常勝寺 （丹波市山南）

時間つぶしに、常勝寺さんを訪問。モミジの名所らしく楓が多いが、まだ青々している。

To kill time we visited a Buddhist temple Joshoji. There are many Japanese maple trees as the temple is well-known of colored leaves in Autumn but at this moment trees are still green.

それにしても、この階段見てよ・・・

Look at these stairs ...

てっぺんが見えませぬ・・・

I can't see the top of the stairs ...

参道脇には石組みが並び、中には仏様たちが。

At the both sides of the approach stairs there are stone huts where Buddha statues sits inside.

参道脇には末寺や庫裏の様な建物もあり、その中の一棟には美しいお庭が。

At a side of the approach there are some houses and one of them has a beautiful garden.

やっとのことで本堂にたどり着く。ちょっと風変わりな雰囲気のお寺だ。

At last we arrived at the main temple. It looks a little unique temple.

神社みたいな感じ。脇には実際神社が三社あった。彫刻も神殿彫刻をくっつけたみたいな。

This temple looks like a shrine. Actually there are three shrines besides.
Statues of the temple seems to have been pasted from a shrine.

ようこそお越し

Welcome !

ほんま、よう来たね。

Hi !

しばし参道をご覧あれ。

Please enjoy the scenes of the approach.

 まだ秋はこれから。

Autumn just started.

篠山

今日は台風の影響も予想外れで、曇りに時々小雨のぐずついたお天気ではあったが、取り敢えずお出かけしよう、それなら篠山へお菓子を買いに行こう、と言うことになった。
到着すると既にお昼前。混み合う前にランチにしようと言うことで、物産館の隣のレストランで、篠山たたき丼を・・・

 これはかなり美味しかった。牛トロ丼、牛たたき、お蕎麦。　１５７５円なり。

食事の後は市街を散策。小西の黒豆パンを買って、ぶらぶら。
夏の間休業していた料亭などがオープンしていて、楽しい。
松茸も売ってるが高いので、ほとんどの人は黒豆を枝ごと買って歩いていた。
西垣の栗羊羹を買おうと市街を離れ、お気に入りの田圃の神様にまずご挨拶。

 櫱には既に稲穂が出ている。ちょっと温暖化し過ぎか？
 田圃の向こうに古墳らしきこんもりした小山が見えていて以前から気になっていたので、そこへ車を近づける。山をただ開削しただけの様にも見える・・・と前方を見ると・・・
「あれは玄室じゃない？」
巨石を積み上げたものが・・・
「まさか」
と家人。しかし、近づくと正に・・・

 現地では「石くど」と呼ばれている古墳だった。看板には伝説などが簡単に書かれているが、６世紀中頃のものと言う以外何もわかっていない様だ。

それでも、道ばたに明日香の石舞台みたいな古墳があるのは面白い。
周辺には多くの古墳らしきものが点在しているので、古代から篠山には大きな集落があったのだろう。
西垣で栗羊羹を購入して、西脇へ向かう。
途中、丹波市の川代公園で川の写真を撮影。

 まだ紅葉は始まったばかり・・・
西脇市でも・・・

ま、美味しいお菓子をたくさん食べたから、いいか・・・
「豆畑」で買った「チーズの山」
バレーボール大のドーム型チーズスフレである。

三重ツーリング ２

After lunch at a barbecue restaurant we visited Ise-Jingu shrine, the main shrine of the Royal family.
http://www.isejingu.or.jp/shosai/english/index.htm
There were a lot of visitors. The weather was becoming worse and I thought I wouldn't take good photos of the shrine.
We didn't have enough time to visit gift shops along the Okage-Yokocho street.
We just visited the shrine and prayed for our happiness.

 Too many people on the Okage-yokocho street.

The Isuzu Riv. is running in front of the shrine.
 Water looks very clear.
The visitors must pass over the bridge which is guarded by Eishi ( soldiers for the Ise Jingu shrine ).

Leaves of trees are not colored yet.  The shrine is surrounded with the forest.
Trees are old and some trees are over a thousand years old.

We are not allowed to take a photo of the main shrine of Amaterasu the sun goddess.  Eishi are watching us.

Uji Bridge was taken away by water when typhoon hit Ise City in the last year.
They rebuilt the bridge.

 We can't take a picture of the main shrine but can take photos of other smaller shrines or buildings. Those are there from the ancient time.

After visiting the shrine we drove along the Ise-Shima-Skyline road to see landscapes but the weather became worse, we had rains and couldn't see cities or the ocean. So I didn't take any photos of the views from the mountains.
We said bye-bye to Curry san at the parking area in the mountain and drove to home.

三重ツーリング 1

On 24th in Oct. my hubby's internet friend Curry san invited us to Matsusaka. He said that he had found out a unique barbecue restaurant where they serve Matsusaka beef, the most expensive beef in Japan.
We left home at 7:00 A.M. and arrived at Kusatsu Parking Area on the Meishin Express Highway, in Shiga Pref. to see other friends from Hyogo and Osaka.
Then an unknown man who looked 60's years-old spoke to us to ask if we were the group who were going to Matsusaka to eat beef. He wished to join us.
He has a red colored Porsche and drove from Akou to Kusatsu with his wife.
Btw we have some rules of our touring.

1. You have to register at Minkara Website.
2. You have your address, handle and blog on Minkara Website.
3. You have to have European automobile.
4. You have to use your European automobile in our touring.
5. You can bring your family or friends IN your car when our touring.
6. You are around 50 years old.
7. You have to call us with our handle, don't use our real name.
8. Enjoy driving and talking about cars and foods.

Our leader Go san explained those rules to him and said " you meet the requirements except being a member of Minkara, but you said that your son knows how to use Minkara so you can register after you will go back home tonight.
So you are welcome to our group."

So we got new friends ( he and his wife ) and went to Mie Pref.
Curry san was waiting for us in front of the restaurant.

This shop was a chain of barbecue restaurants 一升びん. They have revolving counters in their shop and we can take plates of meat and vegetables from revolving counter and grill materials on stove. A shop clerk counts plates on our tables when we check out.
Matsusaka beef was very soft and delicious but terribly expensive.

今日は誕生日

もう半世紀生きてしまったわ。

丹後

ハヤブサ、カモメ、屏風岩

あ、トンビも入ってた（笑

秋祭り

静かな田園に太鼓と子どもたちのかけ声が響いて来ると、子ども神輿（左端）を先頭に、神輿と蒲団太鼓の屋台が国道をやって来る。自動車はその間、寛容に停まって待っている。

神輿や太鼓は昨日から村の全集落を訪問し、秋の収穫の喜びの感謝と次の年の豊作を願って来た。

 子ども神輿と神輿が先に宮入をする。蒲団太鼓はまだ行く所がある。

 一度大鳥居の前を通過して、川向こうの最後の集落へ行く。

 遂に屋台が境内に宮入。ここでさらに声を大きく歌って、太鼓を神様に見えるように高く掲げる。
手の力だけで差し上げる太鼓屋台の総重量は１トンを超える。支えるのは５０人にも満たない。

 無事に「さっしませ」が終わると、お神楽が舞う。伝統的なストーリーを持つ５つの舞を天狗と獅子がユーモラスに演じる。

来年はお当ではなく普通の参拝者として見たい。