Mount Shigi

***Much better than Monte Koya. Less touristic. More peace and less rude tourists. ***

East of Osaka, Mount Shigi is home to a collection of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. A beautiful spiritual excursion less than an hour from Kyoto and Osaka, lesser-known to tourists.

Located between Osaka and Nara, the small Mount Shigi culminates at 437 meters. This sacred hill is home to a whole set of temples, including the famous Chogosonshi-ji. It is also the birthplace of many legends and the Battle of Shigisan of 587. This mountain, easily accessible from Osaka or Nara, is less frequented than its big brothers such as Mount Koya and provides a nice breath of fresh air off the beaten track.

You will arrive by bus at the foot of the mountain, in the small village of Shigisannishi. You will have to start climbing the steps through a path marked by stone lanterns, the toro. Many ways intersect throughout the sacred place, and you will wonder at your own pace between the different temples, the torii, and the chozuya (basins for purification). It takes a good hour to survey the whole site. At one end of the complex is a giant Buddha statue.