Suzumushi-dera is a small temple located right next to the famous
Koke-dera (Moss temple 苔寺, also known as Saiho-ji). The temple was founded in 1723 under its formal name of Kegon-ji (華厳寺).
To reach the temple you first have to climb a long flight of stairs. At the foot of these stairs is a stone marker with the name of the temple. It uses a slightly different writing "鈴蟲寺", with the second kanji containing 3 times the "虫" of the normal temple name. Tip: Googling for "蟲" is NSFW for it has some other meaning...
Suzumushi-dera is also a bit special because like its neighbour, you can only visit its grounds after some Buddhist ritual, in this case you have listened to long preaching from the temple priest. No problem there, unless you happen to arrive right at the "best light" moment in the late afternoon and you can see this light fading with every word of the priest. Augh! Not too bad though: my agent picked three out of the 4 pictures of this temple that I sent him. 75% is a very good score for me... Recommended for: Access: Nearby: Saihō-ji / Koke-dera 西芳寺・苔寺 (140m), Kaguyahime Takegoten かぐや姫御殿 (150m), Jizō-in 地蔵院 (330m), Jōjū-ji 浄住寺 (540m), Matsunō-taisha 松尾大社 (720m) External links: Website, ウィキペディア, Kyoto Navi, Trip Advisor, Kyoto Design, 京都風光, Marutake, そうだ京都, Satellite view, Map Keywords: Japan, 日本, Japon, Kyoto, 京都, Nishikyo, 鈴虫寺, Suzumushi-dera, temple, 寺院, 仏閣 Statistics: visited on 3 occasions, id 336, 8 photos (3 extra photos can be found in the archive). |
