We started at Hachimangu, a Shinto shrine. Hachiman is the Shinto god of war, so this is a common shrine name. At this shrine was a ginko tree which "witnessed" the murder of a shogun in 1219.
Next we walked past Jufuku-ji temple but nothing was happening there, so we went onward to Zeniarai Benzaiten shrine. To get to this shrine, we had to walk through this tunnel to the shrine courtyard,
and then into a cave where a spring flowed. The purpose of visiting Zeniarai Benzaiten shrine is to wash your money in this spring, in the belief that the money will double. Ash washed a few coins, while I snapped photos of the strings of origami cranes hanging from the cave ceiling.
The Great Buddha statue at Kotokuin temple was next. It's 11 meters tall and made of bronze. I had been very excited to visit this temple, but it didn't quite live up to expectations - Buddha was smaller than I expected. However, I did find this sign at the entrance amusing.
Since the day was still young, we went on to Hase-dera temple. We weren't expecting much there, but really it was an impressive place! It had several terraces of gardens and buildings, an army of jizo statues, and a cave to wander through!
This last picture is a rinzo, rotating bookcase, which houses the Buddhist sutras. By turning the rinzo around 360 degrees, you can earn the same merit as from actually reading all the sutras. Sounds like a deal to me!
The next temple was Jomjyo-ji with a famous rock garden. Ma-ma (so-so) in my estimation.
Last on the day's itinerary was Hokoku-ji temple and its beautiful bamboo garden (the brochure called it a "garden" rather than a forest...).
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