What other travelers are saying about Tochoji Temple
This is a very sacred Buddhist temple with a Buddha on second floor. If you are Buddhist it is highly recommend. The exhibit underneath the statue was the first I had experienced. The shrine at the side of the main temple has big mala beads which you can touch for blessing.
A nice temple with a peaceful atmosphere. Candles and incense can be offered on the first floor main hall for a small offering. There’s a big and impressive wooden Buddha statue on the second floor. There’s also a hallway with paintings to illustrate the hell and pure realms at the base of the statue. Entrance fee to the second storey hall is reasonable at 50 yen.
After spending the day walking around crowded Dazaifu I came here by chance about 4pm. It was quiet. Personally i found this temple more impressive than the Dazaifu shrine. There is a giant indoor Buddha and behind it an art installation depicting hell using an old Buddhist scroll with progressively worse depictions of hell and a dark-room which was actually pretty scary. By chance there was a wedding ceremony in the main hall when I was there. They don’t allow photos of the Buddha or main hall.
A place under must go list if visit Fukuoka, Japan. A fee of 50 yen to visit the big Buddha upstairs indeed worth it, you can walk through the big Buddha base by a very narrow passage without any lighting. Viewing the hell and heaven which came from Buddhist scriptures "一念天堂，一念地獄”。
