Ishiyama-dera Temple

Ishiyama-dera takes its name from the raw, jagged outcrop of wollastonite -- a rare rock formation nationally designated a Natural Monument -- that the temple's main hall and pagoda are built directly around and atop, giving the complex an unusually dramatic physical setting rather than a flat compound. A stone stairway climbs past the rock formation to the Hondo main hall, which includes the small room traditionally said to be where Murasaki Shikibu began writing the Tale of Genji in the 11th century, and continues up to a three-story pagoda and a garden with views down over the Seta River. The grounds are planted with hundreds of plum and cherry trees on the lower slopes, making late March into April a particularly active season, while maple trees near the pagoda turn color in November. A full visit up through the main hall, pagoda, and treasure hall (an additional fee) takes most visitors 1.5 to 2 hours given the elevation change and stairs involved. As the thirteenth stop on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, the temple sees a steady flow of pilgrims year-round in addition to general visitors, and mornings are generally quieter than the afternoon tour-bus window.