Yashima Mountain – Countless Opportunities

November 17, 2015May 25, 2016 Life Takamatsu hiking, mountain, temple, view, walking, yashima

Here we would like to tell you about a less famous, but incredibly beautiful spot in Takamatsu. Yashima is located slightly outside of the city center and somewhat more exhausting to explore compared to other spots.
But this work pays off in the end.
We are talking about Yashima mountain, here towering in the background behind a temple.

For Japanese people this place is quite famous because a pathbreaking battle has been fought there between the Taira and the Minamoto-clan in 1185 that influenced domestic politics for the next 200 years.

The way up

yashima_kotoden yashima station
You will most likely arrive at the Kotoden Yashima Station, as it is the easiest way from the Kawaramachi station. A one way trip is 320 yen(May 2016).

yashima_way up1 This is the way up the mountain, sometimes a little steep, but there are wooden hiking sticks on the side of the road you can use to get up.

yashima way up2
On the way up you will see many older Japanese people that go up the mountain several times a week, if not everyday, to stay in shape and pray at the temple.

They will often friendly greet you as you’re going up since they’re happy that you’re appreciating the beautiful Yashima temple as well.

yashima_zizou Apparently, the stone statues you see on the side of the road are protecting the people that are going up and so Japanese people are dressing them in red clothes to keep them warm and protect them from the elements since they’re always outside.

yashima_log As you arrive on the top you will notice a mailbox and a paper with a lot of names with numbers behind them.
Everytime a local reaches the top he notes his name in the journal, which is later being displayed with the number of times he did it on the left in the showcase.

The most incredible thing is that the leading person accumulated 15.500 climbs at the time we wrote this article.

Things you can experience on Yashima

yashima_temple At last, this is the entrance to Yashima Temple.

yashima_clean hands And the mandatory hand-washing well.
You wash your hands in a special way to clean yourself before entering the sacred temple.

Take the handle in your right hand and wash your left hand with some water from the fountain.
Switch to the left and wash your right hand.
Pour water on your left hand and rinse your mouth with it, don’t drink the water.
Clean your left hand once more, then hold the handle up straight and let water pour down onto it, cleaning it for the next person.

yashima_war There are many different awesome attractions at the Yashima temple, too many to name them all. Yashima is an important site for Japanese people for hundreds of years already, accumulating interesting sites over the time. Like the stonewall that depicts the war at Yashima or a nearly 400 year old cherry tree among many other things.

yashima view

yashima_view2 If you leave Yashima temple and go left in front of the gate you will soon arrive at the observation deck from which you have an absolutely stunning view of Takamatsu, the Seto Inland sea and the islands west of Yashima. There are also souvenir’s shops and restaurants that offer Japanese food.

yashima_deck After you enjoyed the view from western part you may also want to see more at the northernmost part of the Yashima mountain. It offers a stunning 300 degree view of not only the western part of Yashima, but also the north and east.

yashima_path The way to the northernmost part is lined with trees to both sides which creates a natural tunnel that offers a beautiful scenery as the light shines through the treetops.

Yashima is one of our most favorite spots around Takamatsu since there are countless sights that are for free and visitable all year round, which is why you should give it a shot and let Yashima surprise you!

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