Spots in Yoshino Area
Area
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Nara
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Nara
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- Kinpusen-ji Temple Zaoudou
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4.5272 Reviews - Travel / Tourism
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunyoshinochou Yoshinoyama
- The symbol of Mt. Yoshino and the head temple of the Shugendo syncretic Shinto-Buddhist religion. It is believed that the temple was founded by the mystic En no Gyoja in the latter half of the seventh century. The Zaoudou hall standing proudly on the heights of the Kinpu Mountain Range was erected in 1592 and is the second largest ancient wooden building in Japan after the Hall of the Great Buddha at Todai-ji Temple. Three statues of Zao, a Shinto manifestation of the Buddha, are enshrined in the temple, representing the past, present, and future. Each is seven meters tall and a must-see during your visit.
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Kinpusenji Temple, which is one of the most important Shugendo temples, is located on the same street. Shugendo is a religion based on mountain worship that combines the principles of Buddhism and...
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- Yoshimizu Shrine
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4.5128 Reviews - Travel / Tourism
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunyoshinochou Yoshinoyama 579
- This Shinto shrine is dedicated to Emperor Go-Daigo, Kusunoki Masashige, and Soshin Hoin. Prior to the official separation of Buddhism and Shintoism in the country, the shrine was served as the quarters for the priests of the Kinpusen-ji Temple. In addition to having served as a hiding place for Emperor Go-Daigo when he secretly traveled to Yoshino, the temple is also famous as the place where Minamoto no Yoshitsune, who was being pursued by Minamoto no Yoritomo, escaped safely to together with Benkei and Shizuka Gozen, among others. Also a famous location for viewing the cherry blossoms, the temple displays various articles from the time when Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi spent several days here enjoying the cherry blossoms. In spring, all of Mt. Yoshino blooms with some 30 thousand cherry trees consisting of 200 different varieties.
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As soon as you enter the courtyard, a very beautiful view of the Yoshino valley is in front of you, which is full of white and pink flowers in Hanami season. But this shrine owes its greatest fame to...
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- Yoshino Mikumari-jinja Shrine
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4.080 Reviews - Travel / Tourism
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunyoshinochou Yoshinoyama 1612
- One of the Four Great Mikumari Shrines of Yamato Province which watch over the Nara Basin from the east, west, north, and south, this Shinto shrine worships the goddess Ameno-Mikumari, who governs water. In the Shoku Nihongi, it is recorded that prayers were made for rain at this shrine during the reign of Emperor Monmu. In the mid-Heian period, what is now pronounced “Mikumari” was pronounced “Mikomori,” which sounds like “Child Protector” in Japanese; because of this, the shrine continues to be visited to this day by numerous worshipers seeking to be blessed with children. The main shrine building was rebuilt in 1605 by Toyotomi Hideyori, successor to his father the great general Toyotomi Hideyoshi. This beautiful building strongly retains the distinctive characteristics of Momoyama period architecture. The main shrine building is also a designated Important Cultural Property.
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Even by Japanese standards, this shrine is wonderfully atmospheric. I stopped by to rest on the long hike down from the summit, and sat alone, entranced, by the quiet charm. Worth a journey.
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- Mt. Yoshino
- Travel / Tourism
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunyoshinochou Yoshinoyama
- Mt. Yoshino is one of Japan’s most beautiful areas for seeing cherry blossoms and it is said even the great Toyotomi Hideyoshi came here to view the cherries. The cherries, which number some 30 thousand in total, are divided into areas – the Shimosenbon (Lower 1,000 Trees), Nakasenbon (Middle 1,000 Trees), Kamisenbon (Upper 1,000 Trees), and Okusenbon (Inner 1,000 Trees). The trees gradually come into blossom starting with the Shimosenbon, eventually coloring the entire mountain with their flowers. The sight, praised since ancient times in countless waka poems, continues to captivate the hearts of throngs of people today. The mountain was designated a national Site of Scenic Beauty and Historic Site in 1924. In 2004, the sacred land extending from Mt. Yoshino and Mt. Koya to Kumano as well as the intervening pilgrimage routes were registered collectively as the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range World Heritage Site.
