Nihonji Temple

Nihonji Temple on the Boso Peninsula in Chiba dates to 725 CE and was once the center of a mountain monastery complex busy enough to be called a small town. Today the main draws are the enormous carved stone statues on the hillside: a seated Buddha 31 meters tall stands as one of the largest stone Buddhas in Japan, and smaller carvings of the 1,522 disciples of Buddha line the rocky paths leading up through the forest. The climb from the main gate involves steep stone steps through cedar forest, but the views from the upper platform over Tokyo Bay reward the effort. Allow two to three hours for the full ascent and return.