I passed by the Kakuouzan station on my bike and saw plenty of signs for travelers looking for Nittaiji, a famous temple in the area that I had never heard of. Right outside the subway station is a slight incline and the temple is located at the top. The hill is lined with many old style shops, cafes, and restaurants making the walk to the temple all that more enjoyable.
In my mind was a little temple in a small clearing at the top of a hill but instead the complex was massive and the buildings all looked very new. Kakuouzan is a small town and I had no idea anything of this scale lay just a few minutes walk from the station.
Nittaiji is famous for not being associated with any particular sect of Buddhism. It was built as a sign of friendship between Japan and Thailand, and in particular is coveted for supposedly having some of the remains of Buddha stored inside. Creepy. Or holy. Find out more at the temple's English website.
The pagoda located just outside the temple was impressive. It started raining when I got there so I had to take pictures from under whatever covering I could find but I would love to go back to take more pictures. The cherry blossoms were blooming nicely at the base and continued down a small slope.
I can't imagine what education is like in this nursery school.
Chris
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