Japan Day 5, Part 2: Tofuku-ji pillars and covered bridge

Up a quiet hill sat the large temple of Tofuku-ji. I admired the architecture of a pavilion near the entry.

Beautiful covered walkways stretched between buildings. 

Numerous gates stood a the entrance to a short path into the woods.

From the difference in weathering, it looks as though the holes in a building's pillars once had cross beams, but their absence makes for an interesting view.

I saw very few people around the temple and often had entire sections to myself. I was sorely tempted to jump the low wooden wall and wander up into this building, but in the end I'm far too lawful to ignore posted signs saying the building was closed. 

I had wandered the grounds for some time but had yet to see the Bridge to Heaven, so I poked around a while longer and found the path parallel to the impressive wooden covered bridge. The bridge almost looked to be resting on the tree-tops of the valley below it. 

I wandered through the tree covered hill back to where I'd locked my bike at the temple's entrance.