Sendai Daikannon

Drive north out of Sendai and it appears over the rooftops: a white figure 100 m tall rising out of a quiet residential estate in Izumi Ward. The statue was completed in 1991 at Daikanmitsu-ji, a temple of the Shingon school, and is visible from much of the city. You go in through an entrance shaped like a dragon's mouth. On the first level are the Twelve Heavenly Generals, the 33 forms of Kannon and a memorial hall for miscarried and stillborn children, which gives the place a more serious mood than its size suggests. A lift then carries you up the 12 levels, and from the 3rd to the 11th you walk past 108 Buddhist statues, one for each of the worldly desires in Buddhist teaching. Near the top are viewing windows, two at the front and two at the back, but there is no open-air deck. The statue is a fair way out of the centre and last entry is early: 15:00 on weekdays. Entry is 500 yen for anyone of junior high school age and older. It is a bus ride from Sendai Station on Sendai City Bus routes 815, 825 or X910 to the Sendai Daikannon-mae stop, or about 20 minutes by taxi, and the last entry is mid-afternoon.