GENERAL GUIDANCE FOR PILGRIMAGE
FINISH
Sumise: This is where you get thebus back to Minobu Station at 10:33
in the morning. If you want to bathe,stop at Shimobeonsen Station.

Akasawa
Village

Second smalltemple(Jyumanbu-ji)
whosegrounds youwalk throughto a road thatis still in use.

First small temple(Kansei-bou) whosegrounds you walkthrough to a roughroad that is closed
to vehicular traﬃc(use this road).

The summit ofMount Minobu

Climb from Kuon-ji Temple’s main gate(Sanmon) to the summit of MountMinobu. You can also use the ropeway.

Kuon-jiTemple
Take a taxi or a bus from the train
station to Minobusan (Kuon-ji Temple).
The taxi is about 2,000 yen, but the bus
is only about 280 yen.

The summit of Mount Shichimen

STARTMinobu
StationGuidance for the Pilgrimage
The Pilgrimage from the bottom of Mount Minobu to the top of Mount Shichimen can be done in one
day, but you would really have to be in quite good shape. In fact, there is a Monk’s Run in November
which does the entire course from the Sanmon gate at Mount Minobu and back in just a half day.
However, I would not recommend undertaking such an event unless you are already in great physicalshape. For the rest of us, I recommend staying a night in Akasawa Village where you can breathe inbeautiful mountain air.
The Ascent to Mount Minobu
First, take a bus or taxi from Minobu Station to the Sanmon gate at Mount Minobu (MInobusan). Thebus costs about 280 yen while the taxi costs about 2,000 yen. Next, ascend the 287 steps to Kuon-ji
Temple. This is taxing for most people, so take your time. Once you reach the temple, head to the left ofthe temple and walk to the back where you will find a narrow road that ascends the rest of Mount
Minobu. The first grave you encounter is found at the second bend in the road. The grave belongs to an
English ship’s captain who devoted his life to Nichiren Buddhism. Continue climbing past hundreds
more graves and a half-dozen temples. Once you reach the top of Mount Minobu, visit the temple andthen backtrack to the ropeway entrance. You will find the road that descends to Akasawa Village nottoo far from the ropeway entrance.
The Descent to Akasawa
Now you are walking downhill and you will come to a nondescript temple, Kansei-bou (感井坊), after 20
or 30 minutes. Just walk straight through the temple grounds to the spot that appears to say, “DO NOTENTER”. Just ignore the sign and keep walking along the road. Eventually, you will come to anothertemple, Jyumanbu-ji (⼗十萬部寺), that is a bit more elaborate. Again, walk through the temple grounds
and continue to descend the road behind the temple. This road is a little better than the last one. Keepdescending until you reach the large stone that marks the entrance to Akasawa Village. If you areplanning to stay at Osakya (airbnb/ bring your own food) for the night, keep descending the road until
you come to Shimizuzya (the cafe). Osakaya is just below the cafe.
The Descent to the Entrance of Mount Shichimen and Ascent of Mount Shichimen
If you stayed the night at Osakaya, just head down the hill from Osakya in the late morning (because it
only takes 3 hours to climb Mount Shichmen) and turn left down the paved road. You should reach theentrance of the mountain in about 20 or 30 minutes. Before you reach the entrance, there is a redbridge where you can stand under a waterfall to purify yourself before the climb. In addition, there isanother waterfall just 5 more minutes up the river from the bridge. Once you eventually cross the redbridge, you will find the entrance to the mountain. The ascent of Mount Shichimen is fairly obvious, so
you will not have a problem locating the mountain-top temple. You cannot check-in until around 3 pm,
so time your arrival to coincide with check-in if you can. Remember, your 5,200 yen fee covers twomeals (dinner and breakfast). Bring some snacks in case the meal isn’t enough for you.
The Descent of Mount Shichimen to Sumise bus stop
After you have enjoyed the sunrise over Mount Fuji, you can go back to your room and have breakfast.
For the descent of Mount Shichimen, do not use the same route you ascended the day before, rather,take a diﬀerent route that leads straight out from the boot room at the temple. So, once you have yourshoes or boots on, just walk straight from the boot room and you cannot go wrong. Just keep goingand you will find the route. The route is a bit muddy in spots, so be careful you don't slip. Once you
have descended the mountain, you will come to a vermillion Shinto gate. You are now near Sumise
where you can catch the bus back to Minobu Station or Shimobeonsen Station. Shimobe Onsen isfamous for its hot spring baths. You will find Sumise after exiting the the final temple’s grounds. From
the temple exit, turn left, Sumise bus stop is located opposite the police box at the only true
intersection in the area. Just look for the classic Japanese bus stop post with the bus schedule. Thebus will depart at 10:33 am, so start your descent of Mount Shichimen soon after breakfast. Good luck!