Vignettes of the World
I finally managed to wake up early enough for the morning sightseeing. The most anticipated temple of the day is the famous Kinkaku-ji Temple, also known as the Golden Pavilion. I planned on getting there when it opened at 9am. I wanted to see more, …
The Jamia Mosque is the very first official place of worship for the Muslims in Hong Kong. Built in 1890, it signifies the beginning of Islam in Hong Kong. Also known as Jamia Masjid, the name of the mosque means the “mosque of congregation” in …
The very last sightseeing on my first day in Arashiyama was the Nonomiya Shrine.
The Nonomiya-jinja Shrine is a Shinto shrine. Because of its nature as a native faith in Japan, it differs quite significantly from the elaborate temples of Arashiyama, both in terms of its history and its ambience. Yet, as a Shinto shrine, the Nonomiya-jinja Shrine had a very specific and unique role in imperial history as well.
The Nonomiya Shrine comes from the Heian period. It served as the venue of a religious practice in antiquity, “successive imperial princesses stayed in the Nonomiya Shrine for a year or more to purify themselves before becoming representatives of the imperial family at the Ise Shrine in Mie prefecture.” (Wikipedia on Nonomiya Shrine). These imperial priestesses were called Saigu. At the time of founding, the Nonomiya Shrine served Princess Ninshi, a daughter of Emperor Saga, who served as Saigu from 809 to 903 A.D. at Ise Jingu, which was the most important shrine in the country.
As Saigu, the princess carried out rituals and offerings, and I assume that meant she was the religious ambassador to pray on behalf of her country.
In classic 11th century Japanese literature, the Tale of Genji, which is said by some to be the world’s first novel, has a chapter set in the Nomomiya Shrine. The plot involves the love story between Prince Genji and Lady Rokujo. Lady Rokujo accompanied her daughter to the shrine for purification rites, and as she met her lover Prince Genji here, they bid farewell by the moonlight in this beautiful setting amidst the bamboo woods in Arashiyama.
Perhaps it is due to this history that the shrine is now where the faithful seek intercession for love and fertility. The female-oriented heritage of the shrine is very much alive today. Modern processions recreate a scene as shown in a scroll of the imperial court during the Heian period. This procession begins at the Nonomiya-jinja Shrine and ends at the Togetsu-kyo Bridge.
As to the touring, I learned that there were other types of specific prayers at the sub shrines at Nonomiya-jinja. If I read the kanji correctly, a shrine offers fortunes in wealth and safety in travels as well.
The torii gates here were the first ones that I saw in my life. In this trip, I did not have the opportunity to see the Fushimi Inari-taisa. This would be my only view of the gateways that typify Japanese religion and culture on this trip.
Sources
The Wikipedia on Nonomiya Shrine.
Discover Kyoto on Nonomiya Jinja.
The grilled eel of Japan is likely the most suitable first course of introduction in Japanese food for those who are not accustomed to eating raw fish. “Unagi’ is the Japanese name for freshwater eel. “Anago” is also eel, but it refers to sea eel. …
Perhaps the way that I toured Arashiyama did not comport with the spirit of Zen. By this time, at around noon or so, I had toured the bamboo grove, the Tenryu-ji Temple, the Okochi-Sanso Villa and the Jojakko-ji Temple. Then I was rushing to Nison-in …
After touring the Okochi-Sanso Villa, I made my way to the Jojakko-ji Temple, also in the vicinity.
In terms of natural environ, the Jojakko-ji Temple brings to the large selection of temple visits in Arashiyama another kind of aura. The red foliage at Jojakko-ji Temple is fused in one with its temple structures. The warm colors of the foliage hover over the minimalistic temple architecture. In Jojakko-ji Temple I experienced the variations of light, and it felt spiritual there. I certainly felt the warmth of apricity the in late morning. As I ascended on a higher point in the temple, the cool mists from Mount Ogura seemed to have descended upon me. Jojakko-ji Temple unveiled the full contours of its charm, and I was spellbound.
