One of the Kumano Sanzan (Three Grand Shrines of Kumano), regarded as the head shrine of all Kumano shrines in Japan. Wakayama Prefecture's official tourism site introduces it as a destination on a "power spot tour" from Ise Jingu to the Kumano Sanzan, and notes that Oyunohara, the shrine's former site, is also popular as a power spot.
The principal deity is Ketsumimiko no Okami, and the shrine has long been at the heart of Kumano worship. It originally stood on Oyunohara, a sandbank in the Kumano River, but after a great flood in the Meiji era, the buildings that escaped being washed away were moved to the current site.
Plain wooden shrine buildings with cypress-bark roofs, designated a national Important Cultural Property.
The former site where Hongu Taisha once stood. A giant torii gate rises here, and many people still visit it as a sacred place of Kumano.
The trail descending from Hosshinmon-oji to Hongu Taisha is introduced as a route where you can walk past the oji (subsidiary shrines) along the way.
Goshuin (shrine stamps) are available.
PR9.2
PR8.7Prices and availability are shown on Agoda.
⛰️ NatureHokkaido ・ Asahikawa, Hokkaido
A gorge where the Ishikari River flows out of the Kamikawa Basin onto the Ishikari Plain, a scenic spot shaped by strange rock formations and rushing rapids. Hokkaido's official tourism site lists it as a power spot to be visited with reverence, as a place long regarded as sacred by the Ainu.
⛰️ NatureHokkaido ・ Kiyosato, Shari District, Hokkaido
A small pond tucked away deep in a primeval forest north of Lake Mashu. Hokkaido's official tourism site lists it as a power spot, noting that the fallen trees on the bottom, which appear to form a pentagon, look like a sacred barrier protecting the pond.
⛩️ ShrineHokkaido ・ Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido
Set in a vast forest next to Maruyama Park in Sapporo, this is the chief guardian shrine of Hokkaido. Hokkaido's official tourism site describes it as a place where the energy from Mount Moiwa and Mount Teine is said to meet, and introduces it as one of the leading power spots in Sapporo.
⛩️ ShrineTohoku ・ Towada, Aomori
An ancient shrine standing among cedar trees at the base of the Nakayama Peninsula, which juts out into Lake Towada. It was once worshipped as a sacred site on a par with Osorezan, and Aomori Prefecture's official tourism site introduces it as one of the leading power spots in Tohoku.
⛩️ ShrineTokyo & Around ・ Chichibu, Saitama
One of the Three Shrines of Chichibu, standing on Mount Mitsumine deep in the Chichibu mountains. Saitama Prefecture's website introduces it as "one of the leading power spots in the Kanto region," and it is also known for its rare triple torii gate and mountaintop views of seas of clouds and sunrises.
⛩️ ShrineTokyo & Around ・ Shibuya, Tokyo
A shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, spreading out right next to Harajuku Station in Tokyo. It is wrapped in a deep forest that is hard to believe exists in the city center, and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) introduces Kiyomasa's Well (Kiyomasa-no-ido) in the Inner Garden as a power spot visited by people seeking energy to heal body and mind.
🛕 TempleKansai ・ Sakyo Ward, Kyoto
A temple spread across Mount Kurama in northern Kyoto, famous as the setting of the legend in which the young Ushiwakamaru (Minamoto no Yoshitsune) trained with tengu (mountain goblins). The official site of the Kyoto City Tourism Association introduces the "Kinone-michi" (tree-root path), the mountain trail running from Kurama-dera to Kifune Shrine, as a popular power spot.
⛩️ ShrineKansai ・ Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo
An ancient shrine in the heart of Sannomiya, Kobe, said to be the origin of the name "Kobe." Hyogo Prefecture's official tourism site introduces it as "Kobe's foremost power spot," and many people visit it as a shrine for matchmaking (enmusubi).
⛩️ ShrineKansai ・ Sakurai, Nara
A shrine that worships Mount Miwa itself as its sacred body, regarded as one of the oldest shrines in Japan. Nara Prefecture's official tourism site introduces it with phrases such as "Power Spot Miwa" and "all of Mount Miwa is a power spot."
⛩️ ShrineKansai ・ Ise, Mie
A shrine centered on two main sanctuaries, the Naiku (Kotai Jingu, the Inner Shrine) and the Geku (Toyouke Daijingu, the Outer Shrine), long famous as the destination of the "Oise-mairi" pilgrimage. Mie Prefecture's official tourism site presents the Geku and Naiku, standing in vast and mystical forests, as the heart of a power spot tour.
⛩️ ShrineKansai ・ Nachikatsuura, Higashimuro District, Wakayama
One of the Kumano Sanzan (Three Grand Shrines of Kumano), which can be visited together with its separate shrine, Hiro Shrine, whose sacred body is Nachi Falls, one of Japan's three most famous waterfalls. Wakayama Prefecture's official tourism site introduces it as a destination on a "power spot tour" of the Kumano Sanzan.
History and what each place is known for are based on the shrine or temple’s official site and on local government and tourism association information. Opening hours, fees and limited-time items are not listed — please check the official site before you go.
