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5-19-2007 Saturday The taxi took me, not my intention, to the top of Hagurosan, But this works good because I found a Shinto guesthouse on top which is very comfortable. Spent the afternoon walking around the shrines on top. There used to be many Buddhist temples here but they were replaced by Shinto in the Meiji era. I had always thought the Yamabushi, the mountain monks were Buddhist but it seems the two religions are quite mixed up here. The museam has mostly Buddhist sculptures, some going back to the Heian period. It is rainy, misty and cold up here. The cedar trees are most impressive, towering high up into the clouds. The guest house is huge, run by the Shinto shrine, and vegetarian. Clean, friendly service, excellent food and a large hot ofuro. 7,300 Yen including two meals. There is only one other guest, an American doctor searching for something, and who speaks no Japanese. This photo shows how dinner was set up for two people in the large dining room.

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