Takayama in the afternoon

In the afternoon, in spite of Bob sneezing and coughing from the hay-fever he seems to have developed since coming to Japan, we explored the shops, old town and the temples.  I really would like to import some of these little vignettes and use these as prompts for art works, as well as ornaments for my house!

 

This little man was on the bridge leading to the old town.

 

 

There were lots of dispalys like this outside shops.

 

These shots are all in the complex of the Betsuin Temple Treasure house.

 

 

I was very intrigued by theses paintings which look very much like Christian visions of hell.  The echoes between religions are remarkable.

 

 

Beside the complex was a graveyard which extended up the hill and into the forest., and an archway leading to the Higashiyama Shinmei Jinja Shrine.  However, it was getting late, so we headed back downhill, stopping to take in this view

 

And, as usual, we found that the best finds were in the back streets.

 

 

For dinner, we decided to try the local speciality, hiba beef.  I took the lean version but Bob had the marbled fat version which melts in the mouth.  It was a stunning meal in a little cafe that only Japanese seemed to have discovered.

 

 

Back at the hotel, I discovered that the toilet had a new feature - a hard or soft wash, and a bidet!  We cleaned our teeth in the ablutions room and settled down for the night.  We had a very comfortable night in our little room.  The double layer futon was very comfortable.  Bob tried the traditional hard pillow and loved it.  I piked and used the western one.  We like this place!  With only six rooms, we would heartily recommend it!  Thanks, Trish, for finding it!