Shomyoji Temple

Shomyoji Temple sits on a bluff overlooking the Sea of Japan and carries an outsized place in Japanese literary history. The poet-priest Ryokan, celebrated for calligraphy he gave freely to the poor, lived here three separate times, most recently in his seventies. The main hall's coffered ceiling holds over 200 paintings of seasonal flowers, dragons, and Buddhist imagery. A statue in the grounds invites visitors to lift it and make a wish: if it feels heavy, the wish is said to come true.