Maegami-ji by RobGeraghty, on Flickr

Maegami-ji in Saijo, Ehime, is the 64th temple of the OHenro pilgrimage. In this beautiful valley near the peaks of the surrounding hills, it's easy to see why it's called "the temple in front of the Gods".

[K2 to K50]

Maegami-ji by RobGeraghty, on Flickr

Maegami-ji in Saijo, Ehime, is the 64th temple of the OHenro pilgrimage. In this beautiful valley near the peaks of the surrounding hills, it's easy to see why it's called "the temple in front of the Gods".

Ah, RobG, you really are going to cause me to go bankrupt from funding a trip to Japan if you keep posting shots like this. I will just have to go and re-watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, again. Or, heaven forbid, Joanna Lumley's Japan.

[RobG]

Ah, RobG, you really are going to cause me to go bankrupt from funding a trip to Japan if you keep posting shots like this.

Actually the trip around Shikoku wasn't very expensive. We hired a car, but thanks to the JR rail pass, you can visit a lot of places in Japan in a couple of weeks. If you only visit Shikoku, there's a JR Shikoku pass. Getting to all these temples by train is more time consuming that driving, unfortunately, but it's not too hard to visit major cities like Takamatsu, Matsuyama, Kochi and Tokushima. On my first visit to Shikoku I used the train and visited just Takamatsu and Tokushima and the first three temples, which you can easily walk between.

I wrote up a trip itinerary to Shikoku as an exercise for a Japanese class which was seven days and I think I kept the price under $3000 by flying Jetstar. I am not recommending Jetstar unless you're prepared for the lack of service. I usually fly JAL.

I will just have to go and re-watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, again. Or, heaven forbid, Joanna Lumley's Japan.

How about "Destination Flavour Japan"? Adam Liaw's presentation is very authentic since he has lived there. Joanna's series was good, although I pity her a little not being able to experience the full range of Japanese cuisine being vegetarian (but she should have done more temple stays, since their food will be vegetarian).

[József]

Good +1/2 EV ?

[RobG]

Good +1/2 EV ?

Is it too dark? I generally shoot at -0.3EV because blown out highlights are lost forever. I brighten the image in post processing. This shot looks OK on my monitor at work. Any brighter and the roof tiles would be a bit too bright.

[József]

No . The picture is good .Maybe the background is a bit dark.Sorry for the idea.

[Kerrowdown]

Maegami-ji

Wonderful image, I really like the symmetry with the two covered walkways creating almost like "wings".

I can't help wondering why they built an offset path, rather straight and square to the temple.

[RobG]

No . The picture is good .Maybe the background is a bit dark.Sorry for the idea.

No problem! The day was overcast, so it was hard to find an ideal balance.

Wonderful image, I really like the symmetry with the two covered walkways creating almost like "wings".

Yes! That was why I liked it also. It reminded me of Izumo Taisha, which has similar galleries on either side of the inner shrine where the Kami are temporarily housed when they visit each year. I don't know if the purpose of the empty galleries at Maegami-ji serve a similar purpose.

I can't help wondering why they built an offset path, rather straight and square to the temple.

The path in the foreground follows the curve of the valley. It may serve to encourage people to walk on one side, but I think it's just forced by the geography. In Japan, you're supposed to approach the temple or shrine walking to one side of the path. The middle is reserved for the Kami. However, even a lot of Japanese people don't know about this tradition. Having said that, it's perhaps more of a Shinto thing than a Buddhist thing.