Once again I took an overnight bus from Tokyo, arriving in Morioka just before 6am. That gave me plenty of time to drop off my luggage at the hotel and hop on the train for the hour and a half journey south. I was on my way to visit the first temple of the day by a little after 8am.
The Mōtsū-ji complex includes the main temple, ruins of several other temples and monasteries that were burned down in the 13th century, and a pond which has been preserved as it was 800 years ago. The grounds are incredibly beautiful and I've got a brand new camera to play with, so I was thrilled with the blue skies and lack of crowds:
Seventy photos later, I was on my way again. Rather than wait for a bus, I decided to walk to the next temple complex about 2km down the road. It was a pleasant walk (shorter than the map would have me believe) through a mostly residential area. It seems like every other house in this town has a garden filled with the most beautiful flowers. I even found one of the most Western-looking houses I think I've seen in Japan:
At the top of a very steep slope was the Chūson-ji temple complex. I was a little disappointed to learn that photographs of the main attraction--Konjikidō, a structure covered almost entirely with gold-leaf--are not allowed, but I passed an otherwise pleasant hour walking around several other halls in the complex. (Take a look at the Golden Hall here.)
Returning to Morioka, I checked into my hotel and then went for a walk along the nearby Kitakami River, enjoying the view of Mt. Iwate in the distance.
For dinner I enjoyed a spicy version of a local specialty...Morioka Jaja-men, a noodle dish served with a meat-miso sauce, cucumber, and green onion.
Very full, I headed back to my hotel. Time to plan my day tomorrow and then get some rest!
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