Mitokusan Sanbutsuji & Misasa Onsen

Mitokusan Sanbutsuji, home to the cliffside Nageiredo Hall regarded as Japan's most dangerous National Treasure to visit, sits about 35 km southwest of Tottori City near Misasa Onsen, one of the world's highest-radon hot spring towns. From Tottori Station, the JR San'in Line reaches Kurayoshi Station in 30-40 minutes, followed by a bus toward Misasa Onsen (about 20-24 minutes) and a short taxi or local connection to the Sanbutsuji entrance. Arriving by mid-morning allows time to register at temple reception (open 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.) for the Nageiredo pilgrimage hike, a demanding scramble over roots, bare rock, and chain-assisted sections that takes about 1.5-2 hours round trip and requires suitable footwear and a hiking partner, since solo entry isn't permitted. Visitors who prefer not to attempt the climb can still view Nageiredo Hall from a free public viewpoint at the mountain's base. After the temple, the short trip into Misasa Onsen proper rewards with one of Japan's most distinctive hot spring experiences: the town's radium-rich waters have drawn bathers for centuries, and the open-air Kawara-buro bath sits directly on the riverbank in the town center, free to use and mixed-gender by tradition, alongside several ryokan offering day-use bathing. A wander along the river through Misasa's small wooden inns and free footbaths rounds out the afternoon. Lunch options cluster in both Kurayoshi and Misasa, with the latter offering simple soba and river-fish restaurants suited to a post-hike appetite. Given the bus frequency and the temple's registration cutoff, an early departure from Tottori is worthwhile to leave enough daylight for both the climb and the onsen soak.