Great island to visit, you'll be able to see everything within the hour you're there even if you go slow so you don't really need to pick and choose where to visit. Just visit it all! So this rating is for the island in general not just hogonji. There are beautiful views of the ocean and really cool trees, even one with red leaves even in April! There is also a very very old Buddhist statue on this island which was cool to see. In general just alot of history on this island and if you're going to Hikone definitely check it out. I was able to see Hikone Castle, the gardens surrounding castle, and this island via walking (no bus used) from the hours of 11am-4pm with the boat being...
Read moreOn this amazing island, I witnessed a dazzling array of lakeside vistas including beautifully elegant shrines and temples. I highly recommend going here. There are several stone staircases with quite a few steps so make sure that you have plenty of water, and are in reasonable shape to hike here. I have been to a great many islands, and shrines since living in Japan, but in my humble opinion this ranks very...
Read moreVery cool place. You can get here from a few places. We came from Omi-Imazu and went back to Nagahama. The ferry ride is great! The place has a lot of stairs, so be careful if you have trouble with that. There are a few shops here so you can grab a bite here if you forget to bring food. Probably allow 1-2 hours to see everything accessible. Most of the island seemed to...
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