Hiraizumi : Michelin's recommendations

The glory of this small town hangs on the Fujiwara family who made the whole place into a veritable showpiece in the 12C. The family flourished thanks to the enormous gold mine in Mutsu, east of Oshu. But the wealth and power of the Fujiwara family also portended the decline of the town by attracting the wrath of the implacable military power of the first of the shoguns, Yoritomo. Reduced to rubble, Hiraizumi's current appearance leaves little clue as to its bygone prestige, although the stunning Chuson-ji draws visitors from around the world.