Nishiarai Daishi (aka Soji-ji Temple) is a buddhist temple located in Nishiarai, in Adachi City. It is one of the Three Great Temples in the Kanto region and a large number of people visit the temple at New Year for hatsumode.
Lake Tama is an artificial lake in Higashiyamato City, in western Tokyo, right at the border with Saitama Prefecture. It was formed by damming up a river running through the Sayama valley, a project started in 1916 and completed in 1927. The lake now serves as a water reservoir for the residents of Tokyo.
The lake is surrounded by parks and forests and there is a popular cycling course extending from Nishitokyo City to Lake Tama. North of the lake towards Lake Sayama lies the Seibu Dome, home of the Saitama Seibu Lions baseball team. Also worthy of a visit are the buddhist Yamaguchi Kannon Konjoin (山口観音 金乗院) and Sayama Fudoson (狭山不動尊) temples.
A Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa. It is designed to inspire peace and to help unite people of all races and creeds in their search for world peace. Most peace pagodas built since World War II have been built under the guidance of Nichidatsu Fujii, a Buddhist monk from Japan and founder of the Nipponzan-Myohoji Buddhist Order. Fujii was greatly inspired by his meeting with Mahatma Gandhi in 1931 and decided to devote his life to promoting non-violence. In 1947, he began constructing Peace Pagodas as shrines to World peace.
The Tokyo Peace Pagoda was inaugurated in August 1974 at the summit of Mount Odera (大寺山; 960m) near Lake Okutama. Not sure why or when it was abandoned. I had a first glimpse of the pagoda when I went to Mount Gozen a few weeks ago and I had no idea what it was: It seemed like a large structure (actually 45m in height and 55m of diameter) but there was no mention of it on maps or tourism pamphlets. So I went to see for myself after I got down from Mount Mito. The trail starts between Mito Bridge and Miyama Bridge on Lake Okutama. It takes about 50min to the summit. After getting back to Lake Okutama, I crossed the Miyama Bridge and waited for the bus back to Okutama JR station.
Last week, I went back to the city of Futtsu in Chiba Prefecture, but this time in the Sanukimachi area. This is where the Tokyo Wan Kannon, a 56m-high statue of Kannon, the buddhist Goddess of Mercy, is erected. I had a glimpse at it from the ferry when I went to Mount Nokogiri, wondering what that was. After I learnt more, I had to go!
The inside of the statue can be visited and there are stairs to an observatory at the top, which offers a great view on Tokyo Bay and the surrounding area. On a clear day, it is possible to see Mount Fuji. There are a also hiking trails and beaches nearby.
Last week, I went on a day trip to Mount Nokogiri (Nogiriyama). It is a small mountain (329m) on the south of the Boso Pensinsula in Chiba Prefecture. It hosts the Buddhist Nihon-ji temple, famous for its 31m stone-carved Daibutsu (Great Buddha), as well as a 100-foot Kannon relief image and 1500 hand-carved arhat sculptures. There are also observatories with a great view of the surrounding mountains and Tokyo Bay (although the heat made the scenery a bit hazy).
