My Favorite Temple in Japan (A Photo Post)
Kitaguchi-Hongu Fuji-Sengen Shrine, Mt Fuji, 2013-03-11 12:00 by Laerke
This deeply wooded and very atmospheric temple is at the beginning of an old pilgrim route to the top of mount Fuji - it was a beautiful place and possibly my favourite temple in Japan :)
The shrine stands in a dense forest near Mt. Fuji, the entrance to the temple is via a long path lined by stone lanterns and shaded by tall cedar trees. The shrine's beautiful red buildings include a main hall dating all the way back to 1615.
In the past, the shrine used to be the common starting point for climbing Mount Fuji from the north. The trailhead is still located directly behind the right side of the shrine's main hall, and some traditionalist hikers still begin their ascent with a prayer at the shrine before passing through the wooden torii gate in the back of the shrine grounds. These days, however, most climbers forego the shrine and start their ascent from Kawaguchiko 5th Station halfway up the mountain. This effectively halves the distance to the summit and shortens the climb by more than five hours. It is too bad though as the beginning of the trail looked really atmospheric!