Mt. Mitoku

Mt. Mitoku, around 900 meters high in western Tottori, has been considered sacred for more than a millennium and is one of the three great peaks of mountain asceticism in the Hoki region. At its base stands Sanbutsuji Temple, founded in 706 for practitioners of mountain worship. A challenging trail from the temple, effectively an ancient ascetic path, leads up to the Nageiredo, a small wooden hall clinging beneath a sheer cliff overhang and designated a National Treasure. The structure looks more like an extension of the rock face than a building, and has held its position for over a thousand years. A telescope near the temple lets you examine it from below.