You enter Entsu-in via the garden of "great sorrow", after walking through a moss garden then a dry landscape garden. The latter represents Matsushima Bay and, read in reverse order, it illustrates the three main phases of life: the rough, streaked and smooth stones composing it respectively refer to birth, apprenticeship, and accomplishment. The path is bordered by maples, azaleas and camellias, and leads to the Sankei-den, the magnificently decorated mausoleum of Mitsumune, the grandson of Date Masamune. Following the earthquakes and tsunami of March 11 2011 and the ensuing nuclear accidents, we recommend you consult the National Tourist Office of Japan: http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/index.html