Japan boasts several impressive "Great Buddha" statues, but the Ushiku Daibutsu in Ibaraki prefecture is perhaps its most photogenic. Surrounded by beautiful flower gardens, the 120 meter tall bronze Buddha is the tallest statue in Japan and third tallest in the world. On clear days and from the right angle, you can even capture a stunning shot of the Ushiku Daibutsu and Mount Fuji together.

Talented Japanese photographer _deepsky (Twitter, Instagram) also caught the imposing Great Buddha at a very particular moment. When visiting the Ushiku Daibutsu, he actually caught a few shots of what appeared to be the Buddha crying!

Source: @_deepskyy

Source: @_deepskyy

You can see on closer inspection, the "tears" are actually the work of the daring cleaning crew who perform crucial routine maintenance on the Great Buddha. As _deepsky shared in his Twitter post, "the cleaning crew is a bit of an attraction itself".

The photos are just some of many awesome shots that _deepsky has taken around Japan. Be sure to check out their work on both Twitter and Instagram, as well as a few standout shots below!