Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple (solo trip)

Unique place to visit! So many statues with different unique faces and poses. Not a hidden gem to miss when you visit the famous Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. It is definitely a roughly 30-minute hike but it is absolutely worth it!

A must, a hidden gem, magical place. Find your resonating Budha, I found a couple! Also, I took a taxi from saga station to here, then walked from the temple down hill through all the preserve street and saw other amazing temples. If you try to do it the otherway around, is gonna be extremely tiring and long. You will waste to much time walking round. Just an advice!

Otagi Nenbutsu-ji is one of Kyoto’s most whimsical and underrated treasures. Tucked away in the quiet hills of Arashiyama, this temple is home to over 1,200 stone Rakan statues – each one carved with a different facial expression and personality. Some are smiling, others praying, some even laughing or pulling silly faces. Walking among them feels like being surrounded by a crowd of joyful, peacefu...

Smaller than I expected! Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple was super easy to get to. The bus options were limited, but I had already planned to walk down afterward anyway. The entrance fee was ¥500 as of March 2025. It was really pretty and calming, but definitely smaller than I thought 😅 Worth a visit, but tbh an hour here is more than enough! I went during summer and it was actually breezy, can’t imagi...

Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple, nestled in Kyoto’s serene Arashiyama district, offers a tranquil and enriching experience for visitors. The temple is renowned for its collection of 1,200 stone rakan statues—representations of Buddha’s disciples—each carved with unique expressions and characteristics. These statues, created between 1981 and 1991 under the guidance of sculptor and monk Kocho Nishimura, re...