[Columbine]

Well it certainly is beautiful; ghost or no ghost, I'd happily spend hours wandering around it.

Does bring to light again in my mind an interesting discrepancy with ghost stories. Have you noticed that the only fact people all agreed on was that the ghost is of a woman? Interesting as almost all ghosts in Japan seem to be women. Similar things in the west too; adult female ghosts tend to be sad or seeking (excepting witches, of course), adult male ghosts tend to be angry or evil. It would definitely be interesting to know approximately how old this story is. Sounds like it must be fairly old to also have that snake story and for so many people to avoid it. Large-scale reputation like that takes time to sink in so thoroughly. *psychologist hat*

Anyway, enjoy it; sounds like you know the one place that's going to be quiet during Golden Week! And thanks for sharing the photos; i love the last one. The bird (a heron?) really adds interest.