Looking Through the Lens at Gokoku Shrine in Naha Okinawa

The Site and Surrounding Areas

 

 

There is a lot more to see at this attraction than, I ever imagined.

A few times in the past, we visited this Buddhist Temple.

The mission then, was to photograph the torii at the entrance for a Then and Now series.

That didn't require, going inside so, I didn't.

Today, I wanted to get a closer look at things.

When I researched this place for a TripAdvisor review, I learned something about the place.

Commodore Perry and some crackpot missionary, took over the site from the Buddhists.

Inside, I thought I may be able to find more of the temple's history.

This was the first place I stopped.  And, I washed my hands with water from a wooden ladle.

Inside the temple grounds, you find war monuments, like this one.

A statue of a nurse helping a one-legged soldier caught my attention.

Turning, to look back, I took this photo.

It shows another statue and monument, as well as, the place, I washed my hands.

Passing through a second torii gate, I spotted another washstand.

This one had a dragon spitting water out of its mouth.

Off to the right side of the temple they have this box.

If you put 100 yen in the slotted part, you can take a fortune paper.

Just reach in the hole on left and take one, after you make a donation.

Here is the front of Gokoku Shrine.

The place was immaculately clean, had lots of gold and, no people were there.

But, I didn't go in, just zoomed and shot this image from the outside.

It's hard to believe some foreign missionary would call these folks heathens.

After seeing enough of the temple grounds, we explored out back.

There is a trail, leading uphill, to the left, outside the temple fence.

Here, was a small shrine with a fairly new, wooden torri.

Behind Gokoku Shrine, on another hill, I spotted a red torri, leading to a different shrine.

That got me thinking. A cameraman could never run out of things to do, in Naha.

They even have one of these peace markers behind the shrine, we were at.

The photo, is to remind me, I better tell the Map It Okinawa dude about the location !