Of the 88 sacred sites of Shikoku, this time INegoroji Temple, the 82nd temple, located in Kagawa Prefecture.
I had already visited Yashimaji, Zentsuji, Hashikuraji, and Unpenji, and
as I was thinking about which temple to visit next,Negoroji.
Located in the mountains at an altitude of about 400m,there's a high probability of encountering fog if the conditions are right.
With that expectation in mind, I made my decision at a certain moment in the morning.
What was outside my window at 7am?
On the day of the shoot,
the rainy season was almost over, and the weather forecast was uncertain.
I was half-doubtful whether it would rain or not that morning, but the moment I looked out the bathroom window at 7 a.m., everything was decided.
The Goshikidai mountains were shrouded in mist, as if covered by a white veil
"I have no choice but to go"—I
immediately decided on the spot to head to Negoro-ji Temple.
Unexpected rush hour and construction traffic jams
I borrowed my mother's car and left a little after 7 a.m.
The distance is usually less than 30 minutes, butit coincided with the morning rush hour.
Traffic congestion is particularly severe on the Sanuki Hamakaido road, and
to make matters worse,the road is currently restricted to one lane in each direction due to construction work to double-track the Goshikidai Tunnel.
As a result, the usualsuperstition that "the rain will subside once we reach our destination" was activated once again.
I found myself laughing a little, thinking, "I thought so..."
Arriving at Nekoji Temple and entering a quiet space
When I arrived, there were already about two other worshippers in the temple grounds. (You can hear a few voices in the video at one point; those are the voices of the people who were there before me.) I
usually film in sparsely populated spaces, so it was niceto share the same space with others in the morning at the temple.
Although the rain had subsided, we quickly prepared our equipment and began recording
Greenery, moss, the sound of rain, and fog
Late June is the time of yearwhen the greenery is at its most vibrant, and the moss is lush and full of moisture.
Stepping off the main temple grounds onto a mountain path,I encountered a scene that felt like walking through a mist.
alsofalling gently onto fallen leaveshas a quiet resonance, making it a satisfying recording.
88 locations and counting
This adds another temple to my list of 88 to photograph.
There are still many temples in Shikoku, like Negoro-ji Temple, that are quiet and surrounded by nature. I especially want to visit temples in Kagawa and Ehime prefectures, which face the Seto Inland Sea, in the future.
to visit each place one by one andshare its tranquility and beauty with the world.
That's the feeling I had today.
Supplement: I missed the "Ushioni"
right in front of the car parked in the parking lota stone statue of the yokai "Ushioni" (ox-demon)there was
I found out about it later and regretted not taking a picture!
It really showshow important prior research is...
Watch the video here
The footage from this shoot is nowSetouchi Ambienceavailable on
that weaves together greenery, mist, the sound of rain, and silencea calming videoIt's
The audio was recorded using binaural sound. Please wear headphones when watching.
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