The 4 typical scenic spots below are where you can admire the great Buddha statue, enjoy the natural scenery and truly feel the traditional culture of Japan.
1. Sakura Daibutsu, the Great Buddha at Tsubosaka Temple, Nara
Built on the mountain of the same name, Tsubosaka Temple is a famous cherry blossom viewing spot in Nara Prefecture. In spring, the majestic Buddha statue and cherry blossoms amidst the majestic mountains and forests create a beautiful space like a fairyland, a beauty that is hard to find anywhere else.
Sakura Daibutsu Buddha with cherry blossoms
Tsubosaka Temple has a unique architectural style combining India and Japan. In the temple grounds, you can find many different Buddha statues. In addition, there is the 20-meter-high Tenjiku Torai Daikannon statue, the 8-meter-long Tenjiku Torai Dainehan reclining Buddha statue or the 10-meter-high Tenjiku Torai Daishakanyorai statue... Slowly strolling around the temple and admiring the massive statues with both majestic and gentle beauty will make every visitor's heart feel lighter.
Not only famous for cherry blossoms, when you come here, you can also admire the temple grounds in the brilliant yellow color of the flower path in the warm weather of spring. Visiting the temple in the summer, the lush green of the trees and leaves gives people a feeling of freshness and vitality. In the fall, you will be amazed when the temple changes its clothes with the yellow and red colors of autumn leaves, making the scene strangely nostalgic and peaceful. Then when winter comes, the temple and the Great Buddha statue are dyed white with snow, at this time the scene is as beautiful as a beautiful landscape painting.
Red in Autumn
If you have the opportunity to travel to Japan, visit the above places to feel the majestic and gentle beauty of the Great Buddha statues in the four seasons of this Land of the Rising Sun. Surely you will feel more peaceful after the hustle and bustle of life.
2. Big Buddha among lavender hills
In the vast natural space of Sapporo in Hokkaido, you can find a construction that surprises with its creativity, scale and sacredness. That is the Hill of the Buddha with a Buddha statue hidden on a lavender hill.
Creative work among lavender hills
The 13.5 meter tall and 1,500 ton Buddha statue was carefully selected from 4,000 tons of rough stone. It is part of the Makomanai Takino cemetery designed by the famous architect Tadao Ando. His idea for this special structure was to let people's imagination run wild because when looking from the outside, you cannot see the whole Buddha statue.
The 13.5 meter high and 1,500 ton Buddha statue was carefully selected from 4,000 tons of rough stone.
The hill is filled with green in spring, purple with thousands of lavender flowers in summer and a vast white color of snow when winter comes. The 135 meter long entrance will take you to the gentle but also very majestic Buddha. Here, visitors can also collect Goshuin seals, write wishes on Ema or draw Omikuji fortunes like visiting a shrine in Japan.
3. Sendai Daikannon Statue in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
Looking straight ahead from Sendai Station is the majestic Sendai Daikannon statue, 100 meters high. The reason the statue is so tall is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Sendai City. Beneath this giant statue is a 21 meter underground space with the hope of wishing for prosperity in the 21st century.
Statue of Guanyin in the heart of the city
The right hand of the statue of Guanyin holds a wish-granting pearl, the left hand is a bottle of wisdom Mantoku bestowed upon sentient beings. Not only can visitors worship the statue from the outside, they can also go inside to visit. From the dragon mouth-shaped entrance at the foot of the statue, there is an elevator that goes up to 12 floors, hundreds of small statues are displayed in a sacred space. If you come here on a clear day, go to the top floor to see the whole view of the beautiful city of Sendai as well as the Pacific Ocean.
Visitors can take the elevator to visit inside the statue.
Upon arriving at Daikan-Mitsu-ji Temple and the reception hall of the Kannon statue, visitors can receive a Goshuin seal as proof of their visit. There is also an amulet here that symbolizes the power of the 12 gods and generals that are only found at Sendai Daikannon.
4. Shurakuen Great Buddha Statue, Aichi Prefecture
Located in Shurakuen Park in Tokai City, Aichi Prefecture is the Great Buddha statue of the same name, considered the symbolic image of the city.
The Shurakuen Great Buddha statue is 18.79 m tall, even taller than the two other famous Great Buddha statues in Nara and Kamakura that many of you have probably heard of. With this height, from a distance, you can still see the Great Buddha statue standing out in the middle of the green campus.
Big Buddha among red leaves in autumn
If you have the opportunity to visit the park in the fall, you will be amazed by the majestic image of the statue in the brilliant red leaves. Many tourists and locals often come here to stroll and enjoy the autumn scenery and pay their respects to the Great Buddha to find moments of peace and serenity for their souls.
