Usa Jingu

On Tuesday we went to Usa Jingu. I had forgotten how beautiful it is there in the autumn. We had lunch at a small restaurant there, Chelsey had soba noodles, and I had dango-jiru, a miso-based soup with vegetables, pork and fat noodles. It wasn't very good, I'll have to make it at home again. Then we had ice cream. Chelsey studied animal training, can't you tell:



That evening we had a rather impromptu nabe party, with the piano teacher and our near neighbor Rachel and her new hubby. Chelsey baked a delicious pie using the persimmons which are abundant at the moment. She made it up and it worked really well, with a sweet crust base and a custard made from condensed milk and egg yolks covering the persimmons. Yum! Here are some more photos of the shrine:



The treasure house and tea rooms behind a gorgeous maple in full red autumn bloom.




The lake has been taken over by moss and lilies but it looks wonderful next to the yellow leaves



Either that's a very big tree or a very little baby. Or both.



My favorite building at Usa Jingu. I love the mature trees and the moss growing on the thatch roof.








Curiosity!



Erica getting excited about the ducks...which Chelsey and I wanted to murder as they kept stealing the fish food, and we wanted to see the carp!











A fascinating but shockingly sad outdoor gallery - why leave these treasures to fade away and rot outside?



Scary!!!!...







...that enormous demon mask up there!