Daibutsu – Giant Buddhas | TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography

After Hachinohe I went a little further north to the city of Aomori. Aomori is home to the Nebuta Festival in August, where huge colorful floats parade through the city. In mid-winter Aomori, like Hachinohe, is cold and gray with most of its residents either indoors or bundled up against the freezing conditions trying to commute to and from work on treacherous roads and sidewalks.

One local attraction that interested me was the Showa Daibutsu a giant bronze statue of Buddha around 45 minutes by bus from the city center. Constructed in 1984 it is 21.35 meters high and weighs 220 tons.It was the largest Buddha in Japan until the construction of the Ushiku Daibutsu in Ibaraki Prefecture.

It sits in a clearing among the trees and unlike the giant buddha at Nara is exposed to everything Mother Nature has to throw at it.

Showa Daibutsu, Aomori

Other giant Buddhas I have seen in Japan include the one at Nara,

Todai-ji Daibutsu, Nara

and the one at Kamakura.

Daibutsu of Kamakura

Haven’t been to the Ushiku Daibutsu, but if you have please post a picture in a response. In fact, if you’ve seen any giant Buddhas anywhere in the world, it would be great to see the photos.