Myotsuji

MyotsujiNational TreasureKamakura periodpagodaObama

Fukui · Obama

35.4542°N, 135.8018°E

Fukui has exactly two National Treasure buildings and both are here, in a wooded valley outside Obama. The main hall dates from 1258 and the three-storey pagoda from 1270 — both Kamakura period, both cypress-bark roofed, both standing where they were built. The pagoda is just over twenty-two metres and rises out of the trees at the top of a stone stairway.

What makes the visit unusual is how little has been done to it. There is no ticket hall, no coach park and generally no other visitors; a priest takes ¥500 and gives an explanation if you want one. Obama has an extraordinary density of old temples for a small port town — the reason is the mackerel road and the trade with Kyoto — and Myotsuji is the best of them by a distance.

Essential Information

Opening Hours

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, last entry 4:30 PM | To 4:30 PM from December to February

Closed: Open year-round

Entrance Fee

¥500 adults | ¥460 students | ¥250 elementary school children | Group and disability rates available

Best Season

Late October–November for autumn colour | Year-round

Visit Duration

45–60 minutes

Getting There

Access Information

5-21 Monzen, Obama. Car recommended; a short drive from central Obama. Open 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with last entry at 4:30 PM, closing at 4:30 PM from December to February. Open year-round. Admission ¥500 adults, ¥460 students, ¥250 elementary school children, with group rates for 20 or more and half price with a disability certificate.

Insider Guide

Premium

**Both buildings are original.** The 1258 hall and the 1270 pagoda have not been rebuilt, which is why they are National Treasures. In a country where most temple buildings are reconstructions, that is the fact to hold on to. **Ask for the explanation.** The priest will talk you through the hall and its Kamakura-period statuary if you show interest. It is not a scripted tour and it is the difference between fifteen minutes and an hour. **The pagoda interior opens occasionally.** Special openings of the pagoda's inner sanctuary are held on announced dates. Check with Obama tourism if that matters to you. **Winter closes half an hour earlier.** 4:30 PM from December to February. **Obama is full of temples.** An eight-temple circuit is signposted around the town and Myotsuji is the anchor of it. Half a day covers three or four.

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