Tottori Sanbutsuji Temple's Nageiredo Hall

Climbing mount Mitoku to see a 1000 year old temple

George Popescu Aug 31, 2016 - 2 min read

The famous temple sitting in a crevice of Mitoku-san

Entrance to Mitoku mountain climbing area

You can get details about the trek from this local temple

The trees in the forest are tall and hundreds of years old

The horse is a significant animal for this area

The red gate signifies entrance to another land

Before climbing consider getting these sandals

At the start of the climb there's some statues in the jungle

Some parts of the climb must be done using tree roots

Another area that is hard mud and natural stairs

Reaching one of the platforms about halfway up

The view from the platform is breathtaking

There are various trees and plants on the mountain

This little shrine has various hair pieces enclosed inside

Nageiredo hall was built straight into the mountain

The most adventurous time you can have in Tottori is definitely climbing mount Mitoku to see the fabled one thousand-year-old hall of Nageiredo.

The way up is treacherous and you have to use your hands to climb the almost vertical path up the mountain. At the base of the climb you can purchase the traditional sandals that Buddhist monks wear to go up the mountain, they are incredibly comfortable to wear. You also need to bring a bottle of water or more since you will sweat a lot going up and need to stay hydrated.

Nature is lush and green and the air is very clean and crisp, and about halfway up there is a platform from where you can see the valley below. Usually, people rest in that area, and continuing up the mountain you will reach a cave through which you must go to be cleansed. On the other side there is a small shrine housing hair pieces from various samurai and sumo wrestlers. They left it there as a gift to the gods of the mountain. Around the corner is the famous hall which looks as if it was thrown into the mountain.

To this day it is unknown how the hall was created in ancient times, and the secret is well kept by the monks of modern times. I would recommend this incredible adventure for everyone interested in nature, hiking, and mysticism, make sure you wear the "waragi" sandals to climb the mountain.

George Popescu @george.popescu

I was born in Bucharest, Romania and after a brief stay in London, England I settled and lived in Toronto, Canada for 20 years. I moved to Tokyo in late 2013 and have lived here ever since. I enjoy exploring the city with my camera as well as going to many special events that Tokyo has to offer e...