The Mysterious Bakejizo

Today I hopped on a bus from Nikko to Chuzenji Lake. The road wound back and forth all the way up this massive mountain for around 45 minutes - not for the faint-hearted, as demonstrated by the group of Japanese lads behind me who started puking in plastic bags mid-journey. Lovely.

My first stop was Kegon Falls, the third largest waterfall in Japan. It was beautiful and loud with the water pounding the rocks below.

Next was Lake Chuzenji - GORGEOUS!! Mountains in the background, some even covered in snow. In Chuzenji you can ski in summer time thanks to the snow-capped mountains. I walked along the banks of the lake when a man running the paddleboat rentals started soliciting me for some business. His original price of $50 for a few hours didn’t suit my needs. As it was the off-season, I took advantage of the lack of tourists in the area, agreeing a price $15 dollars for 30 minutes. What a BARGAIN!

So I hopped in a paddleboat shaped like a giant swan, with me stuck in between its wings, and fought the current to get a better view of the mountains. It was a tough workout but well worth it in the end when I eventually managed to get a spectacular vista. I ended up taking the paddleboat for around 45 minutes, longer than the agreed 30. The shop owner seemed a bit peeved, but luckily Japanese politeness wouldn’t allow him to do anything other than to thank me for my business and wish me a lovely evening.

Chuzenjiko with the swan paddleboats

Then I took the coach back down the mountain. I was a bit unnerved because, despite the windy, narrow mountain roads, our Japanese coach driver decided his concentration would be better spent telling his passengers jokes through the microphone. I didn't understand a word, but he must have been entertaining because the Japanese passengers on the coach were laughing hysterically. Judging from our journey up the mountain, I’m guessing he probably did it to distract everyone to prevent them from being sick. Wise move. But, let me tell you, there is a reason Japanese humour has not conquered the world.

After getting off the bus I walked along the banks of the Daiywa River to the Kanmangafuchi Abyss, a few hundred meters long gorge. The water had this incredible turquoise blue, which I thought was strange as it was constantly churning. But it made for a pleasant stop for a bit of relaxation.

Kanmangafuchi Abyss

This is also where I found the mysterious Bakejizo - or Ghost Statues. The bank is lined with just under 100 statues of the Buddhist protector of children, all wearing red caps and bibs. Legend has it that the Bakejizo are uncountable, and if you walk along counting them in one direction, and then walk back the opposite direction counting them again, the numbers you have won’t match because there is one phantom Jizo who likes to mess with travellers. Hence the name Ghost Statues.

The mysterious bakejizo

I arrived in their wooded location around 5pm, and sure enough, right there in the middle of the woods were moss-covered statues with bright red hats and bibs - dusk had fallen casting an eerie shadow across the line of statues along the riverbank. Naturally, as I walked along the line of old, crumbling statues I counted them, and sure enough the number I had walking down did not match the number I had walking back. GHOST STATUES!

#bakejizo #nikko #chuzenjiko