Jingo-ji (神護寺)

Jingo-ji (神護寺)Jingo-ji (神護寺)Jingo-ji (神護寺)Jingo-ji (神護寺)Jingo-ji (神護寺)Jingo-ji (神護寺)

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.

Recommended for: Access:

Nearby: Saimyō-ji 西明寺 (490m), Kōzan-ji 高山寺 (940m)

External links: Website, ウィキペディア, Wikipedia, Wikipédia, Kyoto Navi, Trip Advisor, Kyoto Design, 京都風光, Inside Kyoto, Marutake, そうだ京都, Satellite view, Map

Keywords: Japan, 日本, Japon, Kyoto, 京都, 神護寺, temple, Jingo-ji, 寺院, 仏閣

Statistics: visited on 4 occasions, id 320, 11 photos (17 extra photos can be found in the archive).

Photos of Jingo-ji:

Rainy autumn day in Jingo-ji (神護寺)
Forgotten umbrella (Jingo-ji 神護寺)
Raccoon
Stone pillar at the foot of stone stairs in Jingo-ji temple, Kyoto, Japan
New green leaves in spring at the foot of the long stairs towards Jingo-ji main hall, Kyoto, Japan
Red autumn maple foliage and golden sign on the gate of Jingo-ji temple, Kyoto, Japan
Tow ladies in kimono under red maples trees on the grounds of Jingo-ji temple, Kyoto, Japan
Woman with classic autumn kimono on the stairs to Jingo-ji temple main hall, Kyoto, Japan
Detail of a noodle shop menu on the path to Jingo-ji temple, Kyoto, Japan