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Tochoji pagoda (Fukuoka, Japan)
According to wiki, Tochoji is most famous for having the largest statue of a seated Buddha in Japan. However, the one in Kamakura is several meters taller. Maybe they meant the largest wood statue of the Buddha. In any event, there is more to see at Tochoji, including the pagoda, pictured above, and the paintings of hell.
Danjo Garan (壇場伽藍) on Koyasan
Beomeosa Buddha
Busan, South Korea
Korean temples tend to be out of the way (compared to Japan anyway). Beomeosa feels a world away once you enter the grounds, but the Beomeosa subway stop in Busan is just a short walk and then short bus ride away.
Golden Hall (金堂) of Ninnaji (Kyoto, Japan)
sign giving a little history of Ninna-ji’s Main Hall (a national treasure) in Japanese, Chinese, English, and Korean
Tea House @ Korea’s Naeso Temple with the peaks of Byeonsan-bando (변산반도국립공원) in the background
This weekend I’m heading to Busan for the first time. Last weekend I went on my first (and sadly only as the next one is after I am gone) GIC Culture Tour to Buan/Byeonsan-bando National Park. If you are ever in Gwangju, make sure to see if the GIC (Gwangju International Center) is doing a tour. They usually do one a month, and you probably have to book weeks in advance as they quickly fill up. I got on the waitlist and was let on the tour just a few days before it happened. The GIC tours are very affordable and well done. I’ve been on tours elsewhere (Italy, Hawaii, Portland, Japan, Thailand) that cost three to five times as much for a similar experience.
Today’s photo is from a building on the Naeso Temple grounds where we enjoyed cold mulberry leaf tea the region is famous for.
Korean temple near Mt. Mudeung
This temple was locked up by the time I was finishing my hike on Mudeungsan. The location is on the Gwangju side of Jeungsimsa Temple (증심사), just inside Mudeungsan National Park.