Daigo

Daigo is home to a large number of ancient temples and shrines, among them the oldest standing wooden structure in the city. Located in a small valley in the South-Eastern corner of Kyoto, Daigo is a fun place to go not only for the culture, but also for the brisk mountain hikes necessary to take in the various sights. So brisk and so mountainous, in fact, that Laura and I were taken totally off our guard, and couldn't quite make it on the steep climb to the top.

Daigo truly makes one feel lucky to live in a city like Kyoto. Located at the end of the Tozai Subway line, a quick walk from the station lands you in a seemingly secluded complex of mountain temples.

Hikers and temple-goers alike flock to this area to soak in some culture and to breath in the fresh air. Many of the temples that we saw had an entirely different air from the others we have seen so far, each showing their age to a far greater degree than we are accustomed.

Japanese temples seem to generally shine as if they were new, despite their age. Although we hardly scratched the surface in terms of seeing all that there was to see in Daigo, what we did see looked ancient.

Adding to the sense of age in the place were two massive statues carved from wood that guarded the entrance to the temple grounds. Depicting what I can only assume were a few of the fierce warrior gods from the Japanese pantheon.

Found just beyond the gates, a massive wooden pagoda looms high above the trees among the scattered buildings in the area.

The pagoda, in part, demonstrates what is so interesting about the area. The many buildings are spread out, making the vast grounds at the foot of the moutains like one, giant, sprawling temple.

Having made our way through the lower temple area, however, we were faced with what the Lonely Planet assured us was a short, simple hike up the mountain. As we have found so many times in the past, the Lonely Planet is often wrong. After a number of hours slogging up the precipitous trails on the mountainside, we decided we had better return better prepared on another day.

We'll definitely be going back to Daigo in the near future. The area is famed for its beauty when the autumn colours come out, and we have a grudge match with the mountain that remains unsettled. On top of all that, we only saw a small fraction of the many temples there, not least of which is the World Heritage Site...which I think we missed entirely. Stay tuned!