Hiraizumi

Hiraizumi's largest and most famous temple, renowned particularly for its Golden Hall (金色堂 Konjikidō) — which, unlike Kyoto's Golden Pavilion, is housed inside a large glass case. True to the name, the shrine inside is elaborately decorated with golden lacquer and mother-of-pearl, with three Buddha images.

The second of Hiraizumi's two large temples, known for its Heian-era Pure Land Garden (浄土園 Jōdo-en) dating to 800 AD. The garden seems downright un-Japanese in its liberal use of wide, grassy spaces — but most of the open spaces have scattered rocks and are marked with small posts in the middle, indicating the locations of destroyed temple buildings.

A nice cave temple. It is the 5th incarnation of the temple since it was established in 801. It is dedicated to Bishamon the god of war, but was called Iwaya Bishamondo — a place to pray for peace. Also at this site is the Ganmen Daibutsu a giant stone carving of Buddha, but only the head remains after an earthquake destroyed the body. The ride to the temple is enjoyable in itself with nice Japanese countryside all the way. Ironically, although it is often considered to be the most interesting site for tourists, it is one of the only local attractions that is not a World Heritage Site.

Built by Fujiwara Motohira's wife, it was originally a large garden. A fire destroyed it in the 16th century but many of the structures were rebuilt. Today, it's more of a park, although there are still some preserved elements that remind you it was once a garden.

This used to be a temple, but all that remains is the temple's pond.

This is the site of the former palace. Although no structures remain, the pond and foundations still give visitors an idea of how grand the palace once was. Excavations are still being done.

Yanaginogosho Iseki is often closed to the public, so the museum provides a way for visitors to learn about Hiraizumi's history and the former palace.

Buddhist sutras were once buried on this mountain.