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- Yoshino-Jingu Shrine
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4.039 Reviews - Travel / Tourism
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunyoshinochou Yoshinoyama 3226
- Yoshino-Jingu Shrine is a Shinto shrine located near Yoshino-Jingu Station on the Kintetsu Railway Yoshino Line. It was constructed in 1889 on the orders of the Meiji Emperor; the main deity enshrined here is Emperor Go-Daigo. The recently-constructed Honden (Main Hall) and Haiden (Hall of Worship) are oriented in a north-facing direction, towards the city of Kyoto, and built in the Sohinoki-zukuri style (a modern style of shrine construction, which uses only Japanese cypress wood); the Shrine precincts are renowned as a marvelous place for viewing cherry blossom in spring. The Autumn Festival which is held at the Yoshino-Jingu Shrine on September 27 every year includes a performance of the Urayasu-no-mai Dance dedicated to the gods, as well as dances accompanied by traditional folk songs, the reciting of poems for the entertainment of the gods, etc., making this a wonderful opportunity to experience aspects of traditional Japanese culture.
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明治22年に明治天皇により建てられた、近代建築の神社で後醍醐天皇が祀られています。広く整然とした境内が印象的でした。北向きに建てられているのは、如意輪寺の塔尾陵と同様、後醍醐天皇の京への想いを偲んだものとのことです。
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- Niukawakami Jinja Shimosha Shrine
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4.521 Reviews - Travel / Tourism
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunshimoichichou Nagatani 1-1
- This shrine is said to be the origin of Ema. Originally, worshipers would offer a black horse to pray for rain or a white horse to pray for clear weather. This would eventually morph into pictures of horses on wooden plaques. The shrine is said to be Japan's oldest shrine to a water god. It is notable for its 75-step covered stairs, a rarity in Shinto shrine architecture, which were built to reach the heavens. It is also said to be a good place to pray for success in marriage.
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日本最古の、水神オカミノカミを祀る古社です。この社に白馬を献じたことが絵馬の始まりとのことでした。こちらの木造の階としては日本一のものであり、昔の方が雨という天からのものに対する祈りを形にしたようにも感じました。
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- Nyoirin-ji Temple
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4.042 Reviews - Travel / Tourism
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunyoshinochou Yoshinoyama 1024
- A Pure Land sect Buddhist temple built by Nichizo in the Engi period between 901 and 923. Designated an imperial temple by Emperor Go-Daigo during the Nanboku-cho period (1336-1392), Kusunoki Masashige’s eldest son Masatsura, anticipating his end in the Battle of Shijonawate, carved his death poem the doors of the main nave before departing for the front. In spring, the figure of the bodhisattva Cintamanicakra, housed in the main nave, is unveiled.
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吉野山寺宝めぐりの一つ、中千本から見ると、桜が咲く山の中にお寺があります。 一度谷に降りて、向かい側の山を登って行くので、往復すると結構体力を使いますが、桜を眺めながらゆっくりと往復しました。 後醍醐天皇が勅願寺とし、御陵があり、有料拝観の宝物殿には蔵王権現像や、楠木正行が辞世の句を刻んだ扉などがあり、宝物殿のテラスからは谷を見渡せます。
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- Noten Daijin Ryu-ou-in
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4.017 Reviews - Travel / Tourism
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunyoshinochou Yoshinoyama 2482
- This temple is dedicated to Noten Daijn, the tutelar deity of brain. Visitors come to the temple to pray for things such as cures for head ailments and better test scores. During the grand festival, the festival conducts a Goma fire ritual and offers various forms of hospitality to guests, including a lottery for everyone who comes to temple. The temple also accepts requests for special prayers for success in entrance exams.
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片道500段近くの階段を下り、お参り。 帰りは、ヒーヒーいって上がる。 膝ガクガクです。 秋のお祭りで、一般にも公開してる屋外の護摩祈祷が素晴らしい。 山伏が何十人と集まり、迫力で般若心経がフルコーラスで聞けます。
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- Ano Plum Grove
- Travel / Tourism
- Nishiyoshino cho, Gojo City Nara Prefecture
- Ano Plum Grove, which boasts 20,000 plum trees, is in bloom from late February to late March, with plum blossoms covering the hillsides. This grove has a long history and was even the topic of a poem written 700 years ago during the Nanboku-cho period. In 1877, cultivation of the plum trees for their fruit began. Then in 1923, in commemoration of the marriage of the Crown Prince (later the Emperor Showa), 5,000 more plum trees were planted, and the number of plum trees has continued to increase since then.
