Exploring Japan - Balancing Stones on the Wazuka River

While I was in the tea town of Wazuka in Kyoto I took some small side trips to different areas of the town to enjoy what was on offer. In general the town is quite small so you can see most of it by bike in not too much time at all. The only real struggle here are the hill climbs, so if you do come here and decide to get a bike you most definitely need an electric bike! These are really quite amazing and help so much on the steeper sections.

On one of the days I walked approximately 30-40 minutes to see the 'Mirokumagai Buddha' that's situated on the banks of the Wazuka river. Carved in to the rock in 1300 was an image of the Buddha, very fitting considering how valuable this piece of nature is to the town. Without this river the conditions for cultivating tea would be nowhere near as good, with the water creating a kind of mist that hangs in the air and over the tea farms throughout the morning.

The stone itself is granite and it seemed fairly fitting that someone had been balancing some rocks near the river here at some point in time. I was able to capture the scene and sit back overlooking the river and these miniature natural sculptures, a real place of beauty that left a lasting impression on me. I'm glad that I took some pictures and that I can share them with you here. It's nice for others to experience a little bit of this peaceful atmosphere as well, even if it's only through the pictures below. Speak soon :)