We are once again in Aizu Wakamatsu, the city of samurai, from which I have already had the pleasure to report a few times before. Besides the impressive Tsurugajo Castle and some other historical sites of the local samurai history, there is also a really interesting park to visit in the northern part of the city.
Although I've been to Aizu Wakamatsu several times, the Buddhist-influenced park site was unknown to me until recently. Actually it was pretty hard to miss, because one of the main landmarks here is a 57 meter high Kannon statue, which can be seen from far away. And I had already noticed this statue from a distance on a few occasions, but until this year I just couldn't associate it with a specific location.
But thanks to the Internet and a search for other worthwhile destinations here in Aizu, I finally came across Aizu Mura and after some more research, I included this park in the list of worthwhile destinations. On our last visit to the city, we stopped by here and walked a round through the whole complex.
But please come along with me and then we'll take a look around here together....
As already mentioned, the largest and most visible landmark in Aizu Mura is the large Kannon statue, which was erected here only about 40 years ago. In the eyes of many locals and other Japanese visitors, anything that has existed for less than 100 years is not likely to be considered old and historic, and in fact, despite many traditional elements, this statue and also the whole park makes rather a modern impression.
For me, who is rather unfamiliar with Buddhist mythology or theology, it is difficult to describe and explain exactly what a Kannon is. As far as I understand it, in Japanese Buddhism a Kannon is understood to be the figure of the Bodhisattva, a being striving for enlightenment. The Aizu Jibo Dai-Kannon represents the Mother of Mercy holding an infant in her arms. For several months, this Kannon has niw been wearing an oversized mask, the current tense situation does not stop even here and affects almost all areas of society.
The Aizu Jibo Dai-Kannon is ranked 33rd in the list of the largest statues, which is not necessarily a bad placement.The statue is walkable and inside there is a staircase that leads up to the head of the merciful mother. Already on the way up you can have a look outside from various small windows, the view is of course best from the very top.
Inside the statue there are also several altars on which various relics are displayed. Detailed and richly decorated, I kinda felt as I was looking around in a temple.
As already mentioned elsewhere, one reason Buddhism impresses and fascinates is because of its exotic flair and also its mystical aura. Here on this complex in Aizu Mura there is even a place for a Shinto shrine, here the two religions enter another cooperative symbiosis and do not need to go into competition with each other.
Through the small windows at the very top, you have a great view over the Aizu Plain and of the park below. At the time of our visit, everything was still fresh and green, and the rice fields in the background were about to be harvested. With each visit, I discover and feel more of the beauty of the area here, dependinhg on the time of year, it exudes a completely different charm.
Afterwards, we laid a big loop through the beautifully landscaped and maintained park. From what I've read, the setting here is very popular with cosplay fans, who come here dressed up in a variety of costumes to take photos of each other and then share them in their online communities. On this day, however, we were here almost to ourselves, which is another reason why I managed to block out all the other people from my photos again. Apparently I have a hand for that.
The garden contains several ponds, waterfalls, a three-story pagoda and shows the magnificence of Japanese horticulture, which I seem to be more and more addicted to. This sense of naturalness that I feel when looking at and walking through all Japanese parks has captivated me and will probably never let me go. These are places where I can effortlessly relax and switch off from the hustle and bustle of the hectic world outside.
Of course, there were also some places with Koi carps, the swarm in this pond was huge and almost a bit scary. In the end, however, there was enough room for everyone, even though all the fish seem to jostle and push each other away when been feed by friendly visitors.
There were now first signs that autumn seem to take it seriously now. A maple tree already showed the fiery red colors that in a few weeks can be seen in many parks and forests all over the country, another great spectacle that Mother Nature comes up with every year and which excites me a lot.
The Kannon shows up in many places and seems to want to be in the many photos that are taken here all the time. With a little feeling and from the right position, you can fortunately hide him, but I think he belongs in this post just as he is so prominent and striking.
Such sights are probably what many people associate with East Asian gardens. Red bridges over tranquil ponds, their banks often framed by rocks, and nature also shows its magnificent green and colorful foliage.
And some lotus flowers have bloomed as well, a sight I've rarely been able to see despite several years here in this country. Timing is very crucial I guess, today it worked out quite well in the end.
The lotus flowers seem pink or sometimes more whitish, and have a very distinctive pistil. The roots, by the way, are edible and taste just wonderful when prepared properly. A great addition to your daily cuisine!
We also passed by this sleeping Buddha. This 13.4 m tall reclining Buddha statue was featured in the pavilion of Sri Lanka at the Tsukuba Expo in 1985, and then found its way here to Aizu-Mura. Because of its size, it was impossible for me to take a good shot of the entire statue without getting other distracting objects in the photo.
Now we slowly went back, but not without looking around and also back many times. A wonderful place that you should visit when you are in Aizu Wakamatsu, and still have a little time left. We felt far away from the rest of the world here, which was probably mainly due to the fact that we were almost the only visitors that afternoon. But for that I was very happy, because so we could walk around the whole park and take our time. It was a very relaxing visit and we could also stop and sit wherever we wanted to.
The first and also the last picture shows the entrance gate to Aizu-Mura, which rather reminds of the gate to a Japanese castle side. But this typical Japanese architecture actually fits in perfectly with this park, which contains so many elements of Japanese horticulture and which clearly enchanted me in its entirety. Before, I was a bit skeptical about what to expect here, but after our round through the whole complex, I can only recommend Aizu Mura.
Depending on the season, the park will show itself from a completely different side, in a few weeks many trees will change color and show their beautiful read and yellow leafs, before then in a few months rather little color will be left. But I can imagine that even in winter a visit here should have its charm, and of course in spring when life comes back. We'll see if we can make it here again at another time of year, I'd definitely be more than happy.
That was our trip to Aizu-Mura today, maybe I was able to give one or the other some ideas for a future visit to Japan. I'll be back soon with new pictures and impressions from this so fascinating country, so please check back again.
γΎγγ matane
[//]:# (!pinmapple 37.553143 lat 139.953229 long Aizu-Mura - A very special parkside a get-away place d3scr)