Guided in Japanese: Nihondaira Outlook & Kunozan Toshogu Shrine

Description

Be sure to read the Special Notes further down this page for important requirements and restriction.

Grab your camera and set off on a photographic adventure that begins with a short drive to Nihondaira Park Outlook. Designated as a prefecture natural park, this scenic spot affords panoramic vistas of sparkling Suruga Bay and dramatic Mt. Fuji.

From here, you'll board an aerial ropeway for bird's-eye views as you're whisked up the mountainside to the Kunozan Toshogu Shrine. Dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), the famous leader credited with bringing peace and unity to Japan after a long period of civil war, Kunozan Toshogu Shrine was built upon Ieyasu's request for a mausoleum on Mount Kunozan. A climb of 1,000 stone steps is the traditional approach to the shrine, but the addition of the ropeway has made it accessible to many more visitors.

Gorgeous vistas of Suruga Bay serve as the backdrop to Kunozan Toshogu, a picturesque shrine complex with an extensive collection of vermilion buildings ornately decorated and constructed in the Shinto shrine style of architecture. Kunozan Toshogu Shrine is a designated cultural landmark. At the entrance, you will see the beautifully embellished Romon Gate, a wonderful commemorative picture. Look carefully at the framed name plaque hanging from the gate building. It is believed to have been carved by Emperor Go-Mizunoo himself. Be sure to snap a photo of the Sadaijin guardian statue to the left side of the gate; he's quite a colorful and imposing figure!

Continue inside and up the stone steps to the drum tower and stables, pausing to admire a series of ancient copper lanterns. You'll soon reach Shaden, the main building, a striking wooden complex that is comprised of three sections, Honden Main Hall, Ishinoma Interconnecting Hall, and Haiden Worship Hall. All three are architecturally diverse and elaborately decorated. Be sure to look up at the masterfully carved ceiling and snap a photograph of the exotic blue lion on the west side of Honden Hall. Adjacent to the Shaden building, you can purchase a good-luck fortune written on a strip of white paper, which you then tie to a frame next to the shrine so that your fortune will come true!

If you are feeling adventurous, stroll deeper into a wooded area where you'll find the tomb of Ieyasu.

Conclude the day with a ropeway ride back to the station where you'll meet your comfortable motorcoach for the drive back to the port.

Special Notes:

There are still approx 120 steep steps at Kunozan Toshogu shrine.

The small museum near the tomb of Ieyasu is not included in the tour.

Views of Mt. Fuji are weather dependent.