Zuiganji Temple

Texan Gaijin and the Temple of Meh

I used to love this place. In 2013, I visited with my mother and infant, and it was lovely. The massive trees separating the main walkway from the cave carvings along the far side set any nature-loving traveler in an instantly comfortable mood. The fee of 700 yen per adult (paid at a ticket machine) seemed cheap, and the entryway to the temple itself was manned by a helpful, chatty guard. We felt free and were allowed to take pictures throughout the facility, excluding one golden display in one of the prayer rooms. It was magical. I returned with my husband in early 2018 to find that they had finished remodeling, and consequently BANNED ALL PHOTOGRAPHY within the temple and temple-museum. The explanation was found on a plaque somewhere (in Japanese of course) and tried to relate a fear that photography (of any kind) would damage the beautifully recreated murals on the screens and doors within the now empty prayer rooms. There was not enough to see inside of the building now for me to feel the price was fair. In addition, the chatty doorman of 2013 had been replaced by two bored-verging-on-unpleasant men who reprimanded me for taking a single picture of my shoes on the shoe rack. Apparently even the unvarnished wood of the shoe rack may be vulnerable to non-flash photography. The golden room was nowhere to be found. I have sung this place's praises for years based on factors that no longer exist. I cannot and do not recommend this place. There is a better temple, bigger and more beautiful, in Iwate. Chuzonji. Go there instead. If you're in Matsushima anyway, enjoy the gardens outside the paid admission area. They are just as good and a lot cheaper. Or head down to Entsuiin, just a short walk away. Paid admission but gorgeous with photography allowed everywhere.