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I know I must sound like a sex starved kid, having posed the note about the sex museum and now this, but I don't think that's the case. In trying to cater to all different sorts of henro, I rack my pea-sized brain for all the things I've seen that were "different" and that someone might want to check out.
Having said that, what I find interesting about the next two places are that they are right at temples themselves.
Bangai Temple 14, between Temples 65 and 66, is a fertility temple and like other fertility temples around Japan that means you'll find statues at the temple that help couples with fertility issues. If you find the statues, and rub the appropriate parts of the body, your fertility is sure to improve.
Look around the compound if you visit Bangai 14 for the many statues. Then, when you think no one is looking, lift the cloth that is covering it from the neck down... and prepare to blush. Being non-discriminatory, statues of both sexes are displayed, in great physical detail and color.
While not sex, per se, it is an after affect. About a half-kilometer from Bangai 18 is the temple where the Daishi was supposedly REALLY born. Zentsuji says he was born there. Kaiganji (Bangai 18) says no, he was raised there, but born at Kaiganji. This third temple says, no, he was born at their temple. It is listed in the 88 Route Guide.
The temple is open to the public and you are free to go in and wander around. Inside you'll find statues of his parents, amongst lots of other stuff. The interesting part for me was the bowl just below the statues that was obviously something important.
After looking up the kanji so I could figure it out, it seems that they believe that that bowl was the exact one used to hold the placenta at the time of the Daishi's birth, at that temple. Now how can you argue with that?
So, if you're looking for something off beat during your Henro, check out a few of the Bangai Temples.
Having said that, what I find interesting about the next two places are that they are right at temples themselves.
Bangai Temple 14, between Temples 65 and 66, is a fertility temple and like other fertility temples around Japan that means you'll find statues at the temple that help couples with fertility issues. If you find the statues, and rub the appropriate parts of the body, your fertility is sure to improve.
Look around the compound if you visit Bangai 14 for the many statues. Then, when you think no one is looking, lift the cloth that is covering it from the neck down... and prepare to blush. Being non-discriminatory, statues of both sexes are displayed, in great physical detail and color.
While not sex, per se, it is an after affect. About a half-kilometer from Bangai 18 is the temple where the Daishi was supposedly REALLY born. Zentsuji says he was born there. Kaiganji (Bangai 18) says no, he was raised there, but born at Kaiganji. This third temple says, no, he was born at their temple. It is listed in the 88 Route Guide.
The temple is open to the public and you are free to go in and wander around. Inside you'll find statues of his parents, amongst lots of other stuff. The interesting part for me was the bowl just below the statues that was obviously something important.
After looking up the kanji so I could figure it out, it seems that they believe that that bowl was the exact one used to hold the placenta at the time of the Daishi's birth, at that temple. Now how can you argue with that?
So, if you're looking for something off beat during your Henro, check out a few of the Bangai Temples.
