Tokyo

Sacred Temple of Mt Takao

Get closer to the peak as you visit the temple

Kenny King Hin Choi Nov 08, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>A small shrine right behind the main gate</p>

<p>A stupa that has a somewhat Indian style architecture is in the centre of the cemetery</p>

<p>After the main gate of Yakuoin, more statues greet the arriving visitors with their imposing gestures</p>

<p>The head of a Konoha-tengu guarding the right side of the door</p>

<p>A Tengu also guards the other side</p>

<p>A buddha doesn't have to be big to impress</p>

<p>Together with the stone bases they sit on, they surround a prayer hall with a complete circle </p>

<p>The whole temple complex was built on a hill. Different levels were created in accordance with the landscape, which makes the visit more exciting</p>

<p>Okunoin (奥の院不動堂) is another wonderfully constructed prayer hall, one level higher than the main hall</p>

<p>A small Torii symbolises the entrance to another sacred shrine</p>

Located halfway between the mid-station for cable cars and chair lifts and the top of the mountain, this cultural highlight combines perfectly with the natural beauty in its surroundings. Starting from the grand gate behind the monkey park, a long path lined with prayer plaques and stone lanterns leads its way to the temple complex. The whole temple was built on the slope of Takaosan, which creates different levels connected by stairs and steep footpath. This makes visiting Yakouin more exciting and pleasant than other temples that lie on flat ground.

More info

Find out more about Mount Takao.

Kenny King Hin Choi @kenny.king.hin.choi

I had spend almost the last 10 years traveling to different corners of the world seldom reached by others as tourists. Iraq, Kosovo, Albania, Bangladesh and Ukraine are among many others. To see and smell a place first handedly is absoulutely differnt from reading and hearing from mass media. Jap...