When I first arrived in Hikone, I was very, very jet lagged. So, on the third morning, despite trying to go to bed late to fix my sleep schedule, I still woke up very early. I tried to go back to sleep, but no matter how hard I tried I was simply unable, staring out through the window, sleepless. Finally, I decided to use this early morning to go back and look around a shrine I had briefly visited yesterday. Since high school, I had been very interested in Japanese religion, and so I planned to visit lots of shrines during my stay in Japan. And so, when I realized there was a shrine by the name of 礒崎神社 (Isozaki Jinja), which is only a couple minute’s bike ride away from JCMU, I was immediately intrigued. Today, rather than just look around the base of the shrine, I instead planned to hike to its peak, the apex of the large hill on which the shrine was built.

The day was beautiful and cool, with a slight breeze and lazy grey clouds drifting overhead. And so, I threw on my jacket and helmet, and rode my bike along Lake Biwa to the entrance of Isozaki Shrine。

When I pulled up to the small house and stone torii signaling the base of the shrine, I once again thought to myself just how beautiful it truly was. To my left, the endless expanse of Lake Biwa, and to my right a set of old, mossy stone stairs quickly consumed by the dense hillside forest. It felt as if I had suddenly stepped into the past, ancient structures surrounding me and nothing by the shrine and nature insight, with no other people even driving down the road this early in the morning.

Not wanting to waste time, I began my ascent up the stairs. Hiking up, I was immediately engulfed by the trees, dimming the sound of the crashing waves and leaving only the voice of the forest. After a short time, I reached a large clearing, filled with the main structures of the shrine and lined with many unlit stone lamps.

While at first this seemed to be where the trail ended, towards the back of the clearing was another, smaller, dirt path leading upward. Seeing a sign indicating that this path was the one towards the peak, I continued on, as the path slowly became narrower and steeper. The dense thicket of tree roots on the ground both helped to hinder and assist in the climb, the path clearly being one that was not often traversed by visitors. Eventually, I reached a small gap in the trees at the top of the hill. In the center was a tiny stone building, with an equally small metal offertory box placed in front. What truly caught my eye, however, was the gaps in the trees on both sides of the space. These openings looked out over the land below. On the left was a gorgeous outlook over the nearby city of Maibara, framed by mountains, and to the right the beautiful rolling countryside of hills and mountains. While I saw many gorgeous views during my month in Japan, the scenery from the peak of Isozaki, looking alone over the sights of Shiga, is without a doubt one of my favorites.