Our pilgrimage takes us next to Nariai-ji, temple 28, located in the northern reaches of Kyoto Prefecture. Getting there is a task, but the temple is located on a hill above Amanohashidate, which makes for a great day or even weekend trip. Amanohashidate is one of the three traditionally recognized Most Scenic Places in Japan…
Temple 6: Tsubosakadera 壷阪寺   Temple 7: Okadera岡寺 This month we explore temples six and seven on our thirty-three route, journeying a bit off the beaten path and into the wilds of Nara prefecture. Both of these temples are less accessible than the ones previously featured, but they are both worth a visit if you have…
今熊野観音寺 (15) and é©å ‚ (19) This month we have another Kyoto double feature! Temples 15 and 19 of the 33 temple pilgrimage are Imakumano Kannon-ji and Kodo. First up is Imakumano Kannon-ji, which literally means “present-day Kumano Kannon temple†and it has strong connections to temple 1 (Seiganto-ji), located in Wakayama in the area…
å…波羅蜜寺    &   å…è§’å ‚ Crossroads, Centerpoints and Sixes, a Tale of Two Kyoto city Temples Rokuharamitsu-ji and Rokkakudo are temples 17 and 18 of the 33-temple path, and both are located in the city of Kyoto, one of them at its very center. We’ll explore both in one article, since it’s easy to visit them on…
Mimuroto-ji is known as the “Flower Temple,†so it’s a great place to visit during blooming season. Although the gardens managed to look nice even at the ending-edge of winter, my personal recommendation would be to visit during May or especially June, for the blooming of their spectacular ajisai (hydrangea) garden (containing ten-thousand flowers in…
葛井寺 Fujii-dera is temple number 5 of 33 on the pilgrim circuit, and as its name “Wisteria Well Temple†would suggest, it is a wonderful place to visit when the fuji are in bloom. These fragrant purple flowers typically bloom in very late April or in early May, around Golden Week. Other than the gorgeous…
清水寺 As you prepare for the advent of spring, our quest for pilgrimage temples takes us further afield. Our next explorations will be into Kyoto, Osaka, and beyond.  There are five pilgrimage temples clustered right in the city of Kyoto, and we’ll get to the other four later on. We shall begin with one of…
大本山　ä¸å±±å¯º The easternmost of the pilgrimage temples located in Hyogo-ken is Nakayama-dera, number 24 on the official route. Nakayama-dera is located in the city of Takarazuka, and boasts a beautiful ume grove around back, in which about a thousand plum trees will be in bloom from late February through early March. Nakayama-dera’s claim to fame…
清水寺（æ’州） If you haven’t been to your first temple of the new year yet, consider giving Kiyomizudera a try! And I don’t even mean the one in Kyoto, though that it also part of our pilgrimage.  Banshu Kiyomizu-dera, or “Kiyomizudera II†(as it is the second of that name on the pilgrimage) is temple 25…