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- Kongoji Temple
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3.59 Reviews - Travel / Tourism
- Nara Gojo-shi Nohara Nishi 3-2-14
- "Records state this ancient Buddhist temple was founded some 800 years ago by Heian period man of culture and Minister of the Interior Taira no Shigemori. Also known as the ""Tree Peony Temple"" because of its many tree peonies, the temple holds a tree peony festival from late April through early May each year. In the temple's 2,000 square meter tree peony garden, backed by the beautiful Yoshino River, visitors can view some 1,500 tree peonies spanning 100 varieties. Other pretty flowers you can see here include lily magnolias, Hirado azaleas, China asters, rhododendrons, Calanthe discolor orchids, kirenge and kabarenge azaleas, flowering dogwood, and magnificent German irises."
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五條市の古い町並みが残る地区から吉野川を渡った対岸にある寺で、関西花の寺、牡丹の庭園として人気の寺です。 4月初旬だったので、椿が残っている程度で、牡丹はまだなので、庭園には入らず、花の寺御朱印をいただいてきました。近くに高校野球の名門校智弁学園があります。
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- Hirohashi Bairin (Plum Orchard)
- Travel / Tourism
- Nara Yoshino-gun Shimoichi Cho Hirohashi
- A plum orchard in Hirohashi, Shimoichi Town, Yoshino County. It's said to be one of Nara's three major plum groves alongside Tsukigase Plum Grove and Anou Plum Grove. The orchard contains nearly 5,000 plum trees which bloom from late February to late March. It The Plum Satoyama Festival is held including events such as a stamp rally (stamp collecting orienteering) and an open-air market.
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- Hanayagura Observatory
- Travel / Tourism
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunyoshinochou Yoshinoyama
- The Hanayagura Observatory at Mt. Yoshino affords visitors fine views of the changing seasons all year round. It is probably the best viewing point in the Yoshino Mountains and rewards visitors with views as far as Mt. Kongo on the Prefectural border of Nara and Osaka. It’s a famous place for viewing the cherry blossom with the best time to visit in early April. The view of the cherry blossom in full bloom down below is a magnificent sight indeed. It is approximately 40 minutes by bus from the Kintetsu Yoshino Station on the Kintetsu Yoshino Line.
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- Kinpu-jinja Shrine
- Travel / Tourism
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunyoshinochou Yoshinoyama 1651
- This is a Shinto shrine in Okusenbon, Mt. Yoshino, Yoshino Town. The shrine enshrines the deity of Kanayamahiko no Mikoto, the local god of the land. It is also a training ground for Japanese mountain asceticism-shamanism. It is also recorded that Fujiwarano Michinaga visited the shrine. Near the precinct there is the Hidden tower of Yoshitsune said to have been used by Minamotono Yoshitsune and his party as a safe house.
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- Berry Fields Shimomura
- Leisure / Hobbies
- Nara Gojo-shi Kinoharacho 989-8
- A strawberry farm in Kinohara-cho, Gojo City. They cultivate their strawberries using low levels of pesticide and breeds include Asuka Ruby and Kotoka strawberries. You can enjoy 30-minutes of all-you- can-eat strawberry picking from mid-January to late May. They also sell strawberries and homemade jam and from July to early September offer pesticide free blueberries.
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- Yoshino Omine Ropeway
- Travel / Tourism
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunyoshinochou Yoshinoyama 79
- TheYoshino Omine Ropeway takes visitors to Yoshinoyama Station in about three minutes from Senbon-guchi Station which is just a three-minute walk from Yoshino Station on the Kintetsu Yoshino Line. It is the oldest ropeway in Japan, having been in operation since 1929, and the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers has registered it as an example of the country’s mechanical heritage. The ropeway normally operates from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and makes four round trips per hour. The number of runs is increased during the cherry blossom season in April, and large numbers of cherry blossom enthusiasts come to enjoy the view of Mount Yoshino through the windows of the ropeway cars.
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- Nishizawaya
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4.59 Reviews - Gourmet / Alcohol
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunyoshinochou Yoshinoyama 951
- This restaurant dedicated to regional cuisine is located in the Nakasenbon area on Mt. Yoshino. Diners can enjoy kudzu udon noodles, a Yoshino specialty, as well as vinegared mackerel sushi wrapped in persimmon leaves while gazing out at the beautiful scenery of Yoshino. The popular Yoshino nabe hotpot (reservation required) is filled with Yoshino-farmed tofu made with water from a famous spring, beef, vegetables, wild plants, and kudzu. The persimmon leaf sushi is also available for takeout.
