Kousanji — Attraction in Onomichi

The ticket costs 1400yen. I think that's too much.

I had one hour to kill until check in at my hotel started and I couldn't continue cycling, so I decided to visit this temple/museum.

The buildings look nice. Most of them have a nice orange color. It looks a little bit corny, but for me it was still ok. The art exhibition is looking kind of sad. There is an art piece like every 3 meters. It looks a little bit as if those vases are social distancing. They aren't exactly stunning eighter. I still spent 15 minutes in that pavilion because it is nice and cool and provides great shade.

Next I went to the cave of 1000 Buddhas. That cave was almost cold but there is a warning at the entrance. The pictures at the walls are quite graphically depicting hell. I think that kind of fear mongering about eternal doom feels like it fell out of time.

After the cave came an area with a lot of white stone (I think it's marble, but I'm not an expert in stones) and I mean a lot of it. It kinda made your eyes hurt. At the top is a small café a with great sorbet, though.

Maybe I'm more critical because this temple was built by someone more contemporary, than most other shrines and temples. Maybe people in the 15th century looked at kinkakuji in kyoto and thought "a golden pavilion? Really. Someone really was looking for attention". Maybe people in a few hundred years will look at this and see it as a great achievement of the 20th century. Maybe there really isn't much difference between a rich guy in the 20th century building some big temple and a rich or powerful guy a few centuries ago building one. I think at least that's an interesting question that this place made...

I have to say this place was the most unforgettable attraction I visited on Ikuchi Island while cycling through Shimanami Kaido. It features several unique attractions, each with its own charm. 孝養門 is remarkable for its beautiful and classic exterior, adorned with intricate patterns I had never seen on other temples. The Hill of Hope stands out with its modern art installation, encouraging people to imagine within its 'All-White' atmosphere. Chou Sei Kaku, at the highest level, showcases a Japanese garden influenced by Western culture. If you're cycling like I was, be sure to visit this place; you'll spend two unforgettable...

One of the coolest temples I've seen in Japan. It almost feels like a theme park of Buddhism. It was built relatively recently compared to most temples and has so many interesting architectures including the buildings, shrines, statues, caves, and of course the hill of hope located behind it. This was all built in dedication to the creator's mother and you can feel just how much passion he had. The ticket is expensive (1400 yen) and I thought that "it's just another temple" but I'm glad I paid. I highly recommend checking this place out, especially while cycling the...