Risshaku-ji Temple, Tohoku, Japan

5bakatori 5:00 PM Jun 11, 2012

Yamadera, mountain temple
Risshaku ji, also know as Yamadera, is a must on my "must do" checklist, a personal pilgrim you may say on my trips to Japan. I am not a religious person. I am not there to say a prayer for our decaying society or anything. I am there solely for the breathtaking scenery and the soul cleansing tranquility. Yamadera is easily accessible from Sendai city In 1 hour via JR Senzan line. This line is covered under the JR east pass and not very frequent. Do not be discourage by the long journey, the scenery along the train route is worth every minute of the time I spent on sitting on my butt. Alight at the JR Yamadera station. From the train station platform, the temple is sitting right across, up in the mountain, actually more of a hill than a mountain. But then, mountain sounds more majestic and more befitting for grand beauty this place has to offer, this is of course from my own personal humble opinion. Along the street towards the entrance of the beginning of the ascent up, lined shops selling local produce and delicacies. I personally love the Imoni, a thick soupy stew with small potatoes that taste like yam, with pork slices, leek, konnyaku. In Japanese, Yama means mountain, dera means temple. Put them together and you will have mountain temple. The temples were located up in the mountain, with pockets of small caves containing images of Buddha carved into the craggy surface. As usual with most of the great temples in Japan, the approach is never easy, about 1100 steps up. So wear sturdy and comfy footgear. By the way, it cost 300¥ to suffer the endless steps up. So if you are like me who has a certain weakness for temples which requires certain hardship to access, Yamadera will be your cup of tea. At the end of the arduous journey, you will definitely feel enlightened and light headed. There is a certain sense of achievement and that nothing is impossible once you put your mind to it. From the top, the view is simply beautiful. Yamadera is beautiful in Spring and Breathtaking in Autumn. From the Godaigo, the dizzying view of the valley below, the blue skies above and the majestic mountain ranges in the distant, all come together to dazzle and bewitch you. In Spring, the distant mountain caps covered with snow, the landscape draped in hues of blue, grey and white. In Autumn, the distant mountains bursting with red, pink, brown, yellow and evergreen. The last autumn I visited, the whole mountain was cloaked in fog. Thus I did not managed to capture the full brilliant autumn hue. I was there very early to avoid the crowd. I like it better when I am alone as such I am able to quietly savor the beauty to the max. As I stood in the Godaigo, watching the mountains played hide and seek with the fog, which at some point got so thick I could hardly see anything beyond the pavilion, I did not want to leave this place. This place reminds me of heaven, where celestials gather to meditate, no worries, no pain. But reality came with the tourists that came in tour buses, with their constant chatters and clicking of cameras, I was brought back to the mortal world. Then it's back on the track, down to earth where mortal dwells, where hot delicious Imoni calls. There is no better way to end the journey and reward yourself with a big hot bowl of Imoni.

5LVV 5:00 PM Aug 2, 2021

Amazing!
You might think you've seen too many temples already, but this place is really special. You have to climb 1000 step to get to the temple, but the path up there is beautiful, lined by trees and moss-covered statues. The climb can be a little tough on a hot summer day. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes like sneakers, and bring plenty of water. The view at the top is worth the effort of the climb!