 Most viewed - Nihondaira & Kunozan Toshogu Shrine 日本平・久能山東照宮 |
From Shizuoka Station (bus stop 19), it takes 35 min. by bus to Nihondaira. The bus comes to this Nihondaira Park Center. From here, you can easily walk to the points of interest.856 views
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Mt. Fuji as seen from Nihondaira.615 views
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Mt. Fuji as seen from Nihondaira's Ginbodai. Even sunny days can be hazy, but at least Mt. Fuji was visible when I went in mid-March. It was too hazy to see the Izu Peninsula.584 views
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Parking area for people going to Nihondaira via the steps up the mountain. Near here is the bus stop for Shizuoka Station.459 views
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Tokugawa Ieyasu's tomb at Kunozan Toshogu445 views
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The shrine looks spanking new and the colors are very impressive. It cost 1,300,000,000 yen to restore the lacquer and paint.439 views
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Honden Hall of Kunozan Toshogu Shrine at Nihondaira, Shizuoka. The shrine's focal point and most magnificent building. Important Cultural Property.437 views
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View of Mt. Fuji from Nihondaira412 views
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Map of Kunozan Toshogu Shrine. It's not as big as it looks. The shrine is one of Nihondaira's main attractions. It was the original burial site of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The shrine was built by his son Hidetada.400 views
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Mt. Fuji as seen from Yui.400 views
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Torii with Kunozan in the background.397 views
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Hiroshige's woodblock print of Miho no Matsubara Beach and Mt. Fuji from his "Famous Views of the 60 Provinces" series.391 views
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Mt. Fuji as seen from the Eastern Lookout Deck. This is one place where you would want to visit on a clear day. Otherwise, you won't see Mt. Fuji.384 views
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Stone torii 山下石鳥居377 views
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Another lookout deck on top of a souvenir shop. Free admission. Go up to the 4th floor.376 views
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Kunozan Toshogu Shrine was built 19 years before the famous Nikko Toshogu Shrine (Tochigi Prefecture) which is where Ieyasu was reburied. According to his will, Ieyasu wanted to be buried on Kunozan. Before the shrine, there was a temple and a castle here369 views
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Nihondaira is a plateau 308 meters high. It affords great views almost all around. There are a few lookout points on Nihondaira and this is one of them on Nihondaira's peak. Called Ginbodai.364 views
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Map of Nihondaira. It's not as spread out as it looks. Everything is within easy walking distance. If you visit in Feb., see the ume plum trees in bloom.358 views
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Admission to Kunozan Toshogu Shrine is 500 yen (or 800 yen if you also want to see the museum). It's worth it. After paying admission, you see this Romon Gate which is an Important Cultural Property. 楼門356 views
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Another lookout deck is this Higashi Tenbodai or Eastern Lookout Deck. 東展望台355 views
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One main attraction of Nihondaira is views of Mt. Fuji and Miho no Matsubara on sunny days. If it's really sunny, you can also see the Izu Peninsula.350 views
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Gate keeper station 門衛所348 views
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Nihondaira was designated as a National Scenic Site in 1963 by the Japanese government. This high and flat plateau was recognized for its grand views all around, especially of Mt. Fuji. It also includes Mt. Kunozan, home of Toshogu Shrine.344 views
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Back at the Nihondaira Park Center (next to the bus stop), there are souvenir shops and a ropeway station to go to Kunozan Toshogu Shrine.344 views
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Shimizu Port and Miho no Matsubara beyond it. Miho Peninsula is also home of one of Japan's swan maiden legends. There's even a shrine dedicated to the swan maiden.341 views
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Sacred horse stable. (Mannequin horse)340 views
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Monument on the peak of Nihondaira. It says "Ginbodai." 吟望台336 views
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Kaguraden Hall for sacred dances is also an Important Cultural Property. 神楽殿332 views
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Handprint of Tokugawa Ieyasu displayed behind Romon Gate.328 views
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By coincidence, a newly married couple disembarked from the ropeway after their wedding held at Kunozan Toshogu Shrine. We clapped for them.327 views
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Torii325 views
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Honden roof325 views
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Carving325 views
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Hiroshige's woodblock print of Ejiri (19th post town on the Tokaido) from his "Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido Road" series. Miho no Matsubara in the background.325 views
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Song monument324 views
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Kunozan Toshogu is designated as an Important Cultural Property, but unlike the Nikko Toshogu, there are no National Treasures (except in the museum).323 views
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View of Nihondaira's parking lot and Mt. Fuji.322 views
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Lookout deck322 views
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Stone steps going down to the coast. It takes about 20 min. to go down these stone steps to the bottom. There are 1,159 stone steps which don't mean much unless you're climbing up.322 views
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Hieda Shrine is what you see before the Honden main hall.320 views
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Tea Hall (Cha Kaikan) 茶会館319 views
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Lots of antenna atop Nihondaira.318 views
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318 views
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Carving on Romon Gate. If you've been to Nikko Toshogu Shrine, many architectural and artistic elements here at Kunozan will look familiar.317 views
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Karamon Gate entrance to the Haiden Hall. The ornate Karamon Gate is an Important Cultural Property. However, we are not allowed to enter through this gate. 拝殿317 views
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Yui is so scenic that Hiroshige made a ukiyoe print of it in his Tokaido series.317 views
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Plum garden marker316 views
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Nihondaira Ropeway operates from 9:10 am to 5:15 pm (till 4:15 pm in winter months).315 views
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Riding the Nihondaira Ropeway to Kunozan. Built in 1957, the ropeway is 1,065 meters long.315 views
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Ieyasu plum tree314 views
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Roof tiles are decorated with the Tokugawa crest.314 views
