Chusonji Temple
| The Good | The Not-So Good |
| World Heritage | Out of the way |
| English friendly | Just a temple? |
Featured image from Wikipedia.
Iwate prefecture is one of the less visited in Japan but that doesn’t mean there is nothing to see or do there. If you are into temples and the World Heritage status floats your boat, then a side trip to Chusonji Temple while on the way north may be worth your while.
The official Iwate Prefecture website gives a 2-day itinerary which includes Chusonji Temple (no links to the activities so essentially useless). You will start off at Ichinoseki Station, which is a stop on the Tohoku Shinkansen. The trains to this station are not frequent (usually once an hours from Tokyo) so you will have to time it well.
Incidentally, there is a “Pokemon” themed train that departs daily from Ichinoseki Station to Kessenuma Station, along the coast. Seafood lovers might like it there, although When Japan is pretty sure the train itself is not for Pokemon enthusiasts in their 30s not traveling with children.
From Ichinoseki Station there are regular buses or a train. There seems to be no information in English for the bus timetable. Google Maps or Jorudan will give you accurate information and there will be a tourist information counter in Ichinoseki Station. Once at Hiraizumi Station, there are plenty of options, from a regular “loop bus” to bike hire. If the weather is nice then a bus hire is certainly recommended. Although it you want to go to Geibiki Gorge then a bus is your only option as it is quite far away (15km).
After visiting, you will need to decide what to do next. There are a lot of hot spring resorts nearby, cataloged here. Iwate is not a first stop for most foreign tourists so an extended stay around Hiraizumi will be a treat for those wanting an authentic Japanese experience – most of the tourists will be Japanese.
