Hasedera Temple (長谷寺) was founded in 686 and includes more than 30 buildings spread along a scenic hillside. The main hall sits at the top, offering beautiful views, especially during cherry blossom (sakura) season and autumn foliage (koyo).

Access to the temple is through a small temple town, where restaurants and shops have been serving visitors for centuries.

From the main hall’s balcony, you can overlook many of the temple’s buildings, including a charming five-story pagoda. Monks still actively study here, and with a bit of luck, you might see them walking between the buildings in their robes.

The temple’s main object of worship is a 12-meter-tall wooden statue of Kannon (the Buddhist goddess of mercy), housed in the main hall - though only part of it is visible.

According to tradition, in the early 8th century a monk found a massive tree near Hase village and decided to carve a statue from it. Because the tree was so large, he carved two statues: one became the main deity of this temple in Nara, while the other was set adrift at sea in the hope it would appear elsewhere to save people. Fifteen years later, it washed ashore near Kamakura, where another Hasedera Temple was built.