July 20,2009- Today we are temple hopping. The first stop was the Great Buddha at Kotokuin Temple. The story behind this Buddha is quite amazing. It has been there for many years. There used to be a building over it until a tsunami hit. Amazingly the Buddha survived while the building washed away. The environment was very tranquil and peaceful. I especially enjoyed taking a peak inside the Buddha which is hallow. Behind the Buddha, there was a zen-like garden you could walk around or sit and enjoy an ice cream.