cemetery | Blue Lapis Road

HILL OF THE BUDDHA (頭大仏), Makomanai Takino Cemetery (真駒内滝野霊園), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.22

Day 8 (2/4).

The fun part of being an architect is that one could never predict what the next project would be until the client knocks on the door. For Tadao Ando, while he completed his iconic Chapel on the Water in the late 1980s, he might never imagine that over two decades later he would get a chance to realize a Buddhist shrine that houses a 13.5m statue of Buddha in Hokkaido. Situated in Makomanai Takino Cemetery (真駒内滝野霊園), Ando’s take this time on creating a spiritual encounter with the Buddha image is consisted of an artificial mount planted with 150000 lavender plants and a large oculus over the Buddha’s head. From parking lot entry to the statue, the diversity of spatial experience allow visitors to cleanse their heart before reaching the Buddha, while the concrete finishes of the architecture offer a neutral environment for lights, shadows and rain to define a spiritual atmosphere for the shrine.

Before reaching Ando’s Buddha, we had a strange encounter with a row of what looked like to be replicas of the Moai statues in Easter island.

The forecourt is dominated by a water feature where visitors must walk around in order to enter the shrine.

it was windy and rainy and we quickly walked around the water feature.

Because of the wind and rain, we only had a quick look at the fine details of the water feature design.

An cool looking passageway then led us directly into the shrine.

At last, we arrived at the 13.5m Buddha statue.

We decided to walk around the circular shrine to check out all sides of the Buddha, as well as the smaller shrines at the circumference.

The statue is slightly higher than the egg like structure, and the head of the Buddha actually sticks out.

The surrounding wall panels are tilted inwards, allowing visitors to stay dry when walking around the statue even in the rain.

No matter at what angle, the Buddha and the concrete structure look in perfect harmony. The rippled concrete structure also makes the shrine to appear in a solemn and contemporary ambience.

Everything is in gradients of grey, except the offering flowers.

Most people would walk to the front of the statue to pay their respect, say their prayers and leave some coins for offerings.

Looking back out towards the entrance, the passageway appeared like a tunnel out of a science fiction movie.

Similar to the concrete structure in the shrine, the ceiling structure of the passageway also has a series of ripped vaults. Above the passageway is the mount planted with 150000 lavender plants.

In August, the Hill of the Buddha will be filled with the fragrance of lavender.

Before we left, we checked out a small display adjacent to the forecourt of water feature of Ando’s drawings, sketches and photos of the construction. For architecture lovers, the detour to the Hill of Buddha is well worth the time and effort.

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Introduction
HOKKAIDO ROAD TRIP, Hokkaido (北海道)

Day 1 – from Tokyo to Shiretoko Peninsula
Day 1.1 TSUKIJI OUTER MARKET (築地場外市場)
Day 1.2 ARRIVAL IN SHIRETOKO, Utoro (ウトロ)

Day 2 – Utoro
Day 2.1 SHIRETOKO FIVE LAKES (知床五湖)
Day 2.2 UTORO FISHERMAN’S WIVES CO-OPERATIVE DINER (ウトロ漁協婦人部食堂)
Day 2.3 FUREPE FALLS (フレペの滝)

Day 3 – Rausu
Day 3.1 RUSA FIELD HOUSE (ルサフィールドハウス)
Day 3.2 JUN NO BANYA (純の番屋)

Day 4 – Rausu
Day 4.1 MOUNT RAUSU (羅臼岳)
Day 4.2 FANTASTIC ORCAS, Nemuro Strait (根室海峡)

Day 5 – Lake Mashu & Lake Akan
Day 5.1 SUNRISE AT LAKE MASHU (摩周湖)
Day 5.2 MOUNT MASHU TRAIL (摩周岳) , Teshikaga (弟子屈)
Day 5.3 SILENT NIGHT AT LAKE AKAN (阿寒湖)

Day 6 – On the road from Lake Akan to Furano
Day 6.1 FISHERMEN BELOW MISTY OAKAN (雄阿寒岳), Lake Akan (阿寒湖)
Day 6.2 TREATS OF OBIHIRO (帯広), Tokachi (十勝)
Day 6.3 ARRIVING IN FURANO (富良野)

