Biggest Buddha

We visited the largest Buddha in all of Japan! He resides in the Nihon-ji Temple, and he is carved into the side of a mountain. He is 102ft tall, which is more than double the height of the Great Buddha of Kamakura. This Buddha is quite young, though. He was sculpted by a team of 28 men in 1783.

The hike to get to this Buddha is an awesome one. You trek all over the side of a mountain and there are several vista points with stunning views. Most of the trail is through shady, mossy woods surrounded by a lot of rock. There are other figures carved in rock as well, and many nooks and rocky ledges are filled with stone figures called arhats. In Buddhism, an arhat is an enlightened person who is well on their way to obtaining nirvana.

There are many Buddha statues and temples all over Japan, but it was great to see the biggest one in the country.