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It was a beautiful winter yet sunny day for cycling so I continued my 'cycle pilgrimage' to the temples of Chichibu with a round trip of approximately 18kms, quite hilly at times. I stopped a few times to take photos and appreciated the magnificence of the Chichibu mountains looking majestic and undulating around the 360-degree horizon. Looking down on Chichibu Valley from the hill to (Arakawa) Temple No.25 - Panorama (below, click for larger view), one can see the red bridge on the far left, meandering river, persimmons in foreground, Mount Buko and others in background.
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The ride to Arakawa passes through rural plots of farmland, i.e. fields of shallots, cabbages, daikon, dry rice plantations (not the season) and cottages. It is quite typical to come across roadside stalls selling local produce, especially in the countryside - some cobs of corn, a few yams, cabbages, shallots, etc. such as the temple-side vegie store: honesty system in practice. The hillside traverses provide excellent photo opportunitites for an overview of chichibu and adjacent valleys.
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Temple No.25 Kyusho-ji. With a red gate, the Kannon Hall set back behind the lake is late Nineteenth Century. Behind it is a fishing pond filled with water lilies that undoubtedly looks remarkable during summer. The foreground pond was iced over with blue and yellow wrens/wagtail birds hopping on the surface of the ice crust. The buildings were a mixture of recent or recently restored and rustic-looking faded old carved wooden buildings. Due to the Temple's talisman, a large rock with a swirl on it, said to have been originally given to Emma (who is Emma?) by the 
King of Hell, it is believed that souls blessed at this temple can forego Hell.
Riding from Temple 25 to 23, one follows the low-lands beside the riverflat. Here I encountered a dairy (see cow-shed) and stopped for lunch in the associated restaurant in appropriately Swiss decor, cuckoo clock, pheasant stuffed inside, icecream made from real cows, etc. 
The waitress/housewife genuinely didn't seem to speak English nor was she prepared to recommend which dish I should have for lunch so I made a random choice and ended up with vegetarian tomato spaghetti and a good strong coffee. (Though the Parmesan cheese was Kraft!). The real attraction was the local dairy produce but it was too cold for icu-creamu on this occasion.
Do Japanese cows say "pinch"? Kakizakai Sensei assures me they say "maw maw" like "moo" so I'm not sure what this brochure is trying to communicate.
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On a cherry-covered hillside up a steep climb from the riverside, stands Ongaku-ji that I reached right on dusk (16:27). Allegedly one should pass a soba and sushi restaurant on the way: I didn't see them but then again I was consumed by the hairpin-bend hill. The wind in the pine trees makes music, welcoming the Amitabha Buddha. Appreciation of this sound is a Classical theme in Japanese poetry. 
The bell in front of the hall is the same one that sounded in the Nineteenth Century Rebellion. It has 108 nipples and images of the Kannon inscribed. It has a deep undulating tone. 
I came upon the temple just as the half moon was glowing between the cherry branches: it reminded me of Katagiri's book, 'Each Moment is the Universe' and of the shakuhachi Honkyoku piece, 'Shingetsu' that contemplates the moon across a lake or some similar image of emptiness and serenity.
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The return home took me across the imposing suspension bridge whose bold and efficient structure is monumentally huge and mechanically elegant. Also a pleasant downhill run into Chichibu City.
