Mitaki-dera is a beautiful mountainside temple in the northern suburbs of Hiroshima city. It’s named for the three waterfalls within its wooded precincts. The temple, founded in 809, is dedicated to Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy.

A path leads up from the entrance to the main hall, passing various beautiful buildings – a red, two-storey pagoda, rustic teahouses, one which serves traditional Japanese food, a Shintō shrine, the priest’s home, and a little pavilion. The grounds are dotted with statues of Buddhist deities and illustrious priests in varied styles. It takes quite a while to make your way up to the main hall perched on stilts between large rocks. There are more impressive statues in and around the main hall. The temple is lovely in all seasons, but the autumn colours are particularly spectacular.

From the upper parts of the grounds, two moderately easy hiking trails take you up to the summit of Mt. Mitaki at 365 meters. There are fine views over Hiroshima from the top.