So I'm finally getting to upload photos from one of our earlier quick trips to Mt. Hachiman. It is nearby, so it was a quick drive to get there. While we meant to climb the whole mountain, I got distracted by a huge collection of carved stone statues in a temple complex.

Needless to say, the pictures I've uploaded here (and some more you can find on my Flickr) are about a tenth of what I wound up taking.

Since it was the middle of winter (you see how far behind I am? XD) it wasn't particularly green or anything, but that was very nice for getting shots of just the statues, and of course, the pine trees that are everywhere, too.

I plan on heading back sometime soon, to see what it's like with more growth all around, but unfortunately, I missed hanami season (sakura, cherry blossom) to get pictures, so it'll have to be summer time instead!

Some of my favorite photos from this set...

 

Still to be gone through, edited, and uploaded are: Nakatsu Castle (both the castle itself, and the gardens around it in spring), Komo shrine (in spring), Rakanji Temple (a Buddhist temple carved into the side of a mountain) and seeing traditional Japanese dance (in pretty kimono!) from a local school (our friend performed there, too, along with like a billion of the most adorable 3-6 year old girls in full kimono getup - it's adorable!!) in a park, where sakura petals fell like snow :3