Visit date(s):         October 5 & 6, 2024

Nearby sites on trip: Hiraizumi 

Overnight location: Onsen near Ichinoseki 

Location(s):  

• Takkoku-no-Iwaya (photo)
• Cultural Heritage Center (There are other sites listed, but the staff at the cultural centre suggested that they weren’t worth the trips because they were archaeological sites without access for visitors.  Some artefacts from them were in the centre.  There were photos of some others that are in the Tokyo national museum.)

Travel method(s):  car

Travel duration: 15 minutes 

Visit duration:  About 1 hour

OUV:  I haven’t found a stated reason why this site was not included in the original submission.  There are however some obvious differences. The gardens surrounding Mount Kinkeisan are each within 2 km of it.  This one is about 7 km away and, because it is a mixed Buddhist-Shinto site, has a very distinct look. The garden here is much smaller than the others, but the whole site is smaller too.  It had started as a Shinto site, but Buddhist elements were added contemporary to the development of the closer gardens. The same Fujiwara family endowed buildings here as well as building the gardens in town.

Best of: The water feature, bridges and buildings complement each other, as can be seen in the photo.