Founded in the 12th century, Nakayama-dera is a temple dedicated to Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. If you have been reading my posts or have visited Japan yourself, you probably have noticed that Kannon has at least a hall in dedication to the deity in almost every temple complex, and it’s easy to see why. Compassion is a form of relief that we all strive to obtain no matter what the situation. As such, Kannon is one if not the most popular Bodhisattva in Japan if not all of Buddhism. But Nakayama is slightly different from other temples to Kannon because it focuses on a specific kind, or genre, of compassion; namely for and around child birth. Nakayama-dera is a temple solely dedicated to the well being of mothers and newborns. Even the goshuin from the temple are varied based on the condition of the mother. There are goshuin pre-conception, others for midterm, and others for newborns. Prayer services focus on the familiy and call upon Kannon to bless them with good fortune during a major transition in any family’s timeline.

For the casual: 5. For the educated: 5.

Even though I marked this location as only a 5 out of 10, I believe it has much more to offer than just that. For one, the location is a really great one. Up in the hills between Osaka and Kobe, it overlooks the greater Osaka area with very little resistance. Second, the community surrounding the temple is lovely. Nakayama-dera is nestled in a suburban community which means that there are cute little shops, stalls, and cafes all around, not to mention the lovely reprieve from the bustling noise of city life. Third, the temple is extremely considerate of the women in particular who are coming to the temple to pray. I mentioned earlier that the temple is on a hill and in Japan hills are not gentle; they rise and fall with very little hesitation. This means that there are multiple flights of stairs that are equally not as gentle as one would like especially when being weighed down by a human. So how does this compassionate temple respond? They install outdoor escalators for you to use if the stairs are simply too difficult to use.

Another reason I found this temple a great place to visit was because of the sights. The temple buildings are covered in vibrant colored paintings with beautiful and fantastical creatures on almost every wall. For those alone I would recommend the trip to anyone with a pension for art. The five-story pagoda is also slighty irregular but facinating with a blue-purple color painted atop the wood wich both complements the dark colors of the exposed wood and ceramic roof tiles, but also stands out without being loud.

If you’re looking for a place to enjoy the Kansai area with a kind of overlooking and quiet vibe, there are very few other places I would recommend apart from Nakayama-dera.