Day 7 Furano & Biei
Day 7.1 LAVENDER BUDS, Nakafurano (中富良野)
Day 7.2 FARM TOMITA (ファーム富田), Nakafurano (中富良野)
Day 7.3 BI.BLE, Biei (美瑛)
Day 7.4 PATCHWORK ROAD & PANORAMA ROAD, Biei (美瑛)
Day 7.5 NINGLE TERRACE (ニングルテラス)

Day 8 – from Furano to Otaru
Day 8.1 CHURCH ON THE WATER (水の教会), Hoshino Resorts Tomamu (星野リゾートトマム)
Day 8.2 HILL OF THE BUDDHA (頭大仏), Makomanai Takino Cemetery (真駒内滝野霊園)
Day 8.3 SEAFOOD, CANAL, & HISTORY, Otaru (小樽)
Day 8.4 RAINY NIGHT IN OTARU, Otaru (小樽)

Day 9 – Yochi & Sapporo
Day 9.1 NIKKA YOICHI DISTILLERY (余市蒸溜所), Yoichi (余市)
Day 9.2 SOUP CURRY NIGHT

Day 10 – Sapporo
10.1 OKKAIDO SHRINE (北海道神宮 )
10.2 MORIHICO COFFEE (森彦珈琲本店)
10.3 KITAKARO SAPPORO HONKAN (北菓楼札幌本館)
10.4 SATURDAYS CHOCOLATE
10.5 GOTSUBO OYSTER BAR(五坪)
10.6 MOUNT MOIWA (藻岩山) & RAMEN HARUKA (ラーメン悠)

Day 11 – Sapporo
11.1 FORMER HOKKAIDO GOVERNMENT OFFICE (北海道庁旧本庁舎)
11.2 RED STAR & GENGKIS KHAN, Sapporo Beer Museum (サッポロビール株式会社)

December 10, 2019 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019 | Tags: Ando, architect, Architecture, Buddha, Buddhist, cemetery, 真駒内滝野霊園, design, 頭大仏, Hokkaido, Makomanai, Tadao, Takino | Leave a comment

DAY 5 (2/3): FUSHIMI INARI SHRINE (伏見稲荷大社) Part 2, Kyoto, Japan, 2016.12.07

On the summit of Mount Inari, there was a small Shinto shrine, and a shop selling candles and souvenirs. The shop had yet opened its doors when we were there. From the peak our only way was to head down. We took our time and followed a different route to go down. We ventured into a few quiet spots of small shrines and graves off the beaten track in the woods. The descend was shorter than our uphill hike. By the time we reached Yotsutsuji intersection again at midway, it was quite a different feeling with a whole lot more of visitors looking for the best lookout spot to take pictures. We stopped by a few shrines to bow our heads, throw our coins, clap our hands and pay our respect to the Shinto deity. As we approached the mountain foot, we were so grateful about the unique and delightful experience of the hike. We felt a little sad for both the hike and our 5-day Kyoto trip were coming to an end. We reached the final torii gate at around 10:40, exactly three hours from the beginning of the hike.

There was a small shrine at the peak of Mount Inari. We went up, left some coins and felt grateful to have such nice weather for most of our stay in Kyoto.

The shop at the peak had yet opened its doors.

The sun was higher and certainly brighter by 9:20 when we reached the peak.

We chose a different route for the descend.

There weren’t as many torii gates along the first part of this trail, and it felt like a walk in a densely forested hill.

Occasionally we would see the “donation price list” of torii gate along the trail. Anyone, and in many cases tourists, could pay 1,302,000 Japanese yen to erect a vermilion torii gate to continue the tradition of the Senbon Torii (千本鳥居).

We passed by a few shops that were preparing to open for business.

During our descend, we arrived at a forest opening where the peaceful sunlight shone through tree tops onto old graves and mini shrines.

The air was crisp and fresh. Everything was so peaceful and serene.

There was a maintenance staff moving a few things here and there, but the atmosphere was otherwise supremely tranquil and spiritual.

No matter where we were on the trail of Mount Inari we could also find kitsune (fox) statues.

Other than stone foxes, there were also occasional stone lions.

And at one shrine, there was also a bronze horse statue.

