#National Treasure of Japan - Mt. Haguro Five-Storied Pagoda
Mount Haguro is located in Haguro Town, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Together with Aizu and Hiraizumi, it forms the Buddhist cultural center of Japan's Tohoku region. The Golden Hall at the foot of the mountain and the five-story pagoda in the middle of the mountain are both recognized as national treasures of Japan.
I visited Mt. Haguro during the Golden Week in May. I walked through the mountain gate, passed through the huge cedar forest, crossed the red bridge, and came to the entrance of "Ichi-no-Zaka". I could see the five-story pagoda in the cedar forest. The tower is said to be the oldest ancient tower in the Northeast region. The current tower was built 600 years ago. It is 29.0 meters high and is a three-sided, five-story wooden structure tower. There are many huge ancient cedar trees around the five-story pagoda. Among them, the cedar tree called "Yeshan" is said to be 1,000 years old and has a circumference of 10 meters.
In addition to the five-story pagoda, there is also a shrine on the top of Mount Haguro. However, you need to climb more than 2,000 steps.
Address: 7 Temukai, Haguro-cho, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture
Transportation: Take the bus "Hagurosansan・Gassan 8th Station Direction" in front of Tsuruoka Station. Get off at Zuishinmon bus stop in about 35 minutes and walk to the destination.
Tickets: Free
Parking lot: Yes.