The Shogun Mound

More on sites to see at Bessho Onsen.

There are plenty of stuff to see in the few hundreds metres from the hotel we were staying in. With the information board on all the sites in Japanese and English, it is easy to appreciate the sites here after reading about their history even if one goes there without much research beforehand.

The Shogun Mound - 

During the Kofun period (250 - 538 bc) this 10m diametre 3m tall circular mound was constructed as the tomb for powerful local rulers.  It's also calle Koremochizuka.

In 969,  during the reign of Emperor Reizen, a female demon named "Koyo" lived on Mount Tagakushiyama and was tormenting local folks with her sorcery. In response to an imperial order, Shogun Yogo successfully destroyed after praying for success at the Kitamuki Kannon and the Koremochizuka mound is said to be his burial site.

Yukake Jizo Statue

There are plenty of things to see and learn about at Bessho Onsen and not just about soaking in hot spring water if you vacation there. I've written a number of posts on Bessho Onsen and that's because a visit there was truly enjoyable for us. There are still a number of places we've yet to visit there. Our 2D1N there last year sure wasn't enough!

Under this nondescript wooden structure is the

The Yukake Jizo Statue at Bessho Onsen.

The story goes -

When a man named Shunzo who had deep faith in the great Nichiren was travelling through the swamps of Sado to pay respects to the imprisoned teacher, he heard a voice calling "Shunzo, Shunzo" yet nobody was seen.

The voice then said " I have been trapped in the mud for a very long time. How I would love to soak myself in the springs of Shinano. If you cleanse me there, I will grant your wishes".

Shunzo then entered the swamp and extracted a single jizo (Ksitigarbha deity) and he rushed to Shinano and placed it in the waters of Bessho. From that time, Shunzo lived a joyous life blessed with a beautiful wife and children.

On Nichiren - he was a controversial figure during his time. Born in 1222 in the village of Kominato, Nagase district. One source of controversy is the perception that Nichiren Buddhism is exclusivist. 

This can be traced to Nichiren's remonstrations with government officials and leaders of the Buddhist schools in Japan. He criticized them for their manipulations of the populace for political and religious control. Citing Buddhist sutras and commentaries, Nichiren argued that the Buddhist teachings were being distorted for their own gain (see the compilation of Nichiren's exchanges with government leaders and Buddhist practitioners in "The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin" 1999).

Cosmos

Cosmos flower, the classic flower of Autumn. I read somewhere that the kanji of Cosmos is written as the "autumn cherry blossom".

What else makes me think of autumn? This too...

Persimmon

Mention Cosmos to my Son and I know his first thought of Cosmos would be, what else? Ultraman Cosmos!

He'll be meeting all those Ultra Heroes soon, as his 9th birthday treat. :)

Water Spouting Dragon

Water - the source of life, and in some cases - tourism too; which can mean a source of livelihood to the community involved.

The smell of sulfurous water at Bessho Onsen; one of Nagano's classic onsen resort town was a tad funky, but it is said to have beautifying prowess and clearing certain ailments, so I just pinched my nose and drink away. I need help in the beauty department, after all. XD

A Trip Back In Time

That's how I felt when we arrived Bessho Onsen in Nagano. The hotel that we stayed in and the train station there evoke a kind of feeling of going back to another time in the past. It's quite romantic, that I have to say.

A rotary dial telephone! My dear Son doesn't know how to use them. Do you?

Old magazines and guest books. Flipping through the guest book, I saw entries made in the 1980s there! Wow!

A moss covered waterwheel, spinning ever so slowly.

Along the way to a temple. Old scooter in an alleyway. Why did it feel so nostalgic for me?

And lastly, the almost deserted Bessho Onsen train station.

At The Last Stop

Will The Train Come?

to this last stop?

A pretty quiet Bessho Onsen station, late in the evening. I really enjoyed our trip to Bessho Onsen. We got to visit an Onsen town steeped with history.

I Miss This... Getting Hot And Naked

A dip in hot spring bath in the wee hours of the morning, at 4.00am to be exact; warrants a B&W photo for me. It was nice having a solitary bath, listening to the drip, drip, drip of the rainfall outside. Bliss.

Funny though, walking along the dimly lit, empty corridor to get to the bath area and sitting in the bath, I didn't think about ghosts but when walking back to my room, the thought of meeting one suddenly occurred to me!

While having a soak, bathers are free to take a drink or two of the spring water. Or call the room service for a stronger drink, if you need one. Yes, there was a phone nearby for that purpose.

What's the scoop for? For you to drink the spring water, of course! Was it nice? Taste like boiled eggs.

I miss the onsens a lot. Getting naked around strangers is not a problem for me. I do it all the time at  the gym's locker room anyway.

