Two Temples in the rain, Ishinomaki day one of Reiwa 1st May 2019

In Ishinomaki city, Miyagi prefecture, the first day of the new Reiwa Era started with a rain and mist. There was constant light rain in the town with low cloud and mist obscuring the hills and mountains.

Luckily there was little wind and the temperature was mild so we decided to take a morning walk across town heading for a park situated on a hilly outcrop between the sea and  the estuary around which the city was built. Checking the map we saw a route that would take us past some temples on the way. Given Ishinomaki was very badly hit in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami due to it;s low lying coastal setting it had suffered one of the highest casualty rates it seems the Temples (and their graveyards) would be very important to the survivors and local community.  Photography wasn't easy in the rain and a few shots were taken with my phone when the camera was getting too wet.

However the architecture and gardens still looked amazing.

Jufukuji

 Taken with the phone , they had a large collection of Bonsai trees.

Eiganji

This site is marked on the map as Eganji Temple but there is also a Shinto Shrine mentioned on Google Maps as well the complex contained a bell tower and an old store house. I'm not sure if we entered the shrine area or the temple. 

Taken with the phone but from the elevation of the bell tower there was a nice view across the town to the misty hills.