Nagano -- Japan's Half a Mile High City

I logged my first geocache find in Japan at the Zenkoji Exit of Nagano's shinkasen terminal.  According to legend, Princess Nyoze of India was afflicted with a terrible disease that no one could cure.  Her faithless father cried out to Shakyamuni Buddha to no avail, but when he called the name of Amida Buddha with all his heart, Amida cast a light upon the sleeping princess and she was instantly healed.  It seemed appropriate, then, that my own journey to Nagano should begin at the foot of Princess Nyoze offering thanks and flowers to the Buddha of Zenkoji Temple (no, the cache site is not in the picture).

The story of Princess Nyoze captures the essence of Pure Land Buddhism in Japan, where a highly personal form of Buddhism is centered around Amida Buddha, who is worshipped as personification of the incomprehensible.  Unlike the historical Buddha of 400 B.C., or Dainichi-nyorai, the transcendental, all-encompassing Buddha, Amida Buddha is approachable.  You can touch him, and he responds to your deepest desires.

Walking away from Zenkoji Temple, I chanced upon Kitano Cultural Center and stopped in to see what it had to offer.  It turned out to be a children's museum of Japanese art, but there was no one else there so I went through the museum and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The docent loved having someone to show the museum to, and she carefully explained each of the pieces to me.  While looking at each piece of fearsome armor worn by an Edo Period samurai, I wondered about the cute, little bunny rabbit on his helmet.  She told me that the bunny was a highly valued fetish for the samurai: the bunny has large eyes, so he can see on all sides; he has large ears, so he can hear clearly; he's very fast; and, most importantly, he has many children!

I found Nagano to be the most pleasant city I've visited in Japan: very clean and pedestrian-friendly, with more culture and less glitz.  It's about half the elevation and half the population of Denver, Colorado, but otherwise very similar in its setting at the base of the Japan Alps.  One can easily see why this charming city was selected to host the 1998 Winter Olympic Games.

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