If you're staying at the Villa Hamanako on the western shore of Lake Hamana, there really isn't much to do nearby, but one thing I did find was Shotaiji, an old temple notable for the 88 ancient Buddhist statues on the grassy hill behind it. When I visited in autumn it was very overgrown, but that just added to the sense that it was untouched by time, the moss- and lichen-covered statues often hidden in the foliage.
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Shotaiji, Lake Hamana
A hillside temple with scores of statues to find
By Peter Sidell
Community writer
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