Instead, I headed off to Engyo-ji, a temple complex with over 1,000 years of history located near Mount Shosha (Shoshazan). The temple is famous in the west because of its use in the film “The Last Sammuri.”
After taking a 30 minute bus ride from Himeji Station, I rode a cable car to the top of the mountain.
I eventually made my way to the Maniden, a beautiful wooden temple hall. A walk through the woods eventually brought me to Mitsunodo, the main hall that was shown in the film.
Additionally, I also had an opportunity to glance at the Golden Buddha within the temple and listen to some morning prayer chants conducted by the monks. With no one else around, and being deep within a forested mountain area, it proved to be a profoundly moving experience.
In the afternoon, I finally made my way back to Tokyo.
