Ishiyama-dera Temple

Ishiyama-dera sits at the foot of Mt. Garan on the Seta River in Otsu, its stone-and-temple grounds rising through maples and cedar in a series of ascending levels. The two-story pagoda, built by Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1194, is the oldest of its kind in Japan and a designated National Treasure. The temple is also where Lady Murasaki Shikibu is said to have begun writing The Tale of Genji, inspired by the full moon over Lake Biwa. A giant straw sandal at the 800-year-old East Great Gate marks its place as one of 33 stops on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage.