June explained to me, that this 5-story pagoda was recently rebuilt. From what I know of Buddhist tradition, all pagodas have a limited lifespan, and when they have served their purpose, they are rebuilt from scratch.





This monk was chanting a sutra while keeping time with a drum. He went on for quite a while without stopping. Eventually, he was replaced by another monk who also went on for quite some time.



These are the Steps of Enlightenment. There are 287 of them. I've linked to some more information on this feature if anyone should be interested.



The temple bell



One of the ancient, several hundred year-old weeping cherry trees at the temple complex. In full bloom, it is truly awesome and breath-taking!