Nozawa Wonder
Nozawa, Japan
Photo of the Day: Adding a bit of light to the darkness as we get through the pandemic together.
This series features travel photos from my archives, shared with you while staying close to home.
July 30th, 2020
Today we’re in Nozawa Onsen, Japan – a popular winter ski town in Nagano Prefecture (site of the 1998 winter Olympics).
We went wandering one day and discovered an old wooden temple and shrine up the stairs from the town onsen (hot spring). This is one of the carvings on the shrine — elaborate and aged, and so beautiful with the marbling of the wood. I wish I knew anything about what’s depicted — maybe a genie escaping a bottle or prayers releasing to the heavens? All I know is that these are the rewards of wandering when you travel — discoveries you didn’t know were there that you’ll probably never see again.
We’ll explore more of the shrine and temple tomorrow.
Until then,
Kelly
It’s interesting how you see something else in everything. I like the idea of genie.
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Such is the beauty and depth of life. 🙂
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You probably remember all the shrines and temples of wood in Nepal. This reminds me of those structures — plain in many ways, but the aging makes them distinctive.
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Great reference! It does feel similar to the wood temples in Nepal and equally complex in construction. Both locations are prone to earthquakes so it’s even more interesting that they’re similar. I watched a Nat Geo show that found that using wood (which flexes and gives), combined with stone, was integral to some of the oldest buildings in Nepal withstanding recent earthquakes — it was a key discovery in their rebuilding process since the last big one. Thanks for your comment! 🙂
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Just from my limited Habitat for Humanity experiences in third world countries, I can say that people in those countries use whatever is at hand and whatever is plentiful. It’s amazing what they can do with what they’ve got!
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