Oku-no-in
Okunoin Cemetery & Temple
A thousand years of Japanese Buddhist luminaries chose to be buried here, along a misty forest path, to await the coming of the Buddha of the Future.
One of Japan's most intensely spiritual places, Oku-no-in is a vast Buddhist cemetery stretching through ancient cedar forest to the memorial hall of Kobo Daishi, founder of Shingon Buddhism. Thousands of moss-covered stone stupas line both sides of a stone path beneath towering trees, and in swirling mist — which happens often here — the effect is genuinely otherworldly. Important Japanese Buddhists for over a millennium have placed their remains here to be closest to the Buddha of the Future. Walk it at dawn before the tour groups arrive, or at dusk when the lanterns begin to glow.
Plan your walk around Oku-no-in