was a champ.  He had no problems getting up to the top with energy to spare.

Before the real trail begins (so after only one or two sets of stairs), there is a shrine with a large Buddha out front.  You can tell where he's been rubbed and patted by thousands of visitors over the years :)

The scenery along the path, the trees and foliage, stone carvings, and tomb stones were all so beautiful and interesting.  It was a really cool hike, with a lot to see all along the way, not just at the top!

But, as pretty as the hike was going up, the views from the top were unbeatable.  It's not possible to capture the breadth and scope of all that the eye can see from the top of the mountain!  And it's just mind-blowing that this temple was built hundreds of years ago on the mountaintop! 

After we got our work-out, we were plenty hungry and very cold, so we sat down for a delicious meal of mountain vegetables, soba, and tempura!  Oishii!

Mt. Takao

Another fun day trip about a half an hour from base is Mt. Takao.  The top of Takao can be reached by hiking, chair lift, or cable car.  Because we went with friends and between all of us we had 8 kids under 6, we decided that the cable car was our best option!  And, I'm glad we took the cable car--that mountain is STEEP!  These pictures don't quite capture the sheer angle of the mountain, but it was crazy watching the mountain straight up in front of us as we rode up!

The view, even just halfway up the mountain, is gorgeous!

Once you get off the cable car about halfway up the mountain, there's another 45 minutes or so of hiking to reach the top of the mountain.  As you walk along the path, you'll pass the Monkey Park (which, unfortunately we did not have time to visit--so next time, for sure!) and the Yakouin Temple. This temple was beautifully painted with bright colors and adorned with giant masks and intricate wood carvings.  

There are also a bunch of stone carvings, statues, and wooden planks with names on them lining the paths and decorating the mountainside.  It really makes for a beautiful and interesting hike!  

After passing through the buildings of the Yakouin Temple, the cement and dirt paths turn into wooden planks that lead to the top of the mountain.  

 

And, not much further is the top with incredible views of Mt. Fuji on one side and of Tokyo on the other.  It's really an unbelievable viewpoint.

We arrived right as the sun was setting, so it's hard to see Mt. Fuji in these pictures, but it's there just to the left of the setting sun.  Although it was hard to get the lighting right, the scenery and views were stunning in real life!

GPS Coordinates for the Takaosanguchi Station where we parked: 35.632707, 139.269795

GPS Coordinates for the Kiyotaki Station where you catch the cable car: 35.631201, 139.266695

Meiji Shrine

We've been to the beautiful Meiji Shrine 2 or 3 times since living here, but I just realized that I've never posted about it!  Meiji Shrine is truly a sanctuary in the heart of Shibuya.  Entering the grounds, it's hard to believe that you've just walked off a busy Tokyo street!  

The entrance is marked by a giant torii gate and once you pass through, you continue along a long, wide path through a beautiful forest.  

It's amazing how peaceful and serene the grounds are, since literally just outside the entrance is the Harajuku train station, which is always bustling and noisy!  Halfway along the path on the way towards the shrine is another giant torii gate.  This is one of my all-time favorites.  It stands so tall and majestically, and I love the natural wood.

Upon approaching the shrine, there's a fountain of holy water to cleanse your hands, and then there are three or four other buildings in addition to the main shrine.

And, if you visit Meiji Shrine on a Sunday afternoon (especially in nice weather), you're likely to see a wedding procession!  We've been lucky enough to see weddings two times that we've visited!  Seeing the brides in their traditional bridal clothing is fascinating!  And so beautiful!  

To get to Meiji Shrine, go to the Harajuku train station, and the entrance to the shrine grounds are just across the bridge when you get out of the station!  (Cross the bridge and go right; Yoyogi Park is to your left!)  GPS Coordinates:  35.676633, 139.699347

Kamakura Shrines Part 2: Great Buddha and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu

After Odaiba, driving down to Kamakura and seeing the Houkokuji shrine, we then went over to the Great Buddha, which we'd visited before, but wanted to show Andrew.  Even though it's only a couple of miles from Houkokuji, the traffic was absolutely horrendous and since we were literally stopped on the road just under a mile away, Andrew and I finally decided to just jump out and run the rest of the way to see it while Peter and the kids slowly made their way over in the car to pick us up afterwards.

Unlike the last time we went, this time the place was packed!  There were tons of people, so it was impossible to get a clear shot, but regardless, seeing it up close is amazing and its size and construction are just so impressive.  

After walking around the grounds for a few minutes and checking out a souvenir shop, we ran back down to meet Peter and the kids and we drove back over to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, a huge shrine in the heart of Kamakura.  The grounds were huge, there was tons of variety in the landscaping and buildings; we really had a fun time walking around and exploring it all.