You just have to love people who are willing to help. Our Japan Rail pass is for the “Green Car” which is the premier section. One of the benefits of being “premier” is personalized assistance with all our train planning. I just had to walk into the service area, ask the friendly lady behind the counter how to get to the temple via train, and she sent us to the lady across the room that knew how to get there faster and easier via bus. Just like that we had a bus schedule, the location to catch the bus, and the approximate cost of a taxi to get us to the gate. Ready, set, go!

We were able to use our IC card for the bus so that part of the trip was fairly cheap, around $14.00USD, the taxi was a bit more expensive costing around $100.00USD round trip. (IC cards are rechargeable cards used on local trains, buses, and trams) The weather in Aomori, where we departed, was rainy, bit windy and cold. Fortunately, when we arrived at Takayama, the clouds started to break up and the sun came out for about an hour. Great for us, the rainy conditions kept the crowds away and the sun warmed up the grounds.

Little snow on the ole volcano

96 stairs going up

90 stairs going down (on the other side)

The temple at the top of the hill

Shrines

Guarded tori gate on the way to the temple

Fox statues

Takayama Inari temple is unique in that it has 205 Tori gates marking the path to the temple. It is said that a temple was first built here in the 17^th century, not sure if it it’s the same one that stands today. The shrine is dedicated to Inari Okami (a “kami” is a deity or spirit), in this particular case, it is a spirit of “foxes” and is one of the principal kami of the Shinto religion. There is a long line of “fox” statues lining the hillside at the end of the tori gates. Worship of “inari” is believed to have originated around the 5^th century.

205 tori gates

Shrine

Tori gate at top of hill

The weather cooperated, the crowds cooperated, and it was worth our days adventure to make the trek to this temple. Tomorrow we are off to our last stop in Japan before heading to South Korea. We have a couple of R & R days planned in Kaminoyama at a 4-star offering private in-room, outside onsens. Haven’t brought myself to stripping down with a bunch of other men and sharing my bathwater. Not something I have ever explored or considered so I don’t think I’ll start now. Having our own private bath is more my style.

Time to signoff and hopefully catch up on all the tour stuff I didn’t have time to write about. 5 weeks has sure passed quickly!