In ghostly Japan

Travelling in Japan can take one to tourist ghost towns such as Yugawara, near the Izu peninsula. Once a favourite spot for onsen (hotspring) lovers, it is now almost deserted by tourists, even in the high season such as Golden Week. There is something melancholic about the place, with its strange juxtaposition of decaying traditional buildings and 1960-70s concrete. It was also a place much loved by writers, and Natsume Sôseki is said to have set his last unfinished work Meian (Light and Darkness) there. Walking up the main street alongside the noisy mountain river (whose name I could not find) felt like travelling in a parallel world occupied by the ghosts of long gone tourists. Apologies to Lafcadio Hearn for borrowing the title of one of his books.
Lots of thanks to Rodolphe and Hideko for taking us on this beautiful trip.

A large ryokan abandoned since ~10 years ago. A vigorous wisteria covers the bus shelter seen in the foreground.

The main street of Yugawara up the mountain, a couple of kilometers west of the train station.

Back to the 1970s. The mountain stream (left) seems to be the only thing alive.

Decaying traditional houses.

A red carpark overgrown with vegetation looks like a strange tori. 

The decaying and the ugly.

Back to reality: the Fujitaya Ryokan, a traditional but certainly not decaying building. This is a beautiful place to stay.

Peace and Quiet in Suburban Tokyo: Heirinji Temple

Somewhere in the boring Tokyo suburb of Niiza, in Saitama Prefecture, lie the beautiful grounds of Heirinji Temple. Those grounds are famous for their autumn colours. But a visit in mid spring is well worth it. The trees, mainly Japanese maples, are at their most tender green. Visitors are few and one is more likely to see Zen buddhist monks than a tourist. This is my favourite temple in the Tokyo area.

Information on how to reach the temple and its basic history can be found at
http://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-temples-shrines/heirinji

Here are a few photos taken during my 2017 visit in late April. Big thanks to Hideko for making us discover this beautiful place!

Near the main building of the temple.

Hidden bell.

Up and down under the maples.

Akamatsu, or red pines, in the northern section of Heirinji. These trees used to make up most of the woods of the western Tokyo area.

The lantern path. 

Area where the gardening equipment is stored.

Sculpted pines. The large pine tree in the background, on the right hand-side, is supposedly 500 years old.

Golden carps, or koi, coming for a feed.