Ishiyamadera

Henry Chew 3 months ago

Excellent location for autumn leaf viewing. Worth to get both the day and night ticket. There are lots of stairs so make sure you are ok with steps. There isn't a lot of crowd compared to Kyoto temples so this is really a good alternate!

Ben Hsu 10 months ago

Excellent mix of the Buddhist temple, building, and Japanese garden, with large yard- its beauty in Spring and Fall seasons. Any visitors who want to see cherry blossom, Ishiyamadera Temple is one of the top choices in greater Kyoto area, because it is NOT known to many foreign tourists who generally stay inside Kyoto city limit. Not crowded with noisy foreign tourists, it is a perfect place to enjoy Buddhism serenity and beauty, while it does develop and expand its garden area year by year in recent few years. While most of famous temples in Kyoto area are generally crowded with tourists who may not have a fun or real visiting experience, Ishiyamadera Temple can offer a peaceful refugee for the tourists who can visit the temple easily by taking Kyoto subway [or take Keihan train at Tokyo City Hall and transfer at Otsu Station] and transfer to another commuter train and get off at the last stop. Just a few minutes of short walking along the river, visitors can reach the temple. Because some of the temple halls are located at mountain area, mountain climb is essential, and temple does offer wood stick or cane for the seniors who may need them as mountain climbing assistant tools. There is NO food stand or store inside the temple area, but there are a few gift shops and food stores in front of the gate area, and price is relatively reasonable. Tourists may visit Ishiyamadera Temple with Mii-Dera Temple together when both temples can be reached by the same train, although Mii-Dera Temple does require longer walking distance for the tourists from the train station.

stupid_bean / 愚かな豆 a year ago

Visiting the temple in the morning is the best thing you can do - it's calm, relaxing, and not filled with tourists. Locals are very friendly, telling you more about the area, the history, even helping you translate the old texts in the fortunes. Highly recommended.

Edmond Lau a year ago

Beautiful rock formations throughout but the autumn leaves viewing is one of the best and well worth a visit. It’s very popular with the Japanese for a truly authentic visit.

Shingo 2 years ago

(Trip was made back then on 24 Nov 2019, 2 years before the Covid-19 Pandemic hit) Was really looking forward to visiting the autumn foliage at Ishiyama-dera Temple. The entrance to the temple was simply breathtaking. Unfortunately by the time we arrived the season was reaching it’s end, but thankfully most of the trees have yet to shed their leaves and we’re able to witness the beautiful sight. The temple is the 13th holy site of the Saikoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, the pilgrimage of 33 Temples dedicated to Kannon (Guan Yin) dotted around the Saikoku (Kansai) region. It is also known for their autumn leaves. The temple ground is covered in beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow, eliciting a sense of warmth and comfort amidst the chilling autumn air. We immersed ourselves in its beauty that we nearly lost track of time (spent almost 4 hours there). Am very grateful that we got to experience and appreciate the beauty. Would definitely revisit if we had the chance.