From Ichinoseki, board a JR Tohoku Line train to Hiraizumi. (8 mins/JPY200)

Hiraizumi was the administrative centre of the northern realm during the 11th and 12th centuries and produced gold and the fine paper and lacquer that was used in Kyoto’s courts.

Hiraizumi is considered a Buddhist Capital and is home to five World Heritage-listed sites, a group of well-preserved temples and gardens based on the concept of Pure Land Buddhism.

The Hiraizumi “Run Run” loop bus departs Hiraizumi Station every 15 minutes and visits a number of attractions around the city. Purchase an all-day pass for JPY400 and visit:

Motsu-ji Temple (08:30 – 17:00/JPY500) – designated as both a Special Historic Site and Special Place of Scenic Beauty, Motsu-ji was once a complex of 40 temple buildings and 500 priests’ quarters. The ‘Pure Land Garden’, which simulates the Buddhist afterlife, has been fully restored to its original state and is one of the most important sites in Japan’s garden history.

Chuson-ji Temple (08:30 – 17:00/JPY800) – Chuson-ji was built to placate the spirits of all those who died in the bloody conflicts of the late eleventh century. Though much was destroyed by fires, over 3,000 National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties remain. Among them the Konjikido, the first structure to be designated as a Japanese National treasure, is covered in gold leaf inside and out. The inside is intricately decorated with shell inlays, lacquer and metal fittings and entombs four consecutive generations of the first Oshu Fujiwara lord.

Stay: Hotel Kura Ichinoseki - 2/2