...But ten minutes walk up the hill and you come across a small stairway in the hills leading up to the temple, guarded by statues in their little red hats and bibs!
The further up the hill you climb the more enchanting this place becomes. Hundreds of statues watch you from among the trees, each one with it's own unique expression.
The town of Mitaki at the bottom of the hill becomes a distant memory as you become immersed in a scene of waterfalls, bamboo and moss. A ceiling of greenery hangs overhead, which is great for shade on a hot summers day! The temple's bright red pagoda bursts out of the leaves, becoming the sight's main attraction.
I was fortunate enough to go on a slightly overcast day, so there were very few other people about, creating a quiet, peaceful atmosphere.
Mitaki Temple is not a big place and my stay here lasted only an hour or so but it is definitely worth the visit! I feel very lucky to be able to visit such beautiful temples like this one so close to where I am living. I imagine somewhere like this will be stunning come Autumn when the leaves change in colour!
Oh yeah. This place is situated in the dense woodland of the Japanese countryside and it was the height of summer. So I did run into a couple of these...
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| image: http://www.tofugu.com/2011/10/25/japanese-giant-hornet/ |
By that I mean I RAN AWAY SCREAMING.
But don't let this put you off. :)
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