(1) A little-known spot that even I, an Osaka local, had never heard of
(2) Access and location to Mt. Inunaki and Shipporyu-ji Temple
(3) The approach to the temple is already a hiking course.
(1) A little-known spot that even I, an Osaka local, had never heard of
"I want to go to a place called Mt. Inunaki, do you know?"
That's what my friends from America asked me when they came to visit Osaka. I'm embarrassed to say that I had never heard of "Inunaki-san." I was very interested in how my friends found out about this tourist destination that even I didn't know about.
Where did you hear about this Inunaki-yama? What's in there?
They didn't know much about it. "We found it on the internet. There's a temple in the mountain, and there's also a hot spring." Humm, that applies to most of the mountains in Japan.
Where is Mt. Inunaki in the first place? Since it's a mountain, do people hike or take a cable car sort of thing? At that time, my schedule did not work so I didn't accompany them. After they came back from a day trip, they said, "It was very quiet and there was a supernatural feel to it." I guess I need to go check it out myself.
(2) Access and location to Mt. Inunaki and Shipporyu-ji Temple
I decided to visit there late May, when the weather started getting warmer. It's possible to do a day trip, but I heard that Mt. Inunaki has a hot spring, so I decided to do an overnight trip. After booking a hot spring inn with Rakuten Travel, all I need to do is head to Hineno Station using the JR Hanwa Line.
Inunakiyama is a mountain in Izumisano City on the border with Wakayama Prefecture. You can easily get there using either the JR Hanwa Line or the Nankai Main Line. A very convenient location for those who have a car in the Kansai Airport area. It is said to be "the closest hot spring village from Kansai Airport" and seems to be quite famous.
I took the JR Hanwa Line to Hineno Station. From Hineno Station, people normally take the Nankai Bus for about 15 minutes to Inunakiyama bus stop. This time, the hotel I was going to stay sent me a driver, so I was able to travel smoothly. On the way, the driver told me that "this area is famous for its terraced rice fields and the stone walls built for it."
(3) The approach to the temple is already a hiking course.
After leaving my luggage at the ryokan inn, I headed to the unexplored land of Mt. Inunaki.
River water looks crystal clear. I see several inns and hotels are lined up along the river. There is also a rental lodge sign.
I got the impression that it is a summer resort where many people visit in the summer. There weren't many cafes or souvenir shops, and I didn't see any convenience stores. There is a big tree in the middle of the road and a sign which says, "Osaka's top 100 green spots". After passing this, there are almost no buildings around, and I felt like the hiking had begun.
From the Inunakiyama bus stop, it takes about 5 minutes on foot and you will see the main gate to Shipporyu-ji Temple. It's a straight road, so you won't get lost. There is a sign that says Japan Heritage Mt. Inunaki. Once you pass through the shimenawa (sacred straw festoon), approach to the shrine starts.
Looking at the guide map here, it says that it takes about 13 minutes to walk 1 km to the main hall of Shippouryu-ji Temple. Later, I checked the time stamp recorded on the digital camera photo. It took me an hour to get to the main hall. It takes about that long if you stop and look at the scenery and take pictures.
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