Onomichi Temple Walk
尾道 古寺めぐり34°24′ N 133°12′ EPilgrimage
The Onomichi temple walk suits anyone with half a day in Onomichi and comfortable shoes, and the trade-off is a hillside of steps through a neighbourhood where people live.
Photo by Reggaeman · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Visiting with care · Open to visitors
The temples are active places of worship, and each sets its own hours for visitors and for goshuin.
- Keep voices low in the lanes, since the path runs past people's homes
- Pay for a goshuin at the temple office and wait while it is written
- Leave the bike at the foot of the hill, because the path is mostly steps
Related places
Onomichi's old temples climb the slope above the channel, and a walking path of about three kilometres links 25 of them. Jiko-ji is known for its stone gate and its nigiri-butsu (small clay Buddhas shaped in the palm of the hand). The path passes wooden houses, narrow stone steps and lookouts over the Seto Inland Sea.
The Onomichi Shichibutsu Meguri pilgrimage takes in seven of the temples in a set order: Jiko-ji, Tennei-ji, Senko-ji, Taisan-ji, Saikoku-ji, Jodo-ji and Kairyu-ji. Pilgrims collect a stamp or goshuin at each one, and the temples sell a mounting sheet for the set. The route is compact and easy to follow.
The lanes are residential and full of steps, so give it a slow morning. If you ride the Senkoji Ropeway to the top first, the walk runs mostly downhill.
Worth knowing
- On cherry-blossom weekends the city restricts traffic round Senkoji Park; in 2026 it ran from 10:00 to 17:00 on 28 and 29 March and on 4 and 5 April.
- The Shichibutsu temples run a priest-guided version of the pilgrimage; the official site lists the dates.
Quick answers about Onomichi Temple Walkよくある質問
Can you visit Onomichi Temple Walk?
Open to visitors.
How should you behave at Onomichi Temple Walk?
At Onomichi Temple Walk: Keep voices low in the lanes, since the path runs past people's homes. Pay for a goshuin at the temple office and wait while it is written. Leave the bike at the foot of the hill, because the path is mostly steps.
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