A Walk Up The Nisshiki River Valley in Late November

 

After crossing over into the narrow Nisshiki River valley, by route to the next temple was along its banks, further north into the mountains of Yamaguchi.

There is a small dam downstream from where I reached the river, so the river is a little wider than iy would be naturally...

It's a glorious day.... my favorite time of the year in Japan

The still waters make for great reflections....

Another ten kilometers of this and I will arrive at the next pilgrimage temple....

The pack I am carrying feels lighter when surrounded by beauty...

The fact that the next ten kilometers will be virtually flat also helps..

The previous post was on earlier in the day walking up the Tonda River

if you would like to subscribe by email just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published and made public. I post new content almost everyday, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the last ten posts.

Lake Kikugawa, Kawakami Dam, & the Tonda River

 

Lake Kikugawa is the name given to the reservoir behind Kawakami Dam not far from Tokuyama on the south coast of Yamaguchi.

The dam itself is nothing special, opened in 1979 for irrigation and water supply, it has a catchement area of 22 sq. km.

Looking back down the valley where I had come from....

I'm heading north out of Tokuyama towards the next pilgrimage temple in the mountains to the north.

The route I have chosen is to first head up the Tonda River, and then later cross over to the Nishiki River which will take me straight to the temple.

I headed off really early as its late November and the days are quite short.

By 8 o'clock the sun is striking the eastern slopes of the mountains revealing autumn colours...

Off in the distance is a gleaming, golden tower on a mountaintop, which my zoom lens reveals to be a giant Kannon statue. This one is called  Himawari Kosodate Kannon and sits atop the 500 meter high Mount Hoshigatake.

I can find very little about it except it was privately built by a local businessman and is open to the publis. At night it is illuminated.

There was not much else to see along the road that ran along the waters edge.

Just lots and lots of forest, much with autumn hues....

Eventually I climbe out of the Tonda valley and over another valley before dropping down into the Nishiki River valley....

I have to admit that this is by far my favorite time of the year to wander off the beaten track in Japan. The days may be short but they are colourfull.

The previous post in this series was on my walk along the coast into Tokuyama the previous evening.

If you would like to subscribe by email just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published and made public. I post new content almost everyday, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the last ten posts.

Down the Ota River, Colonel Santa, & Kogoijima Island

 

After descending from Mitakidera I reached the Ota River, one of the main rivers passing through Hiroshima.

Not far from where it enters the sea is Miyajima, site of the next pilgrimage temple, so my route was easy,... along the embankment of the river....

First bridge was the one carrying the JR Kabe Line trains from downtown up to what is now  the northern suburbs.

The left-hand bridge is the Ryuo Bridge for pedestrians and cycles. The Shinryuo Bridge for moter traffic is next to it.

The older bridge on the left carries the JR Sanyo Line, while the newer one is for the shinkansen.

Japanese Pampas Grass, or susuki, is one of the major symbols of Autumn in Japan....

Old-style shopping streets all over Japan are increasingly shuttered as modern Japanese shopping habits change...

I was quite impressed with the architecture of the Hiroden Nishi Hiroshima streetcar station.

Built in 2001, trains from here go to Miyajima-guchi Station. Hiroshima has a very large and well-used tram network.

Though still only early November, Christmas advertising has been underway since Halloween.

Passing under the main expressway bridge...

Though now a little over a kilometer from the sea, this little island was originally just offshore.

Now called Kogoijima Island, the area between here and the current shoreline has been reclamied in the 20th century.

The water around the little island is still seawater though and sea fish can be seen in the pool.

Originally it was paired with a smaller outcropping on the shoreline and they were considered a pair of "married islands" The smaller one disappeared to make way for the main road.

This was originally called Okimi Myojin, hence the floating torii..... 

The previous post was on Mitakidera Temple further up the river in central Hiroshima.