Roughly meaning the “everlasting light of wisdom when nearing nirvana” in Japanese (livejapan.com), the Jojakko-ji Temple was founded in 1596, at a time when Japan was mired in civil wars and right at the dawn of the Edo period. The temple is of the Nichiren School of Japanese Buddhism. Based on the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddhist priest Nichiren developed this school of Buddhism during the Kamakura period in the 13th century. Nichiren Buddhism was thought to be one of the “six new schools” of Kamakura Buddhism that emerged in this time.
Arose in a time of civil strife in Japan, Nichiren Buddhism advocated for a practical application of the Lotus Sutra in one’s individual life, including both meditation and actions, to eventually benefit the society at large. As a priest, Nichiren argued against the other popular schools of Buddhism that proposed competing views about the doctrinal teachings of the Lotus Sutra. In fact, he was very much against Zen Buddhism, which was a preeminent school of practice in Arashiyama (for more, see my previous entry on the Tenryu-ji Temple).
There are four main structures in the Jojakko-ji Temple. From the ground up, you would go through the Niomon Gate first, then Hondo to your right, Myoken-do to your left, and Tahoto at an even higher vantage point. Wonderful seasonal trees lined up all over the temple grounds and clothe Jojakko-ji in the velvety flush of autumn colors. Although there were a lot of foot traffic at this time of the year, one will not miss the serenity that percolates in this temple.
The thatched roofed, simple structure indicates the way to enter into the light of wisdom at Jojakko-ji Temple. The Niomon Gate is a 14th century structure that is also the oldest in the temple. As I approached the Niomon Gate, I began to sense the spirit of more than 200 Japanese maple trees, winging their magic touch on a beautiful autumn day.
The Hondo was built in the Keicho era (1596-1615), its original was the guest hall at the Momoyama-joh (Fushimi) Castle in Kyoto. The hall was moved to this temple and converted into the Hondo.
Myoken-do is a hall dedicated to the Bodhisattva of the North Star. It is believed to bless followers with a longevity.
On an elevated point beyond the temple grounds stands the Tahoto Pagoda. This pagoda was built at a much later time, in the 17th century, but in the style of the spectacular Momoyama style of a century earlier.
Although it was an incredibly peaceful walk at the Jojakko-ji Temple, I spent only about an hour there and moved right along to the next sightseeing, the Nison-in Temple.
Kaipai! on Jojakko-ji.
The Wikipedia on Nichiren Buddhism.
www.japan.travel, Jojakko-ji Temple.
livejapan.com, Jojakko-ji Temple: Experiencing Sensational Kyoto Fall Foliage at a Magical Garden.
Descriptions on site at the Jojakko-ji Temple.
Along the theme of autumn foliage, I visited the Xianhu Botanical Park in Shenzhen a couple days ago. The day of visit is January 16, 2025. There is an admission fee of RMB 15 yuan for entrance between 8:00am and 6:00pm. The park is open …
The Hong Kong Wetland Park is a large conservation park featuring mangroves in Tin Shui Wai, northwestern Hong Kong. On this day I went to the Wetland Park for red foliage photography. The day of visit is January 17, 2025. The admission fee for the …
I have been doing a whole lot of autumn excursions, particularly in photographing red foliage scenery. There have been innumerable posts online showing the beautiful Bald Cypress in Lau Shui Heung. I have previously written about the Lau Shui Heung Country Trail loop, and so in this post I will only share about the tips for photographing the stretch of red foliage there.
In mid January this year, the red foliage season is nearing its end. I took these photographs at Lau Shui Heung on January 18, 2025. At 7:05am, the sun rises. Then you will see how the sun rays light up the whole environ gradually. At 9am, the whole stretch of the red foliage will come under broad daylight. That is when the scenery is perfect for photography.
Needless to say, the point of this excursion is photography at the best hour, but I think the whole experience is complete if you are able to get up early to see sun rise there. I live quite close to Fanling, so I drove and arrived at 6:45am. At this hour, the path was already well lit enough to walk on without resort to flashlight.
There are two reasons why I suggest photographers get there early. Perhaps the main reason is the need to find your spot early. By 8 or 9 am, all the prime spots in the small stretch of ground where you take these photographs would be filled up by a whole camera crew in this peak season for photography. When I arrived at 6:45am, there were already a few kindred spirits there securing their spots.
