Engyogi Temple is located in Himeji, Japan. Although Himeji is most famous for Himeji Castle, Engyoji temple is known for it's remote location in the mountains and it's use in the Tom Cruise film, The Last Samurai

Personally I had a good time hanging out with my daughter and was lucky enough to meet a local celebrity (that happened to be a monkey from a Samurai T.V. drama. 

The monkey was like was looking at my daughter like "You are the the strangest looking monkey I've ever seen" 

The monkey was like was looking at my daughter like "You are the the strangest looking monkey I've ever seen" 

You have to take a ropeway to get to the top, once there I recommend taking the bus to the temple. We decided to walk, but it was about 3 kilometers (about 2 miles). On the way up the trail, there was a cool gong you can ring. It was pretty funny watching people trying to ring it, because you had to put some muscle into it to be successful. There was this tiny lady trying her hardest, but she was just not big enough to ring the bell. 

The gong it pretty big. So I understand why the lady couldn't ring it. 

The gong it pretty big. So I understand why the lady couldn't ring it. 

Once we got to the entrance we found a noodle shop that had it's own handmade noodles (Soba and Udon). There was a beautiful pond with Koi fish and a Japanese garden (see the video below) with tables to eat outside. It was a wonderful lunch and the staff even offered to take care of our stroller while we walked up the stairs to the main temple. 

It can be a little shaky walking on wooden planks that are well over 100 years old but it has been rebuilt a few times for your safety

It can be a little shaky walking on wooden planks that are well over 100 years old but it has been rebuilt a few times for your safety

There are several grounds and buildings. Unfortunately, we got caught up in a thunder storm and didn't get to see everything. We almost got stuck on the mountain because the lightning caused a black out (shutting down the ropeway). But luckily they got everything running within an hour. My suggestion is to make sure to check the weather before you visit. On the way out definitely stop by the shop in the parking lot for some roasted Mochi (Japanese Rice Cake).

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