The New Stair Master, also known as "Mount Oyama"

Rainy Season is Japan means what you would think... RAIN! And a ton of it!

We knew that when our company from the States was here in Japan, we would deal with the rain the best we could.

We have heard great things about a holy site known as Mount Oyama. The top of the peak is at 4,108 feet tall. On a clear day from the peak you can see amazing views across the Sagami Plain, the Boso Peninsula, Mt. Fuji, the skyscrapers of Tokyo and so much more. We didn't have a clear day, but we had a good attitude and a tourist's spirit. This peak is considered 'holy'. It is popular for people to travel to climb this peak "while considering the gods who made the peak possible". When you are touring it there is a sign asking that you remain "respectful to worshippers and climbers alike".

 

We started out the trek from our neck of the woods. It took us about 90 minutes to get to Oyama. That is incredible since it is only about 26 miles away. Once we arrived, we found parking and were off to start the climb. Mr. J took the first turn with A on his back. Around 45 pounds, sweet A adds a bit of weight to the brave soul carrying her. The men took turns and each got a little workout. A, that sweet little miss, says some pretty hilarious stuff when it is your turn, so it really is a blessing to have her along for the trip.

This was the first sign on the steps. We had no idea what we were doing, but we certainly had to take a breath when we read the next sign...

Did that say what I thought it said? 362 steps??? Is there another way up those 362 steps? An elevator of sorts for this American lazy-bones?
Umm. I am beginning to think that my hubby may have known about this and just not told me. Good plan, Dear.

We just kept walking. (Just keep swimming, anyone?) What else was there to do?
It actually wasn't that bad. (For the record, there were several dozens of steps before this sign. So, tell that cross fit coach we climbed about 425 steps.) We passed by a few shops selling tofo, made from the fabulous mountain springs of Mt. Oyama, and spinning tops, made for hundreds of years here in this village. We have no idea how the shops make enough money to survive, but we press on.

On top of Mount Oyama stands Afuri Jinga, a shrine constructed by the tenth emperor of Japan, Emperor Sujin. He is thought to have started the construction process around 60 BC, though the timeline is not certain.

There is an annual marathon up the mountain that includes bringing some traditional items and a miniature shrine up the side of the mountain.  Here is a picture from their ad. We could not fully understand why they do this, but there were so many pictures of the process that they must be pretty proud of it.

At the top of the never-ending steps is the cable car. The cable cars run every 20 minutes throughout the day, so you can enjoy the area without worrying about being rushed. The cable car goes up, STRAIGHT up actually. It stops at a smaller shrine on the way up. Then, on to the upper shrine that we were excited about. The further up we went the more dense the fog got. It was incredible that in a 10 minute cable car ride we climbed that high- without having to hike up some more stairs ;)



We arrived at the top & the men switched A around. Outside the cable car station we found ... you know it... MORE stairs. Oh my!

Before we started up, a local woman said she would take our picture all together.  Cheese. Then, we set off to climb a few more stairs...

We finally climb the steps. We are were rewarded with a beautiful, albeit foggy, historical shrine and numerous statues. The large straw ring, or Chinowa, is placed there at the beginning of each summer season. As Summer 'drags on' , local Japanese step through the ring "to purify their souls and bring them peace into the new season". 

When we walking around a local came up to Mr. J and asked if he wanted to see the 'water'. Mr. J was confused, so he said, "No thanks". A few minutes later the same man came up to me and asked me about the 'water'. I did not understand, but knew he must really want to show me something if he was asking a female in the group. We followed him to an underground passage way where fresh mountain spring water flows. He showed us how to wash our hands and drink from the spring. The 'holy' water is said to bring good fortune and longevity to those who drink it. (We continue to walk a fine line here and at other holy sites in Japan. We are Christians. We follow Jesus. We believe He is the Son of God, and the only way to Heaven is through Him. We also believe that in order to not offend we must respect their culture, while openly discussing our faith. It is not hard as an adult most of the time, but it is something we have to talk to the kids about quite often. We do not bow at shrines, or clap to awaken a god at local temples. God is always awake, and the only shrine he desires is the shrine of our hearts. I feel better now. Back to the regularly scheduled blog.)

We walked around the shrine for awhile before we decided to start the descent down.  I had to catch one last picture before we left.  Imagine Mt. Fuji in that fog and that they kids aren't sticking out their tongues. Oh, know you can envision it...

It was a lot easier going down those never-ending stairs. No wonder the locals are so thin!!!!

All of the children, and all of the adults slept well that night. I think we were all dreaming of flat tourist sites.

Taking Life one Step at a Time,

~Aggie Amy