The views from up here were amazing. Mt. Takatori in Zushi, Kangawa, Japan.

One of the great things about living in Japan, and in Kanagawa in particular, is that there are always new and interesting places just waiting to be discovered. There always seems to be some cluster of old shops, an antique gravesite, castle ruin turned into a park, or ancient temple around the next corner or over the next hill. One of those places is Mt. Takatori and the old temple there, Jinmu-ji (sometimes spelled Jimmuji in English). Walking into the old trails of this sacred mountain temple is like stepping back into old Japan, in spite of the fact that it is a reasonable walk from two different stations and less than an hour from both Yokohama and Yokosuka. With such easy access from two large cities like this, one would think that it would be a popular place over-run with tourists, backpackers, and the like. The surprising thing is, it really isn’t. In fact, I was completely alone when shooting here. There wasn’t anyone else around. It is kind of a shame too, because it is an excellent place to spend a beautiful spring day.

One of the main temple buildings at Jinmu-ji. It may not be very impressive, but the surrounding area is. Zushi, Kanagawa, Japan.

Jinmu-ji temple, by itself really isn’t all that special. As with most temples and shrines in Japan, its origins are very old. Oral history claims that it was founded in the mid-8^th century, and the earliest records have one of the first Shogun, the military warlords who ruled Japan for much of its history, visiting the temple in the early 1200s. And like most other temples and shrines in Japan, it has been destroyed and rebuilt several times throughout Japan’s long and violent history, so none of the buildings are particularly old. Even the temple bell, often the oldest and most important part of these old religious sites, was cast in the 1950s to replace the original which had been melted down in WWII. Jinmu-ji isn’t particularly large either.  However, the location more than makes up for any of its shortcomings.

The main gate into Jinmu-ji. The gate was move here during WWII to make way for a railway crossing. Jinmu-ji, Zushi, Kanagawa, Japan.

You see, while Jinmu-ji temple itself is fairly plain, it is nestled into the side of an ancient mountain forest at the point where several old hiking trails intersect. This extensive system of trails was so large that I couldn’t possibly explore it all in a single afternoon. There is still, from what I have heard, a nearly completed giant Buddha carved into a massive stone in the center of an ancient, abandoned rock quarry that I haven’t found yet. So I will have to do a part two of this article someday soon. In the meantime, if you ever find yourself in the area, go check it out for yourself. You won’t regret it.

Access: About a twenty minute walk from either Jimmuji station on the Keikyu Zushi line or Higashi-Zushi station on the JR Yokosuka line. There are few, if any signs, so you may need some manner of map or GPS to find your way from the station.

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And a special thanks to my friend Yuka for helping me translate a couple of placards that explained some of the history of this place.  You were a huge help.