From Wikitravel

Hiraizumi (平泉, [1]) is a small town in Iwate, in the northeastern Tohoku region of Japan.

[edit] Understand

夏草や 兵どもが 夢の跡

natsugusa ya tsuwamono-domo ga yume no ato

Summer grass — all that remains of warrior dreams

-- Matsuo Bashō

During the reign of the Fujiwaras (866-1184), Hiraizumi was said to rival Kyoto in grandeur and sophistication, but now all that remains are the temples of Chusonji and Motsuji, both of which are mostly in ruins at that. Famed haiku poet Matsuo Basho penned the famous haiku quoted above, with the end result that now Basho is more idolized in Hiraizumi than anywhere else. You can't throw a rock in Hiraizumi without hitting a Basho statue, a Basho monument, an inscribed copy of a Basho haiku or at the very least a coffee shop waving its "As mentioned in Narrow Road to the Deep North!" banners.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By train

Hiraizumi is on the JR Tohoku Main Line, connecting to Morioka in the north and Sendai to the south.

The nearest Shinkansen stop, Ichinoseki, is only 10 minutes away (¥170). Trains from Tokyo reach Ichinoseki in about 2 1/2 hours (¥12470 for the one-way trip to Hiraizumi; no charge with the Japan Rail Pass).

[edit] Get around

Local buses connect JR Hiraizumi station to points of interest, although you can also reach them on foot.

[edit][add listing] See

• Chūson-ji Temple　(中尊寺). 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. Entry a rather steep ¥800. 5 minutes by bus or 20 on foot from the station.

• Mōtsu-ji Temple (毛越寺), [2]. 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. Entry into the garden and the small museum ¥500. 10 minutes on foot from the station

[edit] Buy, Eat & Drink

There are a number of small teahouses and souvenir stands in the grounds of Chūsonji.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Budget

• Motsuji YH. Tel. 0191-46-2331, [3]. Definitely the most interesting place to stay in Hiraizumi, was the youth hostel located on the grounds of Motsuji and run by the temple itself.

According to the temple office, unfortunately the youth hostel in the temple ground was closed permanently end of 2007.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!