The Nihonji temple area is a big temple complex at the 330 meter tall Nokogiriyama mountain. Although the opening hour states that it is only open until 17:00 i believe this only concerns the ropeway and you could still stay longer at that area, however be careful to get back before dawn. It is easily manageable within 1 day, has a decent trail and an absolutely stunning view.
The corresponding diary including pictures and impressions can be found here.
Overview
- opening hours: 08:00 – 17:00, fee: 600 Yen
- overall costs: ~ 5500 Yen
- time spend in the area: ~ 5 hours
- personal rating: 10/10
Highlights
A 31 m tall in stone carved, sitting Buddha statue, carved in 1780 and is said to have taken 3 years.
1500 statues of Buddha along the trail.
A 30 m tall standing plate of Kannon the goddess of mercy.
Several observation points. The most famous one would be the hells lookout, a platform shaped like a lion’s head. From here you could see Yokohama on the other side of the ocean as well as the curvature of Japan on a clear day.
There is also a small teahouse right after the entrance with a lovely view over Hota city.
Access
You can easily access the area by train which will take you around 2h starting from Tokyo. You could hike up the mountain or go by ropeway. If you want to take the ropeway, you would arrive at Hama Kanaya station and proceed to the ropeway in the south which gets you almost to the top of the mountain. Although i would recommend to hike since the trail looks quite beautiful. In that case you would want to get off at Hota Station. From there you would then walk north towards the mountain.
Further readings under japan-guide.