Nihon Temple in Chiba, a giant Buddha, and two foreigners

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After a couple days of rain, the sun finally showed its face just in time for my man's day off. After a luxurious Sunday apartment breakfast, we set off for Chiba on the Boso Peninsula to score some Buddha action. We took the Tokyowan Ferry from Kurihama across Tokyo Bay to Kanaya Port and the Boso Peninsula where we stood on the upper deck swaying with the rolling swell, enjoying views of the majestic Fuji trying to hide behind the clouds. Near our departure point we diverted to a small street fair where we couldn't resist indulging in some grilled food-on-a-stick, skewered vegetables wrapped in bacon to be exact, after which we continued on a short walk to board the ropeway to Nihon Temple on Mt. Nokogiri. The short ride up the mountainside was packed with other Japanese enjoying some weekend sightseeing. The view of Tokyo Bay, Fuji, and the coastline from the top was amazing. We began the path, stopping to giggle at the penis shrine, gathering ourselves, and rounding the corner to stare up at the hundred shaku Kwan-non. a massively tall image of Buddha painstakingly hand-carved into the mountainside by monks. Next, we strolled along the trail/stairs, observing the 1,500 Arhat statues carved by enlightened monks from 1779-1798 that dot the naturally eroded cave-like spaces on the mountainside. The meticulously carved expressions are personal, and at times, hilarious. The stone takes on an incredible soft, smooth tone in the mountain recesses. Finally, we came upon the Daibutsu (buddha) of Nihon Temple, the largest stone-carved Buddha in Japan. Completed in 1783 and standing at 28 meters high, the tranquil buddha sits upon a pedestal of lotus overlooking the surrounding waters and mountains where it takes its place as a symbol of world peace. After a photo shoot and granola bar snack we trekked back up the many stairs and slightly bouldered path to the ropeway. I'm sure this part is the cause of the current soreness in my calves, but I tend to relish an invigorating hill climb, the sense of accomplishment at the end is rewarding and makes me feel alive. It also helps work up an appetite, which we indulged upon our return to the ferry terminal where a food and goodies market called The Fish is situated. We browsed the aisles, tasting the many items for sale, including fish cakes, tiny shrimps, seaweed, and other unidentifiable jarred fish/soy condiments. We sat down for an awesome dinner of broiled whole sea bream and a giant bowl of tempura shrimp, fish, and vegetables overlooking the crashing waves of Tokyo Bay. Besides the romantic sunset view at dinner, one of the most memorable moments of the day was when a small Japanese girl in front of us looked up at me with a timid smile and exclaimed, "Gaijin, momma!", (gaijin means foreigner in Japanese). We all giggled and proceeded to get a photograph of her and her brothers together. Japanese children are so cute, intelligent, and well-behaved, when we waved good-bye to them, their mother prompted them to reply in a chorus of 'thank you, bye-bye' in English. During our return ferry ride we relaxed with some beers on the couch, the conclusion to a good day indeed.

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Photos

Tokyo Bay and the Boso Peninsula
ferry ride

The Fish market
sampling foods

Comments

[Pamela]

Buddha shrine
Thanks for sharing your trip to Nihon. My son is in Japan for a few weeks & he just hiked to the Nihon Temple. I was curious to see it, so I got on the computer & typed in Budda carved in mountain, since my son could not remember the name of the place. His comments about his day hike to see the Buddhas sounded a lot like yours. He is at Yokosuka US Navy Base for a few weeks.