Onomichi Temple Walk — 25 Temples Across Hillside City

Onomichi (尾道) is a hillside port city where 25 historic Buddhist temples cascade down the slopes overlooking the Seto Inland Sea, connected by a 2.5-kilometer walking route known as the Temple Walk (寺めぐりコース, Tera-meguri Course). Onomichi's temples date from the 9th to 17th centuries, representing various Buddhist sects — Pure Land, Shingon, Zen — and the walk weaves through narrow stone-stepped alleys, residential neighborhoods, cat-filled lanes, and forested paths, offering glimpses of traditional Japanese urban life and sweeping sea views between temple visits.

Key temples include Senkoji Temple (千光寺) perched at 144 meters with panoramic city and sea vistas accessible via ropeway or steep stairs; Saikokuji Temple (西國寺), a Shingon sect head temple with a massive three-story pagoda and guardian deity statues; and Jodoji Temple (浄土寺), which houses National Treasure architecture from the Kamakura period. The Temple Walk isn't rigidly defined — visitors can customize routes, visiting all 25 temples (4–5 hours) or selecting highlights (90–120 minutes). The walk's charm lies in the journey as much as destinations: discovering hidden staircases (the city has over 1,000 stone steps), encountering cats lounging in sun-dappled alleys (Onomichi is famous for its cat population), and experiencing a slower, more intimate side of Japan far from Tokyo's neon sprawl.