Day 8 - Sasebo, Japan (7 April 2019)

Today was filled with different religious experiences in Sasebo. We started out our morning by visiting the Fukuishi Kannon Buddhist temple. What a wonderful surprise it turned out to be!  The only people there besides ourselves were sweeping away the fallen leaves. So, we were able to explore Fukuishi Kannon in tranquility this morning. 







Part of the temple had stairs carved into the natural rock, so we had the chance to climb all the way to the top of the side of the mountain!  It was a beautiful and calm hike for a Sunday morning!



















When we arrived at the top of the trail it looked like the path would wind down the other side of the large hill, so we made our way back down after looking at one of the views of Sasebo. 











We walked back down to the main area and explore the temple a little. It was a little magical with the cherry blossom petals floating on the breeze as we walked up the stairs to the main area of the temple. 



















Shelley and I walked up some more steps carved into the natural rock. It sure was beautiful to visit and explore this temple. I know how blessed we are that we can experience such wonderful places together with loved ones. 



















We then drove to the largest Shinto Shrine in Sasebo, Kameyamahachimangu (and apparently the longest name to type). It’s near the city office, and it was the perfect day to visit!  The sky was blue and the Sakura were out in full force. 













There were these giant bees that were also taking advantage of the Sakura. They were really hard to capture, but they were almost the size of hummingbirds. 





My parents relaxed on a bench while Shelley and I explored the lower grounds together. 













We all walked up the stairs to the upper part of the shrine and peeked in on their religious services. It seemed to be a peaceful place to worship.  We also saw a beautiful kimono and even a wedding party while we were there!



















It was such a lovely morning!  We drove around the town for a bit on our way out of the Shrine. 











We attended church with our parents in their branch. It was interesting to be reminded that the Church is the same, no matter where you are in the world. After church, we had a branch potluck dinner together. We finally made our way back home for an evening of playing games and visiting. It was a wonderful sabbath with our parents! 💕















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