field of stones

This time we took the stairs above the row of Jizu and found the 'field of stones'. A level area above the river covered with rather phallic stone pillars, lanterns and the occasional seated sage in mossy robes, and not another person in sight. It seems like there are so many places like this in Japan. While sometimes the big sites can be so crowded they can be hard to fully appreciate, there are small shrines tucked away in unexpected places everywhere. Of course it is not the case at all, but I cant help but feel as if we have stumbled across a long forgotten secret, all the more mysterious because we have no idea what it actually is.