Tsutsujidera Temple Taihei Azalea Garden, located in Akita prefecture, is famous for it’s beautiful Azalea’s and colorful garden. The garden is even home to a Azalea tree that is over 100 years old! The best time to visit is in Spring when the Azaleas are at their most beautiful, however, the Summer is also another great time to visit with vividly colored water lilies and Japanese iris flowers. Then, in the Autumn the leaves turn a vibrant red before becoming blanketed in snow in the winter, all for your enjoyment. The garden isn’t just all flowers and azaleas. The temple part of the garden also has temple halls dedicated to Kannon, Nirvana pond, enshrines a guardian deity that protects children and childbirth, as well a hall with a bell that is said to relieve people of worldly desires and be at peace.