Nestled in a mountain ravine just west of Hiroshima, Mitaki-dera meaning the Temple of Three Waterfalls, is a temple of the Shingon sect of Buddhism which dates back to the turn of the 9th century C.E. As its name suggests, the temple is built around three small waterfalls which cascade from the mountain tops, through the temple grounds, and make their way into the river system which divides the multiple islands of Hiroshima. The water from these falls are presented in offering during the annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6th to honor those killed in the atomic bombing of the city. The temple is also one of the few buildings in the area to have survived the atomic blast. A two-story pagoda on the temple grounds was donated by a shrine in Wakayama Prefecture and was taken apart piece by piece and reassembled on site in 1951 to honor the souls of those lost in the atomic blast.

For the casual: 10. For the educated: 10.

There are many reasons to visit this temple but none can really compare to the one reason I love this location over so many others: atmosphere. Getting to the temple from Hiroshima Station is very easy and even the short hike up the hill to the temple from Mitaki station is rather pleasant apart from the incline. As of when I have posted this, I have been to the temple twice, once in late summer/early autumn, and the second shortly following New Years. Both times I have visited I have been swept off my feet with the serenity with which I was embraced. The first time was in the morning after a rather warm weekend. Mitaki-dera is not a temple of buildings, and really I cannot recall how many, what size, and what style of architecture was used in the various small halls of the temple, but what I do remember are the surreal surroundings I found myself in. The temple was cool and damp, the moss covered trees and stones were dripping with the morning, and the soft rush of the falls calmed the mind like waves on a beach. The walls of the ravine close in as you climb, but there is always this wondrous sense of breath about the space. The temple grounds are filled with a variety of effigies from statues newly erected to carvings on the faces of great boulders which are barely distinguished from the encroaching moss. The second time I visited was also in the morning following a rain, but a thick fog refused to leave the valley. These statues took on a new and arcane life of their own as they slipped into and out of sight in the passing mist. My friend and I were greeted with the sudden ringing of the temple bell as another unseen visitor announced their arrival just up ahead. All in all, the temple was something out of a book, a fantasy novel where despite being only meters away from houses and busy streets, we had stumbled on something completely divided. It carried the years in plain sight but it never seemed like it was burdened with it, but rather had let the years shape it and mold it into something amazing. If what I've written doesn't inspire you to visit then nothing else will, but I can say that although each experience is unique, each one will take you to a different world that is not necessarily that of the divine, but more like one which translates an intersection where ripples of humanity and nature are the most harmonious.