Archive4 Hours Trips

Zenkoji Temple

Zenkoji, an ancient Buddhist temple in Nagano, has been welcoming pilgrims for 1,400 years. It is open to all. Its main hall is a masterpiece of Edo-period Buddhist architecture and a National Treasure of Japan. The temple's Buddha statue is believed to be the oldest one existing in Japan, although almost no one is permitted to see it. The foremost attraction for pilgrims is the corridor beneath the main hall where people must feel their way around in pitch-darkness, searching for a lock behind which lies the road to paradise. Whoever touches this lock is said to receive the Buddha's blessing.