Picture-perfect ‘reflection’ temple closed by quake damage | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

NANAO, Ishikawa Prefecture—In the guest hall of Seirinji temple here, the dark surface of a large, low table, polished to a shine, reflected the surrounding seasonal garden like an enormous mirror.

Photographers from near and far once flocked here, hoping to capture a perfect, Instagram-worthy shot of these stunning, almost-otherworldly reflections.

But the New Year’s Day earthquake has left some parts of the temple in ruins and it has been closed to visitors since then.

Located in Wakura Onsen, one of the Hokuriku region’s most popular hot spring destinations before the quake, the temple has a venerable history.

Its guest hall, called Gobenden, is a historic building where Emperor Taisho relaxed when he was crown prince.

The hall was relocated to the temple grounds in 1976 and was registered as a nationally designated tangible cultural property in 2017.

The temple gained internet fame in 2017, when a local amateur photographer posted a picture on Instagram.

The photo showed the temple’s garden in early summer, lush with green leaves, reflected on the surface of the table.

Kozui Hamada, the head priest of the temple, said the picture took his breath away when he first saw it on his son’s phone. It surprised him that a familiar scene could be so beautiful.

The post attracted many visitors to the temple, particularly young people who hoped to post photos on social media of the reflection of the changing seasons: the deep red of the Noto Kirishima azaleas in full bloom in spring; the vivid colors of the leaves in autumn; the garden blanketed with glittering snow in winter.

The number of visitors, which used to be around 300 a year, increased many times over, as the temple gained a reputation as a social media spot for reflection shots, along with Rurikoin temple in Kyoto.

In 2021, the temple began illuminating the garden at night.

But the Noto Peninsula earthquake changed everything.

The entrance corridor of the guest hall was tilted by the quake, and some of the main hall’s roof suffered damage and are leaking. The stone steps leading to the temple collapsed and large stones tumbled into the garden.

A full-scale survey is scheduled for April to prepare for restoration work on the guest hall.

Koko Hamada, 50, the vice head priest and son of Kozui Hamada, has tried to remain positive.

“I am grateful that the building did not collapse,” he said. “Many people have put their hearts and souls into protecting this place and we have to preserve it.”

(This article was supplemented by excerpts from an article written by Hiroyuki Kojima.)