Sekijozan Myorakuji Temple

The iron bell at Sekijozan Myorakuji sits beneath a wooden shelter, marked by its heavy, weathered green patina and the deep grooves of centuries of use. This temple marks the site where the first tea seeds in Japan were planted after being brought back from China by the monk Eisai in eleven ninety-one. It serves as the birthplace of the Japanese tea ceremony, a tradition that grew from these temple grounds to reshape the social fabric of the entire country.