The next time we visit, we'll just have a day trip to an onsen resort town somewhere (at the moment, it looks like Yufuin has the honour) because we can't afford a nice stay in a ryokan this year. *sob sob*

The Aizenkatsura Tree

Visiting the Kitamuki Kanon Temple, I was enthralled by this majestic looking tree. This Aizenkatsura tree was designated by Nagano Prefecture as a natural monument in 1939. It is said that a Buddhist deity, Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin) changed form to this tree some 1,200 years ago.

The tree leaves bears the shape of hearts, and there's a believe that single people who came to the tree will meet their perfect partner there. You should know that Kitamuki Kannon is also unusual in that she is said to answer prayers for this life rather than the next.

Aaaah.... the tree of love. The tree's name from the Aizen Myoo (The Japanese god of love/Ragaraja/Airan Mingwang) and was given by the master artist Kawaguchi Matsutaro. Aizen Myoo is known to transform worldly lust into spiritual awakening.

Another "romantic" spot one can visit here is the Nogura Couple Dosojin, some 20 minutes walk from Bessho Onsen. Don't you just go aaaawwww looking at the statue. :) 

They do say that Dosojin are worshipped for bringing fertility and children's growth apart from warding off danger near village borders and crossroads.

Kitamuki Kanon Temple

Located in Bessho Onsen, Kitamuki Kanon Temple or north-facing hall of the Goddess of Mercy; was founded in the Heian Period (8th-9th century) by Jikaku, the chief priest of Enryakuji Temple, Hieizan. A rare construction in Japan with the hall facing north, it is said that if people visit Zenkoji Temple, which faces south, to pray for their future and happiness after death, and do not pray for divine favor for the present by visiting the north-facing hall　of the Goddess of Mercy, their devotions will be unbalanced. 

If you remember my posts about Bessho Onsen earlier, we visited this temple on Day 10 of our trip to Japan.  More posts on the area can be found here.

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This is a post for  Budget Trouble : Show Me Japan. Click the link for more awesome Japan-related blogs.

Dinner Was Served!

Remember my posts about our stay at Uematsuya in Bessho Onsen? You don't? Well, check out the posts:
Day 10 In Japan : Checking In At Uematsuya
Day 10 In Japan : Time To Get Naked
Breakfast Of The Day - Seating With Legs Folded At Uematsuya
Places We Stay : Uematsuya, Bessho Onsen
Places We stay : Our room at Uematsuya

Pretty detailed posts about the place, eh? Uematsuya should buy me dinner one day for all these! LOL

We didn't finish covering all the places we wanted to in Bessho Onsen yet due to a pouring rain on the day we were supposed to go out an sight-see so maybe, just maybe there would be more visit/post on Bessho Onsen in the years to come.

We had a great time going out sightseeing around Bessho Onsen in the evening and with dinner arranged to be served at 7.00pm, we made sure we are back to our room by the allotted time. Dinner was served in our room instead of a dining hall. 

 

Raimie, happy it was dinner time. He, of course got the kiddie version of dinner which included among others - corn on the cob, potato crinkles served alongside the chestnut jelly and his own pot of simmering nabe(?).

Part of the dinner served.

Don't be fooled by the small portions. You'll be full in no time, because the food that were served seemed endless. They just kept coming! Not that it was a bad thing.

Random photos of the excellent food we enjoyed that night. Don't ask me what they were or what they were called. Our concern was just to avoid anything meaty. The lady server explained every single dish at length, but sorry - since I have no desire to sit at the dinner table with a notebook or a recorder, I forgot most of what she told us. Anyway, didn't I tell you my Japanese is negligible?

There were chicken stuffed with cheese served alongside the homemade miso paste in the menu which  we didn't eat and the nice lady was concerned about us not eating it; but  that's about the only thing we left out, no funky horse meat served here, like what we got at Taenoyu Onsen!

It sure was hard work finishing everything off. We simply couldn't let anything go to waste (except the chicken), not when everything was absolutely yummy.

Burp!

Tea Time

Tea! We love them, we do. Bitter tea, herbal teas, tea with huge dollops of sugar, tea with milk, teh tarik (pulled tea?) - I drink them all! The only tea I won't drink, strangely is Zaini's favourite and that's Jasmine tea.

Sipping frothy green tea was nice. I felt genteel.

while enjoying with some confectionary, talking in hushed tone.

Maybe one day, I should go to a tea ceremony proper.  Maybe. I can't sit still and be quiet too long.

Making a pot myself and enjoying a cup in my room was nice.

What's your favourite cuppa? I do actually love my coffee, but coffee in Japan isn't for me. LOL