This is a 45km plus hiking course that takes the walker through a variety of scenery. Commencing at an industrial estate, on the outskirts of Hirakata City, the course makes it's way through three recreational parks, several rural settlements, many hill-climbs & descents, and, lets not forget, temples & shrines, before finishing at the town of Sango, in Nara Prefecture.
These first two images were taken at the Iwafune-jinja Shrine, on the outskirts of Katano City, Osaka Prefecture. I highly recommend you visit this complex, and, while there, check-out some of the hiking tracks in the vicinity.
The ever-present roadside Jizo. No matter wherever you are - rural, city, town, mountain, - and how isolated you are, you are bound to come-across one of these.
If it hadn't been for the sound of the waterfall, I would have missed these guys. I had to clamber-down from the track to take these images.
I am now on the second segment of this course (Shijonawate to Sango) and, almost immediately, my first roadside icon. I'm actually surprised it is still intact, as there is a quarry just up the road, and many heavy trucks pass by here. Unlike the first segment (Tsuda to Shijonawate), where it was fine and warm, on this day there was plenty of snow about . . . .
. . . . as can be seen in the above slideshow. If you hover your cursor over the image, click on the arrow to commence the slideshow.
In the above image I am on my descent from the plateau, where I had spent the previous 4-hours hiking, towards my goal of Sango Town. I stopped here to admire the rural scenery and, as I turned to leave, I spotted this collection of Jizo.
The icon on the right, looks similar to one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune, maybe it is Fukurokuju, the God of wisdom and longevity.
The above slideshow are images from Chogosonshi-ji Temple, at the end of my course.
Full course details, via my "Ride with G.P.S.".