Kotohiragu

Impressive shrine, I only visited the main shrine at about 700+ steps which is about half of the 1368 steps. Majority of the stairs are surrounded by trees, it gives a mystical feeling. At the main shrine, there are Omikuji (fortune telling paper) and charms available for sale. There's also a pot where people try to make their coin float. I think it means good luck for those who manage to successfully float their coin. I did not go to the inner shrine as there was not enough time and I was getting really hungry. Lucky for me, there's a cafe on the way down. I think the cafe is called Kamitsubaki. On the way up at about the 100 steps range there are many shops selling snacks and souvenir. I got a Ramune that I saw in Japanese anime but I was unable to open it. A kind local helped me out and taught me the way. At 金刀比羅宮 大門, about 300 steps in, there is an area where local people setup portable stalls to sell stuff. There was a kind lady that gave me yuzu hard candy (ame) every time I passed by😊, even though I did not buy anything. There is an area for feeding birds, some people brought seeds and the birds seem to really like it. They will fly back and forth between the hand and the tree to eat the seeds. Visited on 31 Mar 2025

If you’re over 30 and not used to regular exercise, I highly recommend taking a taxi up to around the 300th step before starting your climb. If you plan to reach Oku-sha (the Inner Shrine), which few people manage to visit, be sure to allocate plenty of time. At first, I thought the hike was manageable, but toward the end, it became a true test of endurance and willpower. No wonder it’s called the most challenging shrine to visit. Personally, I didn’t find the scenery particularly breathtaking compared to other places, but the sense of achievement from obtaining the goshuin (seal stamp) made it all worthwhile. I couldn’t help but wonder—do the people working here really climb up every day? Also, I saw an elderly couple holding hands and supporting each other as they made their way up, which was incredibly touching. Don’t push yourself too hard. Bring some water. Allow enough time. It’s absolutely worth it.

This shrine is fantastic, the location, the size and the views it offers. Starting from the city at the bottom you will find yourself walking uphill following flights of stairs after flights of stairs! But when you reach the main building you are rewarded with a wonderful view. From there it is not really finished yet and you can continue to the two other shrines of the hill. Considering this place is completely free and surrounded by nature I am really glad we came here. We stayed approximately 2 hours on site and I would gladly recommend it. The only thing I really don't understand is the presence of two living horses that were kept in very narrow stalls for people to take pictures. This made me really sad as I don't understand why they need to use living beings for worshipping instead of statues which they also have. I would really have preferred for the horses to be left alone!

🎉 Congrats! You’ve made it to the main shrine after conquering 785 stairs (around 30–45 minutes of climbing). The shrine itself is impressive, and the view from the observatory deck is absolutely worth the effort. Here you’ll find a limited selection of omamori, but there’s something unique—a dog omamori 🐶, perfect for blessing your furry friend. But wait… looking for the special black Tengu omamori? 👺 NOT HERE! To get that, you’ll need to push on and climb another 538 stairs (about 20–30 minutes) to reach Izutama Shrine. Good luck on the next leg of your journey! 💪⛩️

Temple on top of a lot of stairs. You had to walk a lot of steps but there were a few stages - each one had a certain number of steps in between each one but to go right to the top, it would've taken ALOT of steps. even to the 2nd section where you could see the holy horses were quite a walk. to be honest - not that much to see if youre not very interested in temples. A bit too much effort going up the stairs.