Secondly, in arriving there super early, I had the opportunity to observe how the scenery changed as the moon made way for the sun to come up. I saw the moon, yes, when I arrived, and that was itself an amazing experience.
Photo: A view of Lau Shui Heung at dawn.
In the early morning, there is an ever-flowing firmament of fog above the waters of the Lau Shui Heung Reservoir. The whole scenery is misty. That makes it near poetic, although it might not be the most beautiful photography. Photographers have commented that the waters are also not so still at this hour. As such, you would not be able to capture the reflection of the red foliage in the water beneath.
The key timing to watch is between 8:30-9:30. The lighting there will be good enough for photographs only by 9am or so, when sun rays light up the whole stretch of red cypress trees. That is also the time when the water becomes still enough to show beautiful mirroring of the trees (well, if you are quite lucky, and I was quite lucky).
Photo: As the morning progresses, the day moves from the top of the hill downward to finally light up the whole stretch of Bald Cypress woods.
I have been to the Lau Shui Heung area a number of times and it was no problem for me to find the one spot where every keen spirit takes photographs. From the Pat Sin Leng Country Park roundabout, there is an entry way that is gently inclined before you get to the public restroom. That path takes about fifteen minutes from the minibus drop off point. Once you have reached the public restroom, keep on going and you will enter into the Lau Shui Heung Country Trail. Keep on going (do not enter on the stairs on the left), with the Lau Shui Heung Reservoir on your right.
On the unpaved rocky path, watch out for an opening on your right. Before you arrive at the proper viewing platform, you will see an opening on your right that leads you to the waterfront. Descend onto that opening, it is a mud path. On your right, you will come across a small stretch of a sandy lookout area. That is where you will see a full view of the row of cypress tree that is the subject of your photography.
Be very careful because this area has no railing to protect you from falling into the water. If you are to be there as early as sunrise, perhaps bring a beach mat with you so that the dirt does not get on your belongings.
The viewing platform does show you a pretty good view of the cypress trees, but perhaps it is not the best position for proper photography. Just know that, when you come to the viewing platform, you would have already passed the sandy stretch that I mention above.
Photo: A view of the Bald Cypress foliage at the viewing platform.
Usually, people take photographs at the sandy stretch by the waterfront. By 9am or so, the sun will light up the trees completely and it is a perfect time to photograph the Bald Cypress trees for closeup shots. Keep walking on the Lau Shui Heung Country Trail, and within five minutes, you will see two bridges ahead of you. Head on to the first bridge on your right and you will arrive at the cypress tree corridor.
Photo: This is the first bridge in the Lau Shui Heung Country Trail that leads you to the tree corridor, but the sign (in Chinese) is no longer at the present site.
There will already be quite a crowd there by that time, however.
The trees that make this beautiful scenery in Lau Shui Heung were planted by the government in the effort to prevent soil erosion by the bank. While the Bald Cypress is what makes the red foliage, there is also a small portion of Water Pine. These trees were chosen because they adapt well to marshy soils, as the water level of the Lau Shui Heung Reservoir is not stable. It could go through a drought in the winter, and it could also be flooded during the summer.
Photo: The Bald Cypress at dry season.
Needless to say, the beautification aspect of the Bald Cypress was intended by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department in its thematic planting initiative. In 2011-2012, the first batch of 40 Bald Cypress saplings were planted here. In 2016 to 2018, the planting area was doubled, and more than 100 trees make up the conifer wood now.
From an ecological perspective, there is an issue with planting trees that are not native in Hong Kong, in that it does not support the bioecology of the area because the birds and insects of Hong Kong will not feed on the seeds. I have no knowledge in this respect. But the Bald Cypress of Lau Shui Heung is truly, exceptionally, beautiful.
From the Fanling MTR Station Exit C, take the Greentop Minibus Route 52B and get off at the Lau Shui Heung Reservoir stop. That is where you will walk for about 15 minutes via the entry way into the Lau Shui Heung Country Trail entrances. The earliest minibus is at 6:00am.
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