Jingo-ji (神護寺) is one of the three major temples of the remote Mt.Takao area, together with Saimyo-ji (西明寺) and Kozan-ji (高山寺). It was founded in 824.

The Takao-san area is best visited as a day trip, for it takes the bus (or the car) a good hour to reach it. Of the three temples, Jingo-ji is the most remote, and it takes a bit of climbing along a nice long path in the woods to reach it. Obviously, this being a big temple in Japan, many shops and eateries are along the way, and some of them provide a nice place to watch the autumn colours.

Once passed the temple gate, the temple grounds appear quite large and flat for a mountainous area. There is still some climbing though, as the main hall is one large flight of stairs up. As bonus for reaching the top, there's a pagoda near the main hall. Also, before the stairs to the main hall, a path dives into the wood on the left. It goes to a viewpoint where you can buy pottery disks and throw them in the void below, obviously making a wish in the process.

When the weather is bad, several shops are closed and the area is a bit deserted. Obviously that's when you should go if you want a peaceful hike.

Keywords: 神護寺, お寺, temple, jingo-ji, jingoji, 寺院, 卍, 高雄山神護寺

Nearby: Saimyo-ji 西明寺 (570m), Kozan-ji 高山寺 (1km)

id: 320, 7 photos (1 extra photos can be found in the archive).