[ Mar.2016 ] We had a few hours before taking the train, so we walked a bit in Gero town in Gifu, Japan. It was sunny but the wind was very cold. We saw a long staircase and decided to go up there. I did not know then, but apparently there are 173 steps. At the end of the steps, there was the Onsenji Temple, or Hot Spring temple. There was a plaque explaining the history: Gero Onsen hot spring was found in the 10th century. In those days the spring was located east of the current place. In 1265, this spring suddenly stopped. In the following year, a villager found an egret flying down to the riverbank of Hida River. When he approached there, he found a hot spring. After that the egret flew up to a mountain and sat on a pine tree. The villager followed the bird and found the Healing Buddha sitting under the tree. So they made this temple there. The current temple was built in 1671. For a long time, many people have been coming here hoping their illness would be cured. They wrote their wishes on wooden plaques, which are kept in the temple.
