Jingo-ji Temple — Attraction in Kyoto

In my travel in Japan a stayed in a ryokan near Takao-san. I did read there was a peaceful Buddhist temple, the Jingoji and based on what people said I really wanted to visit it. So, me and my friends made the 260 steps (if I remember well) and we did reach the temple. It wasn't too hard, but even if we should made a very hard hike I can tell you it was whorty. We went in spring, during the sakura blossom, just to add more beauty to the place. It really is a place of peace: I'm not buddhist but I really got the feeling of a place suspended in another time. There was silence, you could only hear the noise of nature. The landscape was really beautiful and the temple give you the feeling of a sacred place. Like I said, the cherry blossom contributed a lot to the beauty of this place. Only two buildings of the temple are originals. The others were destroyed by fire and rebuilted in modern era. The temple ha a number of national treasures as some buddhist statues (but right now even the statues are a replica) and an ancient calligraphy written by the priest Kukai. You will see a small river, the Kiyotaki. Just pay attention to the hour when you visit it: when we went there the temple closed at 4 p.m.. So, if you come from Kyoto, keep in mind that you have to leave early, because Takaosan is 50 km from the city. The owner of the ryokan told us in autumn during the foliage is also very spectacular. And I saw some pictures who confirm that it's true. If one day I'll go back to Kyoto Takao San and Jingoji temple will be a...

This is my third day in Kyoto and I found my favorite temple. The grounds here are expansive, exceptionally well maintained and set in the hills. We happen to be staying across the road, but access to it is easy from Kyoto via a couple of city and JR buses to Takao. We took the City Bus 8 which is hourly for the heart of Kyoto without any transfers.

What I loved is that it was quiet, peaceful, you felt like it was 300 years ago. No huge crowds, no queues, no tour guides. You could sense how it should be. The building are maintained but still very rustic, again a great sense of what they should look like after hundreds of years. On the day we were there only the Golden Hall was open for entry, unsure if they open other buildings on other days. It is also set in its natural surroundings. I was just telling my son while we were at Nijo-jo Castle that it is ashamed the planners did not buffer temples and castles with even 100 meters of natural space around it when they built the city. That’s not the case here. The only sense of society is a small restaurant at the foot of the entry steps, Suzuri Ishi-tei. (What a gem, I’ll do another review for it. Let’s just say it was great to hike up the entry stairs, take a lunch break, then continue to...

Jingoji Temple was established on the top of Mt. Takao by Wakano Kiyomaro in 824 as a merger of two other grand temples in the same region ( Kozanji Temple and Saimyoji Temple ). Mt. Takao is a part of mountainous chain of Mt. Atago located in the north-east of Ayashiyama along Kiyotaki River. The temple belongs to Koyasan Shingon sect of Buddhism. The main object of worship in Jingoji is Yakushi Nyorai statue which is believed to have a healing power. The temple also holds 15 other National Treasures of Japan including a sacred writing of Saint Kukai. This temple covers a massive area upon the mountainous ground for you to walk around in its precincts. The temple is very popular among visitors in early Autumn. ( Trans-word+ TGM...