Mt. Tsukuba Shrine
筑波山神社36°13′ N 140°06′ EShrine
Mt. Tsukuba Shrine suits walkers and riders who want to pay their respects at the foot of the twin peaks before the climb, and its real sanctuaries sit on the two summits, so a visit to the hall alone sees only the threshold.
Photo Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Visiting with care · Partly open
- The roofed sacred bridge, given by Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1633, opens to walkers only at the spring and autumn Ozagawari festivals on 1 April and 1 November and at the setsubun festival on 10 and 11 February.
- The whole mountain above the hall is shrine ground, with the main sanctuaries on the two summits.
- Mt. Tsukuba itself is the object of worship, so treat the trails to Nantai-san and Nyotai-san as shrine paths and keep to them.
- Bow at the gate and the hall before you start a climb from the shrine.
Related places
Mt. Tsukuba has been worshipped since people first lived in the Kanto plain, says the shrine. Its two peaks are a male and a female deity, Izanagi on Nantai-san at 871 m and Izanami on Nyotai-san at 877 m, each with a sanctuary on its summit rock. The worship hall stands at 270 m on the southern slope, and the mountain above it is the shrine's sacred body.
Tokugawa Iemitsu gave the shrine its Zuishinmon gate and roofed sacred bridge in 1633. Twice a year, on 1 April and 1 November, the shrine holds its Ozagawari festival, and only then may walkers cross the bridge.
From Tsukuba station the Mt. Tsukuba shuttle bus takes about 40 minutes to the shrine. The cable car up Nantai-san starts from Miyawaki station above it.
Worth knowing
- Visit the hall first, then take the cable car or walk up to the summit shrines.
Quick answers about Mt. Tsukuba Shrineよくある質問
How do I get to Mt. Tsukuba Shrine?
Take the Tsukuba Express from Akihabara to Tsukuba, about 45 minutes, then the Mt. Tsukuba shuttle bus, about 40 minutes to the shrine.
Can you visit Mt. Tsukuba Shrine?
Partly open. The roofed sacred bridge, given by Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1633, opens to walkers only at the spring and autumn Ozagawari festivals on 1 April and 1 November and at the setsubun festival on 10 and 11 February. The whole mountain above the hall is shrine ground, with the main sanctuaries on the two summits.
What are the opening hours of Mt. Tsukuba Shrine?
Mt. Tsukuba Shrine is open the shrine office answers the phone 9:00–17:00.
How should you behave at Mt. Tsukuba Shrine?
At Mt. Tsukuba Shrine: Mt. Tsukuba itself is the object of worship, so treat the trails to Nantai-san and Nyotai-san as shrine paths and keep to them. Bow at the gate and the hall before you start a climb from the shrine.
Within 12 km
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