This post was written in 2007. Some information may be out of date.
Shikoku is famous for its pilgrimage route around 88 temples, but Konpira-san isn’t a temple at all. It’s a shrine called Kotohira-gu. When I told people I was going on a trip to Shikoku, lots of them told me I absolutely had to go here, so I went. It’s 785 steps up to the main shrine and 1,368 steps to the Okusha, the innermost shrine at the very top. The climb wasn’t easy, but I loved the calm atmosphere. In standard Japanese the name is Kotohira, but the locals call it Konpira.
The shopping street near the start of the approach to the shrine.
It reminds me of Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto.
A kago (palanquin).
The men working these as a part-time job were getting on in years, and I felt a bit sorry for them.
The entrance.
The banner says “Shiawase-san. Konpira-san.” (roughly “Happiness-san, Konpira-san”).
A photo from about halfway up.
The weather was really lovely.
Flowers
Trees 1
A pond
Trees 2
A turtle
Trees 3
A shrine
A view over Shikoku
The mountains here have really unusual shapes.
The way down
