This trail takes in 25 old temples in the hills behind the town, following narrow lanes and steep stone stairways, where cats laze about here and there in the sunshine. Along the route is a ropeway to an observation tower and a park area (Senkō-ji-kōen), home to Senkō-ji , the best known and most impressive of Onomichi's temples.
Among the features of Senkō-ji is the kyō-onrō, a bell tower whose bell always rings in the new year – the sound of this bell is registered as one of the '100 soundscapes of Japan'.
The temple walk starts just east of the station: take the inland road from the station and cross the railway tracks by the statue of local author Hayashi Fumiko. To walk the whole trail takes a couple of hours. You can cut back down into town at various points along the way, or take the ropeway.
