Close to Akunami shrine in the historic town of Fujieda in the suburbs of Shizuoka, Keizen-ji is a peaceful little neighbourhood Buddhist temple, little visited by tourists and all the better for it.
Its main feature is an impressive tall statue of the Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. She stands proudly at the top of a hill with a decent view of the area, elevated on a stone base, as if she needs to be any higher. Below her on the hillside there are carefully tended shrubs, there's spongy ancient moss underfoot on the steps, and behind her at the top of the hill there's forest where you'll find some ancient grave markers.
Elsewhere in the temple, the unfussy wooden buildings and gates have an elegant charm, and there are more Buddhist statues dotted around the grounds and the graveyard. Rather than at the showpiece sights in the big cities, it's at places like this that you find the true heart of Japanese spirituality.