It was difficult to imagine how much work was needed to maintain all the thousands of small shrines and graves on Mount Inari, a spiritual destination ever since the first shrine was established here over 1300 years ago.

There were layers upon layers of history, memories and wishes of different generations of worshipers at different corners on Mount Inari.

Some of the temizuya (手水舎, purification pavilion) in front of the shrine was beautifully decorated.

Despite simple, some small temizuya fit perfectly well with the naturalistic surroundings.

The vermilion small torii offerings stood out no matter where they were placed.

Before reaching Yotsutsuji intersection, we passed by several shops housed in traditional wooden buildings right by the trail.

It was just past 10:15 when we returned to Yotsutsuji intersection. The number of visitors was significantly more than earlier when we first came up.

In maybe an hour or so, the shops and tea restaurants would be packed with visitors. The famous dish at Inari was the kitsune udon (fox udon), a bowl of hot thick wheat noodles topped with pieces of fried tofu, supposedly the favorite food for foxes.

After Yotsutsuji intersection, we basically followed the same route that we came up.

One of the last shrine we passed by was Byakkosha (白狐社), a shrine dedicated to the deity of white foxes.

The vivid maples behind the last torii reminded us that autumn was almost over. It was time for us to head back into city centre of Kyoto.

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March 4, 2017 | Categories: Japan, Japan: Kyoto and Nara 2016, Kyoto and Nara | Tags: cemetery, chozuya, 稲荷大社, fox, Fushimi, Japan, kenzoku, kitsune, Kyoto, maples, senbon, Shinto, Shintoism, Shrine, temizuya, vermilion, 千本鳥居, 手水舎, 伏見 | Leave a comment

DAY 44 (2 OF 2) – CEMETERY, PURMAMARCA, ARGENTINA

Hillside cemeteries with a picturesque setting are not uncommon in the Quebrada de Humahuaca. When we came to Purmamarca by bus, we passed by one at the village of Maimara. In Purmamarca, we also walked past its beautiful cemetery at the end of our hour-long hike.

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Read other posts on Northwest Argentina in 2013 South America:

Day 43.1 – Garganta del Diablo, Tilcara
Day 43.2 – Pucara, Tilcara
Day 44.1 – Hills of Seven Colours, Purmamarca
Day 44.2 – Cemetery, Purmamarca
Day 45.1 – Antigua Gusthouse, Tilcara
Day 45.2 – Museums and Plaza, Salta
Day 46.1 – Carpe Diem, Salta
Day 46.2 – Helados Miranda, Cafayate
Day 46.3 – Bodega el Porvenir, Cafayate
Day 47.1 – Bodega Domingo Molina, Cafayate
Day 47.2 – Quebrada Las Conchas, Cafayate
Day 48.1 – Museo de Vino, Cafayate
Day 48.2 – El Hornito, Cafayate
Day 48.3 – Goodbye Northern Argentina, Salta

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South America 2013 – Our Destinations
Buenos Aires (Argentina), Iguazu Falls (Argentina/Brazil), Pantanal (Brazil), Brasilia (Brazil), Belo Horizonte & Inhotim (Brazil), Ouro Preto (Brazil), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Paraty (Brazil), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Samaipata & Santa Cruz (Bolivia), Sucre (Bolivia), Potosi (Bolivia), Southwest Circuit (Bolivia), Tilcara, Purmamarca, Salta (Argentina), Cafayate (Argentina), San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), Antofagasta & Paranal Observatory (Chile), Chiloe (Chile), Puerto Varas (Chile), Torres del Paine (Chile), Ushuaia (Argentina), El Chalten (Argentina), El Calafate (Argentina), Isla Magdalena (Argentina), Santiago (Chile), Valparaiso (Chile), Afterthought

November 25, 2013 | Categories: Argentina, Day 41 to 50, Northwest Argentina | Tags: Argentina, cemetery, Cerro de los Siete Colores, Hills of Seven Colours, Jujuy, mountains, Purmamarca, Quebrada de Humahuaca | Leave a comment

DAY 41 (5 OF 5) – TRAIN CEMETERY, UYUNI, SOUTHWEST CIRCUIT DAY 4, BOLIVIA

Before we had our farewell lunch, we stopped at the last attraction of the tour, the Train Cemetery in Uyuni. Before the mining industry collapsed in 1940s, Uyuni was a major railway hub from the mines of the interior to the Pacific coast in Chile. After the collapse, the cargo trains and locomotives (mainly from Britain in late 19th century) were abandoned. Today it is one of the major tourist attractions in Uyuni.

