Jingo-ji, Buddhist temple in Takao, Kyoto, Japan
Jingo-ji is a Buddhist temple in Ukyō Ward, Kyoto, set on Mount Takao within a dense forest. The complex includes several halls with curved roofs, stone lanterns lining the paths, and a two-story pagoda rising among tall cedars.
Wake no Kiyomaro founded the temple in 824 after receiving religious teachings from Kukai and Saicho. Centuries later, the complex experienced several reconstructions following fires, with many buildings dating from the Edo period.
Visitors come to throw kawarake, small clay discs that sail over the forested slopes from a platform, symbolically carrying worries away. The temple displays bright red maple trees in autumn that stand out against the dark wooden buildings and draw many photographers.
The climb from the Takao bus stop takes about twenty minutes up a steep stone staircase through the forest. The complex opens in the morning and closes in the late afternoon, with the path becoming slippery during rain.
The main hall preserves a wooden statue of Yakushi Nyorai from the Heian period, counted among Japan's National Treasures. Monks still hold prayers in the early morning hours when mist hangs between the trees and bells ring through the valley.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
