Travel in Japan: Tottori, temple on precipice

Today, I'll show you a place to visit in Tottori, which is one of the least famous areas in Japan!

Tottori, the area which can be forgotten by Japanese people.　A survey clarified that only 40% of junior high school students know where Tottori is. Despite the popularity, the area has magnificent sceneries, ancient hot springs, delicious seafood and so on.

Nageire Dou temple, this temple is built on the middle of a precipice. A temple in such a dangerous place is unusual even across Japan, and the exact way it was built is still enveloped in mystery.

What's even more interesting for you is the way to get to the temple. As you know the temple is in a steep mountain, which is the sacred area of the temple. Due to the danger in the mountain, wearing usual shoes is prohibited. You have to wear mountain boots, or Waraji.

Waraji!?

What I want to show you is Waraji.

Waraji are Japanese traditional sandals that are made up of straw ropes. It was used in the past, if you've seen Japanese historical dramas, you must have seen these sandals on people's foot. Surprisingly, wearing Waraji is advised to climbed up the mountain. I ensure that you'll never have such an experience except here, Nageire Dou. You might be worried whether Waraji work or not on steep mountain trails, however, in my experience, it keeps you from slipping.

I recommend it to you who don't like to go to major attractions, you can be relieved; no foreign tourists there (First of all, perhaps no foreigners in Tottori... kidding. 80 people from Canada enjoyed Tottori in 2015 according to the data).

By the way, you can't enter during winter and when it's raining due to the risks of slips.

Where is the temple? Although the temple is on a cliff, it is easier to access than you'll expect.

When you stay at Tami: a hostel I love inTottori ($28), it will take 10 minutes to get to Kurayoshi Station, and 40 minutes by bus to the temple.