The 1300-year-old mountaintop temple of Daikozen-ji has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries, but today's pilgrims mostly come in autumn. That's when the maples and gingkos that litter the temple's precincts turn glorious shades of red and yellow. A long staircase is the only way to reach the temple groups but the foliage is more than worth the effort. A large parking area is a five-minute walk down the road.
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Mandy Bartok @mandy.bartok
Japan resident for 10 years, with time spent in Okinawa, Kumamoto and Tokyo.
