Visiting here is like visiting the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City or another religious shrine. This is the showplace of a particular Buddhist sect in Aomori, Japan.
This building is called the Daishi-do, a smashing red hall named for Kukai Kobo Daishi, the founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. He was born in 1774. Saeki Moa was his original name. His posthumous name means that he was a great teacher.
This building looks old but it was built in 1984.
We walked around and took pictures of the huge Buddha.
The seated pose is the most common one for a Buddha. There is a building next to the statue where the monks have meetings and you can buy religious items. Bill is talking to our guide who is holding the sign. We saw some monks in orange robes but I didn't take any pictures of them.
There was also a cemetery there and places to offer prayers.
The pinwheels are to commemorate children who have died. Again, it's very touching to see how many babies have been lost.
This is a field we drove by on the way out. We don't recognize what they were growing here. It might be sheaves of rice.
