Higashi Honhonganji

This is a temple about a minute away from where Ben and Claire are staying. It's under repairs right now so there is a lot of construction around the site. The gate outside and the fountain in the road make an impressive site:


The buildings inside are even bigger than the gate. The smaller of the two main halls is covered by an even larger building while being renovated. The one that is still open is the second largest wooden building in Japan:


Surrounding the temple grounds is a tall wall and moat. There are a number of carp in the moat (I think they're considered the emperor's pets) and the occasional turtle:


Inside this temple and many others is a spring where you can wash your hands and rinse your mouth before you enter the temple proper. This one has a dragon's mouth for the fountain:


There weren't many people there when I went, but a few families had kids running around: