Let’s be honest, there are A LOT of temples to visit in Japan. When we first started planning I got excited about every new shrine we added to our itinerary. About 20 temples in I started to wonder if we really needed to go to allll of them. When building our itinerary I tried to stick to a mix of tourist-friendly must-sees and awesome under-the-radar finds. Otagi Nenbutsu-ji is one of the under-the-radar finds and I’m glad we discovered it! It was totally empty when we visited in the early afternoon and it felt like we were the only people in the world who knew it existed. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Otagi Nenbutsu-ji!
Otagi Nenbutsu-ji History
The original Otagi temple was built in 766, but has had to be moved and rebuilt many times over the years due to natural disasters. It was most recently rebuilt in the 1980’s when Kocho Nishimura (1915-2003), a Buddhist statue sculptor and Buddhist monk, was ordered to be the chief of Otagi Nenbutsu-ji. Nishimura oversaw the construction of the 1200 statues that now cover the grounds. These statues are called rakan and represent the followers of Buddha. They are all totally unique and have different moods and poses.
Getting There
Otagi Nenbutsu-ji is probably a lesser-known location because it’s not super easy to get there. I highly recommend that you make a day out of exploring Arashiyama and make this a stop on that walking tour. Alternatively, you can bus there.
If you plan to walk through Arashiyama, take a train to Arashiyama Station. There are two different Arashiyama stations: Arashiyama Station and Saga-Arashiyama Station. It doesn’t matter which one you end up at, just go ahead and make your way to the bamboo forest after exploring “downtown” Arashiyama. From there, head towards Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street and continue on until Otagi Nenbutsu-ji.
If you would rather just hit up Otagi Nenbutsu-ji without exploring Arashiyama, take the train to Saga-Arashiyama Station, walk to the Nonomiya bus stop, and catch the 62, 72, 92, or 94 bus towards Kiyotaki. Get off at the Otagi Dera Mae bus stop which is practically right outside Otagi Nenbutsu-ji.
If neither of the above are convenient for your day, there are other routes that you can take. Check out google maps directions for more info!
Details
Hours: 8:00am – 4:30pm
Cost: 300 yen to enter
Website: https://www.otagiji.com/visit-en
