Hello everyone!
We are Ellen and Sawa from Taiwan. It was our second morning here in Aso. Oliver, a British employee working at Michi No Eki Aso, arranged a visit to a local temple called Saigandenji Temple.
Starting from Michi No Eki Aso, it took us about 10 minutes walking to reach the temple entrance.
As we approached the entrance, we saw a staircase leading upwards, surrounded by towering trees reaching for the sky. Walking up the steps, we felt like we are entering a magical realm.
大家好！ 我們是來自臺灣的Ellen和Sawa，來到阿蘇的第二天早晨，來自英國的Oliver安排今天帶我們參訪阿蘇當地的寺廟—西巖殿寺，從阿蘇道之驛出發，走路大約十分鐘就能抵達寺廟入口，從入口處望去，是一條向上延伸的台階，左右兩側是高聳入雲的樹木，沿著階梯慢慢往上走，有種走入仙境的感覺.
Upon reaching the top, we noticed numerous Jizo stone statues scattered around. They resembled Taiwanese land deities, guarding the residents of the area.
Looking to the right, we saw the main worship hall of the temple. Following Oliver’s lead, we offered our prayers and paid our respects. To the worship hall’s left was “Mirror Stone” believed to alleviate physical discomfort and pain when touched.
Apart from the worship hall, the nearby cherry blossom trees were also prominent. If we were here in spring, we would be greeted by a vast expanse of blooming cherry blossoms, immersing ourselves in the serene pink floral paradise, which would be delightful.
走到上面後，看見許多不同的地藏石像圍繞在四周，他們就像我們的土地公，守護著當地居民。往右方看去，是此寺廟主要的「參拜所」， 我們跟著Oliver拜拜，參拜所左側有一塊「鏡石」，據說觸摸石頭可以減緩身體的不適，帶走疼痛，祈求身體健康，除了參拜所，旁邊的櫻花樹也是一大特色，如果在春天到來，就能看到一大片的櫻花盛開，沉靜在粉色花海也是一大享受。
We will be reporting back tomorrow from Aso Shrine and Ichinomiya, the old town area surrounding the shrine where we got to try some local delicacies.
Thank you for reading.
Ellen
