Houraijisan

About 650m high, Houraijisan mountain is about an hours n half drive from Toyohashi. Entering the mountains it seems as though an non-existential barrier prevents too much development and modern infrastructure from vitiating the small townships. Things seemed more Japanese, quieter, and somehow 'closer to the earth' if any but all words fail to explain what I mean.

From a brief historical information plaque, Houraijisan was a mountain some guy went to train for many many years. He lived to about 350 years old, and cured some important people, and a temple and nomenclature assigned to the mountain. My memory is bad but that's the gist of it.

At the top of about innumerable steps, there is a temple and a fantastic view of the valley. While it is winter, I can only imagine what it would be like with an Autumn explosion of red and orange hues.

Enjoy










Statues all over the place representing spirits i think










Entry to the mountain climb
















































Went to a shop where they make the stones used in the delicate art of mixing the black powder for calligraphy. Such a subtle art there are so many subtleties that affect how black ink on paper behaves.




At the end we went to a free hot spring footbath in a park. After a long walk it felt amazing!