Amidaji Temple

Reached by a steady climb up stone steps from Tonosawa Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway, Amidaji temple is lined from late June to mid-July with hydrangeas on both sides of the path. The temple was founded in 1605 by the priest Tanzei, who had come to meditate in a cave on this secluded mountainside the previous year. His original cave is still accessible, about 15 minutes up a narrow staircase behind the main complex. The temple also holds a small memorial hall for Princess Kazu, the wife of shogun Tokugawa Iemochi, who was forced into the marriage at 16 and died at 31 in the hot spring resort town below.