have visited many times, as easy day trips from Tokyo – about 50min by JR commuter trains.

Jan 2016

Tsuruoka Hachimangu

It happened there was a Peony show in its garden. The peonies were huge, in varying colours and were carefully protected from wind and frost. There was a small section named as “Lake-stone” garden. The stones were retrieved from the bottom of Lake Tai in China and constructed with the help of Suzhou Forestry Bureau.

Dec 2005

Dec 2003

visited Tsuruoka Hachimangu when the 1000-year giant Ginkgo tree was still around, and the Daibutsu.