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But I did find a plum tree with flowers. Smells nice.313 views
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Lion dog painting on the Hionden Hall.312 views
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Not much inside the Tea Hall which sells some tea.310 views
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Statue of a mother and child. Based on the famous children's song called "Akai Kutsu" (Red Shoes). The song was modeled after a little girl who was from Shimizu, Shizuoka. The sculpture was made in 1986.309 views
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Near Nihondaira is Yui, a scenic point on the coast accessible by car.309 views
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Yet another Nihondaira stone marker.308 views
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There's also a lookout deck on the roof of the Nihondaira Park Center.308 views
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Nihondaira Ropeway costs 550 yen one way (1000 yen round trip). If you go to Nihondaira by bus, you can take a bus back from Kunozan instead of going back to the Nihondaira bus stop.308 views
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Shizuoka city307 views
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Tokugawa crest307 views
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View from lookout deck307 views
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Plum trees307 views
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Nihondaira Ropeway to Kunozan. The ropeway ride is only only 5 min. It runs quite often.306 views
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Stone steps 石段306 views
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Nihondaira monument and Mt. Fuji.305 views
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305 views
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Kunozan is accessible by ropeway (aerial tram) from Nihondaira or by winding steps going up on the other side from the coastal road.304 views
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Plum garden marker304 views
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Nihondaira ume plum grove. Flowers already withered by the time I was there in mid-March. 日本平梅園302 views
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I went on a Sunday and it was noisy with all these motorcycles and sports cars buzzing around. They catch their thrills on the curving roads of Nihondaira.302 views
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Side gate to the Haiden and Honden Halls.301 views
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Purification water fountain is an Important Cultural Property.300 views
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Lock your heart.299 views
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About Kunozan Toshogu Shrine in English.298 views
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Nihondaira marker297 views
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Kunozan in the distance. You can see Kunozan's sloping peak on which Kunozan Toshogu Shrine is built. Its elevation is 270 meters.297 views
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Gate to Tokugawa Ieyasu's tomb is also an Important Cultural Property. 廟所297 views
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Approach to Ieyasu's tomb297 views
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Honden Hall296 views
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Nice view from the stone steps. Those vinyl houses are growing strawberries which are sold everywhere at the foot of Kunozan during Jan. to May.296 views
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About Kunozan Toshogu Shrine in Japanese.295 views
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Off of Shimizu Port is Miho no Matsubara, a pine-clad, slither of land jutting into the ocean. 294 views
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Plexiglass protects the lower carvings.292 views
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Side gate to Honden291 views
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Lover's Monument near the Nihondaira ropeway.290 views
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Mt. Kunozan probably got its name from Kunoji temple built by Kuno Tadahito in 600. The temple suffered a fire in 1225. In 1568, Takeda Shingen moved the temple to Shimizu and built a castle on Kunozan. 290 views
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Tokugawa Ieyasu's tomb at Kunozan Toshogu290 views
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View from the Eastern Lookout Deck on Nihondaira. 289 views
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Nihondaira monument in the parking lot.289 views
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In 1582, the Takeda clan was defeated and Kunozan fell to the Tokugawa. Kunozan Toshogu Shrine was built in 1617 by Tokugawa Hidetada to bury and deify his father Tokugawa Ieyasu.289 views
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Site of a five-story pagoda which had to be torn down in 1873 when Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples had to be separated. (A pagoda is a Buddhist structure.)289 views
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Side gate287 views
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They repaint and lacquer the shrine only once every 50 years. It takes several years to complete the job and they just finished it in 2006.285 views
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View from Karamon Gate285 views
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285 views
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Yui with a view of Mt. Fuji.285 views
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Side gate roof284 views
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View of central Shizuoka city from Nihondaira Park Center.283 views
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Tokugawa crest on this rain catcher.279 views
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Karamon Gate's ornate roof.278 views
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Roof corner276 views
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It might take at least 30 min. to go up these steps, 1,159 steps spanning 760 meters with 17 switchbacks.276 views
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The Nihondaira Ropeway goes over Byobu-dani Valley, noted for rock formations resembling folding screens (byobu).273 views
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Kunozan is right next to the coast. That's the Pacific Ocean.271 views
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It takes about 30 processes to restore the lacquer.271 views
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Tokugawa Ieyasu's tomb at Kunozan Toshogu. The tomb actually faces west, toward Okazaki in Aichi Prefecture where Ieyasu was born. 神廟270 views
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269 views
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Honden Hall267 views
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Side gate roof.266 views
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Honden Hall roof262 views
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Kunozan Toshogu Shrine Museum has about 2,000 pieces in its collection of mostly everyday things used by Ieyasu and other Tokugawa shoguns. Besides swords, there are Western articles. 博物館260 views
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Karamon Gate door carving251 views
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Inside Kunozan Toshogu Shrine Museum, articles belonging to Ieyasu are displayed. If you're Spanish, you'd be interested in seeing the Spanish clock owned by Ieyasu. Admission charged.250 views
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