After the Train Cemetery, our group had our farewell lunch at a hotel in Uyuni. We were the only two in the group returning to Tupiza. The rest of the group would depart from Uyuni for La Paz. The end of the Southwest Circuit also marks the end of our journey in Bolivia. Tomorrow, we would head south to Argentina.

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Read more on Southwest Circuit, Bolivia in 2013 South America:

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November 24, 2013 | Categories: Bolivia, Day 41 to 50, Southwest Altiplano | Tags: Altiplano, Bolivia, cemetery, highland, Southwest Circuit, train, Uyuni | 1 Comment

DAY 5 (4 of 5) – CEMENTERIO DE LA RECOLETA (2ND VISIT), BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

We came to the Recoleta neighbourhood a second time to visit the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (MNBA). Before the art museum, we decided to revisit the Recoleta Cemetery to photograph its statues under the late afternoon sun. It was Saturday and the area in front of the cemetery entrance was turned into a busy market where vendors were selling everything from local snacks to jewelry. Once again, as we entered the cemetery, we were immediately captivated by the fine details of the richly decorated mausoleums. Stone angles were particularly handsome under the yellow sunlight.

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Read other posts on Buenos Aires, Argentina
1. South America 2013
2. Journey Begins

Day 1.1 – San Telmo Loft, Buenos Aires
Day 1.2 – First Walk in Buenos Aires
Day 2.1 – Morning Stroll in San Telmo, Buenos Aires
Day 2.2 – Cementer de la Recoleta, Buenos Aires
Day 2.3 – Architectural Bennale, Buenos Aires
Day 2.4 – El Ateneo Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires
Day 3.1 – Don Julio Parrillas, Buenos Aires
Day 3.2 – Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires
Day 3.3 – Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires
Day 4.1 – Malba, Buenos Aires,
Day 4.2 – Chan Chan Peruvian Restaurnant, Buenos Aires
Day 4.3 – Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires
Day 5.1 – Pasaje Defensa, Buenos Aires
Day 5.2 – Buseo de Arte Moderno, Buenos Aires
Day 5.3 – Cafe San Juan, Buenos Aires
Day 5.4 – Cementerio de la Recoleta (2nd Visit), Buenos Aires
Day 5.5 – Dylan Ice-cream Parlour, Buenos Aires

Next Destination: Puerto Iguazu, Argentina
Continuing on our journey from post Day 6.1

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October 14, 2013 | Categories: Argentina, Buenos Aires, Day 1 to 10 | Tags: Argentina, Buenos Aires, cemetery, Recoleta | Leave a comment

DAY 2 (2 of 4) – CEMENTERIO DE LA RECOLETA, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

The visit to the most famous cemetery in Buenos Aires was like a stroll in a neigbhourhood full of beautifully designed mansions. We both agreed that Recoleta Cemetery is the most beautiful cemetery we have ever been to. The planning of Recoleta Cemetery resembles a city with main walkways flanked by splendid mausoleums and narrower walkways lined with smaller tomb structures. Mausoleum designs range from Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Neo-Classical, Neo-Gothic, to Modernist and Minimalist. Many mausoleums are richly decorated with statues and ornaments made with imported materials from Europe. Despite the distinct styles, each mausoleum forms part of a coherent whole of a peaceful scene. Most mausoleums are guarded with ornamental iron gate. Some have glass doors which allow visitors to look into the structure, as if the coffins and personal items of the deceased are on display at an open air museum. We wandered from walkways to walkways, taking photos and admiring many of the fine ornaments: marble statues, stone angles, stain-glass structure, bronze animals, etc. Some decorations were so engaging that they made us wanting to know more about the story of the deceased. We stopped by the tomb of Evita, and saw a funeral service as we headed out the cemetery gate. Well dressed participants of the service chatted and hugged each other as workers moved the coffin out of the car.