Kotohiragu — Attraction in Kotohira

According to its website, there are 785 steps to the main building and plus 1368 steps to the building locates at the end.

The first building you will see is 大門（おおもん).　It literally means “a big gate.” Right after you go through the gate, you will find 5 stalls. There, you can buy candy shaped like a fan. We didn’t buy them though. Haha. When I visited there, I didn’t know but it is kinda long tradition at Kotohira. Only 5 certain stores have a permission to run business in the premise of the shrine.

The path you found right after the big gate is called “桜の馬場.（さくらのばば）” ”馬場“ is a place where you practice horse riding, so it means a horse-riding practice area with cherry blossoms. Unfortunately, cherry blossom season had already passed when we visited there. That’s why we missed the beautiful scenery. Hopefully, next time. Hahaha. After 桜の馬場, you will arrive at a Torii gate　called　西詰銅鳥居(にしづめどうとりい). Near the gate, there is a place where they keep white horses which are donated as gifts to the god. Luckily, we could see a horse walking.

Near the horse stable, there is a big statue of a ship proppelr. It is because this shrine is known for the safety of sailors and fishermen. Right after going through the gate and up the stairs, you will spot 表書院. There, you can see some wall Japanese paintings, but they charge entrance fee. Since our time was limited, we passed it. Haha.

The main temple is called 御本宮(ごほんぐう). Since many people regard this building as a goal (I think), here was the most crowded. There was also an observation deck where you could command a nice view below the mountain.

The biggest building is called 旭社(あさひしゃ). Its heigt is 18 meters tall. If you go further, you can visit 白峰神社(しらみねじんじゃ) and 厳魂神社（いつたまじんじゃ）. 厳魂神社 locates at the end of the route. You can see the stone masks of 烏天狗(からすてんぐ) and 天狗（てんぐ）hanging on the nearby cliff. 烏天狗 and 天狗 are Japanese legendary creatures. To get to this shrine was really tiring, but the sense of achievement was great.Even though it took a long time to go up the all stairs, going down was...

Impressive shrine, I only visited the main shrine at about 700+ steps which is about half of the 1368 steps. Majority of the stairs are surrounded by trees, it gives a mystical feeling.

At the main shrine, there are Omikuji (fortune telling paper) and charms available for sale. There's also a pot where people try to make their coin float. I think it means good luck for those who manage to successfully float their coin.

I did not go to the inner shrine as there was not enough time and I was getting really hungry. Lucky for me, there's a cafe on the way down. I think the cafe is called Kamitsubaki.

On the way up at about the 100 steps range there are many shops selling snacks and souvenir. I got a Ramune that I saw in Japanese anime but I was unable to open it. A kind local helped me out and taught me the way.

At 金刀比羅宮 大門, about 300 steps in, there is an area where local people setup portable stalls to sell stuff. There was a kind lady that gave me yuzu hard candy (ame) every time I passed by😊, even though I did not buy anything.

There is an area for feeding birds, some people brought seeds and the birds seem to really like it. They will fly back and forth between the hand and the tree to eat the seeds.

Visited...

The day we decided to climb the hundreds of steps to this shrine just happened to be one of the hottest and sunniest days of the summer. But it was still worth it considering the beautiful scenery along the way. We loved the main shrine most of all. It's is gorgeous and surprisingly wide. Those who make the climb should grab bottles of water in the lower area where the shops are located; it becomes difficult to find anything to drink once you are in the more natural setting. Also, there is a spot in the middle where birds will land on your hand if you stick your arm out with your palm facing upward. They are looking for food, so take some sunflower seeds with you! And many folks bring a cane or walking stick to help with the climb up the stairs. Our nearby hotel loaned canes to us, but they can also be found for sale in some of the shops at the base of the hill. Overall, expect a tiring but...