Oya and Mashiko

On Sarah's last day in Utsunomiya, we tried to do a few things that were close by. We went to Oya which is a shrine built into the side of a small mountain. There was also a stone quarry that we toured.


A few days prior to going to Oya, we went to Mashiko. Mashiko is a pottery town close to Utsunomiya. We basically spent the whole day shopping. There isn't a whole lot to take pictures of unless you are into pottery.

OYA











These are pictures of the quarry. There was a tiny museum but it was all in Japanese so we weren't sure what things were or even the significance. We didn't get a whole lot of pictures because it was dark and many did not turn out. From what we gather, people used to go into the quarry and cut out slabs of rock and then carry them out on their backs. I think that over time, they developed better ways, but the pictures showed people hauling them out.





This is a statue of what I have heard referenced as a 'giant buddah'. Typically I see Buddah as a rotund guy sitting down. I believe this was carved into the rock after world war two to honor the people who lost their lives.

Here are a few pictures at the shrine in Oya. There are carvings inside the shrine but you are not allowed to take pictures. If you look closely, the main shrine is set back and it is actually recessed into the rock. I think I remember reading that they are the oldest stone carvings in Japan. To the left of the shrine is a garden (middle picture). There is a small house which has what looked to be gold statues. Denny went in and jumped up on the platform. Instantly, we heard a soft chime beeping... It wasn't long before a woman showed up as well as the Shinto priest. We were a little embarrassed. We kept pointing at Denny and apologizing.

MASHIKO

Elin found an Italian restaurant at Mashiko. Elin and the kids had pizza. Sarah and I had spaghetti. It was nice while the sun was out but it started to get cold as the sun went down. The pictures are in reverse order... sorry, still trying to figure the blog out. I took the kids down to the convenience store and they had Pinos for the first time. Basically, they are 6 individual vanilla ice cream balls covered in frozen chocolate. You get a little stabber to eat them with. I am sure those are not the last Pinos they will eat in the next few years.

This is a tanuki. I have not heard the reason, but they are all over Mashiko. Almost every pottery stand sells them and they are expensive - even the little ones. Every one comes with its very own phallus, believe it or not.

We had to tell the kids over and over to not run and to not touch. Many things are fairly cheap, but with my luck, they would have broken something expensive. Overall, they did good considering it wasn't a place for kids. Savannah is modeling a cup. She and Denny both one similar to the one she is holding.

The tall tanuki from across the street.

The kids got to decorate their own piece of pottery. We have to go back at the end of June to pick them up after they a glazed. This place had pottery wheels. Several people were making their own pottery. We thought this might be a little advanced so we went with the pre-made items.