ATINY temple opens for one day of devotions every 33 years. Before Godaido's carved entrance, I said my prayers, tossed a coin, clapped twice and pulled the bell-rope to make my wish come true, as tradition requires.
My wish was to return to splendid Matsushima Bay in northeastern Japan.
Godaido overlooks Matsushima Bay, renowned for its 260 glistening islets, most not even big enough to walk on. A luxurious, triple-class ferry, heated and appointed more like a discotheque than a vessel, threaded us through these dots of rock, crowned by the cedar of the area.
This was without a doubt one of the most photogenic features of the jaunt to the northern region of Japan's main island, Honshu.
Haiku poet, Matsuo Basho, immortalised the area 300 years ago in Narrow Road to the Deep North.
A marker of his visit still stands on the path to nearby Zuiganji, a zen temple and a national treasure built by the feudal family Date.