Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Murō-Akame-Aoyama Quasi-National Park (Japan). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Ōminesan-ji, Mount Hakkyō, and Mount Takami. Also, be sure to include Mount Shakka in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Murō-Akame-Aoyama Quasi-National Park (Nara).
Table of Contents
Ōminesan-ji
Also known as: 大峯山寺
Temple in Tenkawa, Japan. Ōminesan-ji is an important temple of the Shugendō religion in Yoshino district, Nara prefecture, Japan. It is located at the peak of Mount Ōmine, or Sanjōgatake. According to tradition, it was founded by En no Ozunu, the founder of Shugendō, a form of mountain asceticism drawing from Buddhist and Shinto beliefs. Along with Kinpusen-ji Temple, it is considered the most important temple in Shugendō.
The sanctuary around the Sanjōgatake peak (山上ヶ岳) has long been considered sacred in Shugendō, and women are not allowed in the area beyond four "gates" on the route to the peak. On the neighboring Inamuragatake peak (稲村ヶ岳), altitude 1,726 m, it has been opened as a place of training for female believers since 1959, thus called "Women's Ōmine" (女人大峯, Nyonin Ōmine).
In 2004, Ōminesan-ji was designated as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.[1]
Mount Hakkyō
Also known as: 八経ヶ岳
Mountain in Japan. Mount Hakkyō is a 1,914.6 m mountain of Omine Mountains, which is located on the border of Tenkawa and Kamikitayama, Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture, Japan.[2]
Mount Takami
Also known as: 高見山
Mountain in Japan. Mount Takami is a 1,248.3 m mountain of Daiko Mountains, which is located on the border of Higashiyoshino, Nara, and Matsusaka, Mie, Japan[3]
Mount Shakka
Also known as: 釈迦ヶ岳
Mountain in Japan. Mount Shaka is a mountain in the Ōmine Mountains. It marks part of the border between Totsukawa and Shimokitayama in Yoshino District of Nara Prefecture.[4]
Mount Azami
Mountain. Mount Azami is a 1,406 m mountain, located on the border of Higashiyoshino and Kawakami, Nara, Japan.[5]
Mount Shisuniwa
Mountain in Japan. Mount Shisuniwa is a 1,235.6 m mountain of Ōmine Mountain Range, located on the border of Kurotaki and Kawakami, Nara, Japan. This mountain is on the route of Ōmine Okugakemichi.
Shisuniwa literally means ‘the rock of four “sun” (=13 cm)’. The other names of this mountain are, Mount Yonsun (Yonsuniwa-san) and Mount Moriya (Moriya-dake).[6]
Mount Ōmine
Also known as: 大峰山
Mountain. Mount Ōmine, is a sacred mountain in Nara, Japan, famous for its three tests of courage.
Officially known as Mount Sanjō (山上ヶ岳, Sanjō-ga-take), it is more popularly known as Mount Ōmine due to its prominence in the Ōmine mountain range. It is located in Yoshino-Kumano National Park in the Kansai region, Honshū, Japan.
The temple Ōminesanji, located at the top of the mountain, is the headquarters of the Shugendō sect of Japanese Buddhism and the entire mountain is part of a pilgrimage and training ground for the yamabushi.[7]
Mount Hinokizuka Okumine
Also known as: 桧塚奥峰
Mountain in Japan. Mount Hinokizukia Okumine is a 1,420 m mountain, in Matsusaka, Mie, Japan.[8]
Mount Myōjin
Mountain. Mount Myōjin is a 1,432 m mountain, on the border of Matsusaka, Mie and Kawakami, Nara, Japan. This mountain is one of Daikō Mountains.[9]
Mount Ōtenjō
Mountain in Japan. Mount Ōtenjō is a 1,438.7 m mountain of Ōmine Mountain Range, located on the border of Kurotaki and Kawakami, Nara, Japan. This mountain is one of the Kinki 100 mountains. This mountain is on the route of Ōmine Okugakemichi.
Ōtenjō literally means ‘the great ceiling’.[10]
Kii Mountains
Also known as: 紀伊山地
Region in Kamikitayama, Japan. Kii Mountains is a mountainous region covering most of the Kii Peninsula. They lie south of the Japan Median Tectonic Line in Wakayama, Nara, and Mie prefectures. The mountains are arranged roughly northeast to southwest.[11]