No.21 Tairyuji Temple — Attraction in Anan

Beautiful climb next to the river. Big temple. If you walk the pilgrimage i highly recommend taking the forest trail to temple 22, follow the "ropeway" signs and then continue the path with the little Buddhas guiding the way. When you come to a little temple/shrine, both left and right you can climb up for a beautiful view and see the sea! (Also a recommend for visitors who take the ropeway down, its only about 10min extra walk one way) After the shrine take the left path 2 times. It does warn to not take the path after 2pm and that it will take 3 hours, but I walked it in 2 hours, easily, with a 15kg backpack. It's a nice forest path up until...

Tairyu-ji is a beautiful temple on top of a mountain where you can see all of Tokushima prefecture, all the way to Awaji and even Wakayama!!! There is a sense of peace here, and you can reflect while seeing a beautiful view and wonderful buildings and art. There is something special about seeing the dragon! You can visit the statue of the monk responsible for the pilgrimage and meditate where he did- but don't go to see it if you're afraid of heights! Going back from the statue is scary! The rest of the temple is...

Most impressive temple and location. Several temples embedded in gorgeous cedar woods. Like a small Koya-san. Definitely worth the visit. Recommend taking the cable car for a breathtaking approach and views all the way to Honshu in nice weather. Take your passport with you. If you can prove you are a foreigner ( with the passport! Looking clearly like a foreigner is not enough) you get a 50% discount on the cable car trip. Not bad considering that the return trip for one person...