Zenko-ji - Sometimes Japan works best without any people 👹🍣🎎 Wonderful Japan

Japan is not always loud and bustling, sometimes it can also be really quiet and contemplative. Away from the crowds that you encounter, especially in the big cities but also at the many well-known tourist destinations, Japan can sometimes really invite you to reflect and to dream. And to get to such places, it is usually not as far as you might think. Sometimes it is enough to turn back and walk around the next corner. Suddenly you can be far away from the hustle and bustle that had just been going on nearby.

I have experienced this time and time again: as soon as I leave the path that the crowds are following and go off the beaten track, I am sometimes completely alone and it seems as if I have this wonderful place all to myself. Most visitors seem to be drawn to places where they spot many other people and where many others have been before them. True to the motto: “Where others get excited, there should be something for me to see as well!"

Well, this motto is probably not entirely wrong. Where everyone else is pulling out their cameras and is excitedly taking photos, it's often worth doing the same. The travel guides and brochures are usually right, but as many people read and study them, the places described tend to be really busy. And that doesn't suit everyone, especially not always and at every opportunity.

I myself normally check to see why so many people are craning their necks here and there, as I don't want to miss anything either. But in addition, I also venture to the right and left of the beaten track and move into territory that is left out and ignored by many visitors. If possible, I take my time and look around the next corner to see if there is anything to see. Of course, I don't always succeed, because sometimes I'm also a bit rushed and pushed. But the results of these attempts are a clear sign to keep trying.

And today, a visit to the Zenko-ji temple in Nagano-city serves as a good example. This temple is one of the oldest Buddhist centers in Japan and I have even been lucky enough to visit this place twice. I still have vivid memories of my last visit and I remember it being quite crowded that day.

At least on the main path to the temple and in front of the main building there were lots of visitors and tourists, and I was one of them. But I didn't miss the opportunity to step out of this stream and walk a little further away. As I walked along behind the main building, I suddenly found myself all alone. And as the temple grounds were quite large and spacious, and as I continued to explore, it wasn't difficult for me to avoid the other visitors and, above all, to keep them out of my photos.

Of course I also have pictures that show a lot of people, but these are reserved for other posts. I prefer to look for and to find scenes in which I can see and show the place as I like it best. And that is usually without large crowds, but from a quieter side, which can usually be much more intense and also more stimulating.

At least I imagine that I manage to do this quite well and that's why I always enjoy my many photos, a lot of which have already made it onto this blog. And whether with or without other people around you, Japan is always worth seeing and I hope that with my posts I have been able to arouse some interest in this fantastic country here in the Far East. So, if you want to see more impressions and pictures from the Land of the Rising Sun, please check back soon to make sure you don't miss anything...