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卵とじ葛うどんと柿の葉寿司2つ、葛餅のセットをいただきました。 ※うどん、そば、葛うどんから選べます。 葛うどんは喉ごしがよく、とろっとしていて温まりました。 出汁も濃くもなく薄くもなく、ちょうど良い。 熱々のうどんと、冷たい柿の葉寿司で、美味しくいただけました。 甘すぎない葛餅も良かったです。
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- Houkon-an
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4.59 Reviews - Gourmet / Alcohol
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunyoshinochou Yoshinoyama 550
- A popular tea house with terrace seating offering a superb view located in the Nakasenbon area on Mt. Yoshino. The first location on Mt. Yoshino to sell kudzu mochi rice cakes and kuzu-kiri kudzu jelly noodles, the shop’s signature and delectable “kuzubana” is made by stuffing soft and chewy kudzu jelly with locally grown sweet adzuki been paste. The shop offers an abundance of items perfect for enjoying during a short break in a stroll, such as the matcha green tea set.
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あんこをぷるぷるのくずで包んだ和菓子に抹茶が付いたセットを頼みました。お天気が良ければ、テラス席が気持ちいいです。店主に柿の葉寿司の美味しいお店を教えていただき助かりました。
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- Chikurin-in Temple
- Travel / Tourism
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunyoshinochou Yoshinoyama 2142
- Originally founded by Prince Shotoku as the Chinzan-ji Temple and later dubbed the Josen-ji Temple by the great priest Kukai, this Buddhist temple was re-founded as the Chikurin-in Temple in 1385. The Gumpoen garden, considered one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan, stretches out on the temple’s 33 thousand square meter grounds. The garden, a strolling garden with a central pond, is said to have been created by the great tea ceremony master Sen no Rikyu and renovated by the samurai Hosokawa Fujitaka. The garden is also famous for its cherry and camellia blossoms, which the great samurai leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi himself came to see and enjoy. The Chikurin-in Gumpoen Ryokan, a traditional temple inn located on the grounds, is 1,300 years old, and is said to have even been used by yamabushi, ascetic mountain hermits said to have supernatural powers. This popular inn still sees an unending stream of guests today.
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- Yakko
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4.030 Reviews - Gourmet / Alcohol
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunyoshinochou Yoshinoyama 543
- A renowned persimmon leaf sushi restaurant located in front of the Kimpusen-ji Temple’s Zao-do hall in Yoshino Town, Yoshino County, Nara Prefecuture. This long-standing restaurant continues to follow the same traditional recipes used since it was established in the Taisho period. Persimmon leaf sushi is mackerel sprinkled with salt on a bed of vinegared rice wrapped in a persimmon leaf, which has antibacterial properties. This traditional local dish was originally conceived of as a way to bring fish deep into a mountainous region far from the sea. Each piece is carefully pressed by hand to create a delectable treat with the proper flavor balance; in addition to being available for purchase as souvenirs, the shop has an eat-in space where you can enjoy some persimmon leaf sushi right there. The shop’s seasonal noodle dishes and set options are also popular.
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念願の吉野の桜を見に行ってきました。満開には少し早い日でしたが、３万本あるというシロヤマザクラは、それはそれは素晴らしい眺めでした。 昼食は、金峯山寺の蔵王堂入り口近くにあった、「柿の葉寿司やっこ」さんでいただきました。柿の葉寿司は吉野が発祥だというので、桜とともに楽しみにしていたんです。 いただいたのは、当店のおすすめと書かれていた「うどんセット」。きつねうどんと柿の葉寿司が４個のセットメ...
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- Sakuramotobou Temple
- Travel / Tourism
- Nara Pref. Yoshinogunyoshinochou Yoshinoyama 1269
- This temple is said to be built on the spot where the sakura tree stood that Prince Oama, who became Emperor Temmu, saw in a dream. This temple is a dojo for the shugen (mountain asceticism) sect incorporating both Shinto and Buddhist concepts. It houses many relics that are important cultural properties. The yoshino sakura flowers are at their peak every year for the Hana Matsuri (flower festival) celebrating the birth of Buddha.
Nara Areas
With a reputation almost as stellar as that of Kyoto, Nara is a must-visit for those searching for the remains of "traditional Japan." The largely green Nara city holds the majority of the prefecture’s treasures, such as the iconic Todai-ji Temple, in which a 15-meter tall Great Buddha sits, and Nara Park, where deer flock to befriend passersby. While mountains are by no means hard to come by in this area, for hiking with a reward, head to the Kii Mountains’ Yoshino district in spring, when the hillsides put on an impressive display of white and pink cherry blossoms.
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