Floating paper lanterns down the river to guide the spirits of the ancestors back to paradise.

This handsome Japanese Mountain Sheep (Nihon Kamoshika) was spotted gingerly making its way through the winding narrow footpaths of a small tea farming village of the high Japan Southern Alps.

Crows (karasu) are a constant nuisance to the Japanese farmer who must constantly devise new and clever ways to outsmart and frighten away these intelligent birds who love to nibble and peck at a ripening crop. I was delighted at the ingenuity and resourcefulness of one Japanese farmer who makes intelligent and eco-friendly use of his surroundings in an effort to keep his crops safe.

I found this leech (yama-biru) enjoying a blood meal on my foot while I was taking a break during a hike high in the mountains of central Japan. This video includes footage of the bloody wound the leech inflicted on my foot, so if you are shy of seeing blood you might not want to watch.

There are two main types of leech in Japan including the blood sucking type shown in this video as well as a much larger carnivorous variety. This latter leech is without sucking mouthparts and instead has a giant mouth which allows it to swallow prey nearly as large as the leech. Please see the video below to view this fascinating carnivore of the moist forest floor taking on a giant earthworm.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=vpv9P1KOVMQ

Where to rest and find some shelter when hiking through villages in rural Japan.

Comparing a well-tended Japanese green tea field with another neighboring field which has been abandoned and allowed to go back to nature.

A few of the beautiful waterfalls we encountered this weekend while exploring in the high mountains of the Japan Southern Alps.

The months of July and August are especially important in Japan as the time of year when the spirits of the ancestors are thought to return to their earthly homes for a few days visit. This tradition is called Obon and is observed at different periods of mid-summer (mostly August) throughout the country. During Obon families will typically decorate their butsudan Buddhist home altar in preparation for the arrival of their spiritual guests. Many families may also light small fires of pine wood at the front of the home in order to guide the returning spirits and welcome them home.

This old abandoned farm house high in the mountains of the Japan Southern Alps may not be much to look at now, though it was clearly constructed by someone who gave a great deal of thought and attention to how the house would fit into the surrounding landscape with regard to exposure to sunlight, access to fresh spring water, farmland terrace construction and reasonable - yet not too close - access to the conveniences of humanity (the nearest village is less than 5 kilometers away by road yet closer still via trail). This home was constructed using old-style Japanese carpentry techniques and includes hand-hewn wood joints and massive natural wood beams which carry the roof over two rooms and a large central living area. The entire living space includes raised tatami flooring with the exception of the earth-floor doma kitchen and bath area. The central room includes an old-style irori cooking brazier sunken into the floor with a jizai hook dangling from the rafters for holding cook pots and kettles over the coals.

The farmer who once lived here did clearly exert great effort to construct roughly an acre of stone terraces which were used primarily to cultivate green tea, though some land was also given over to orchards as well as wasabi radish. A terrace for use as a kitchen garden is also found just below the house and a large and very old cherry tree and several plum trees dot the grounds at carefully selected locations. An old fashioned solid stone water basin sits near a moss-covered stone stairway leading between the garden terrace and the home, and the sound of water trickling into this basin can still be heard as a special gravity-fed drain carries water from the spring reservoir to the basin. The property sits high upon the side of a mountain with an incredible view of the valley below and steep mountain cliffs beyond. Falling water can be heard year round from the stream and waterfalls far below within the valley. A troop of Japanese snow monkeys live in the forest behind the home and bear, boar, mountain sheep and even tanuki raccoon dogs are frequent passersby. The home is perhaps a hundred years old though it has been abandoned now for at least the last ten years. The fields and garden terraces have long since been reclaimed by nature and it is only a matter of time before the home itself suffers the same fate. 

It’s very common in Japan to find holy trees in the vicinity of ancient Shinto shrines. Such shrines are often dwarfed beneath the enveloping canopy of one or more companion trees which, like the shrines, may be decorated with shimenawa prayer ropes which are used by the Japanese to designate places or objects of spiritual significance. This particular shrine serves the village of Kawashima in the high mountains of the Japan Southern Alps. The shrine sits atop a small hill in the middle of the village where inhabitants can see, if not visit, the shrine daily. I was impressed by the large conifer tree which stands ramrod straight immediately behind the shrine upon a hill which is otherwise bare of trees.  Viewing the shrine and tree from below presents an impressive and imposing sight.