Asia
Japan
Chugoku
Yamaguchi Prefecture
Nagato
Places to visit in Nagato
Motonosumi Shrine
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Motonosumi Shrine

See all things to do
See all things to do
Motonosumi Shrine
4
#1 of 48 things to do in Nagato
Points of Interest & LandmarksReligious Sites
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Top ways to experience Motonosumi Shrine and nearby attractions

Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
454 reviews
Excellent
189
Very good
188
Average
57
Poor
16
Terrible
4
Barry C
Sleaford, UK503 contributions
Not as good as the tourist brochures
Apr 2023 • Couples
This was our first visit to Yamaguchi prefecture
and this was top of our list of must sees.

After changing trains three times from Shin Yamaguchi,
we arrived at the local station, together with a young
Vietnamese girl, who suggested sharing a taxi.

The driver warned us not to get too excited, as the shrine
was much smaller than we might expect from the pictures.
He suggested 30 minutes was probably adequate for our
visit, but we decided to reserve him for our return trip two
hours later.

Why people wax lyrical about this place is beyond me.
I tend to agree with our Aussie reviewer, that this is a
pale imitation of the magnificent Fushimijinja of Kyoto.
The tori are so fragile in comparison. Its seaside location
gives it a photogenic charm, but it is not impressive.

In mid April, there were not many tourists, so our visit did
not exceed the 30 minutes suggested by our taxi driver.
Unfortunately, there is little commercial exploitation of the
site. The restaurant was closed as it had run out of food. The
tiny snack bar sold us a couple of melon sodas and a portion
of takoyaki to keep us going until the return of our taxi.
Written 21 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
roy v
Traralgon, Australia4,793 contributions
Very bright but not much there
Dec 2022 • Couples
We visited here on a bright cold day .The Tori Gates looked very bright as they wound their way up the hill to the very new and sterile looking area at the top . At the bottom near the ocean it is a bit exciting as you watch the waves pounding the rocks
The lovely red Tori Gates look inviting with a promise of something great at the top, we were expecting a old historic shrine but no .
After walking through the 100 plus sponsored Gates and up the many steps there is very little of interest there
The area/ shrine seems to be about a fox, maybe it is to pray to be clever like a fox
It is a lovely bit of coastline, worth going for the view. I don't think there is anything historic or religious about this site, I could be wrong and stand to be corrected
Written 20 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian F
Iwakuni, Japan32 contributions
Truly Beautiful Inari Shrine built in 1955
May 2021
This and the Ryugu Wave Splash, when we visited on May 4th, 2021 were a great experience. The only downer was that at the end of Tori gates you had to wade thru 1-2"mud because of a heavy squall that passed thru the night before. Having had knee surgery, a cane was a life-saver. The Inari statues were modern-humoresque, somehow you wanted ancient Inari figurines. Thankfully, not too many people and no buses.
Written 6 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kimitaka S
Taichung, Taiwan14,141 contributions
Photogenic
Sep 2020
Motonosumi Shrine is now a main tourist attraction in Nagato area, but it became popular only recently. Its picturesque Torii gates were propagated widely through SNS, and thanks to that tourists come from all over the world. If you go there, you need a car. The nearest JR station is Nagato Furuichi, but if you walk from the station, it takes at least one hour (one way). Taxi is hard to find. Or, you should make a reservation in advance. I suppose that it may cost about $30~40 one way. So, hiring a taxi for a whole day is another option, if you are a party of three or four.
Written 12 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zimminaroundtheworld
Okinawa Prefecture, Japan1,874 contributions
Gorgeous and Well Worth a Visit
Aug 2020
The Motonosumi Shrine is a popular attraction in Yamaguchi and for good reason, it's beautiful! The gates and scenery are just gorgeous, the coast here is wonderful. When arriving at the gates, it can seem a bit chaotic with the parking and crowds. The parking is pretty organized, although not free it is very cheap. You then walk from the parking lot to the shrine and can walk through the gates all the way to the cliff edges. If you are into photography, you can get incredible shots almost anywhere here. If you come on a sunny day, the red gates look amazing with the green plants and blue sky. I would say an hour is a good amount of time to spend here. It is far away from the east side of Yamaguchi, but there are other nearby attractions, so plan a full day for it. The Motonosumi Shrine is gorgeous and well worth a visit.
Written 29 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JJMC
Singapore, Singapore2,311 contributions
Absolutely stunning shrine by the coast
Nov 2019
Really beautiful shrine by the coast!! Was a bit hard to get to, but anyone who wants to can consider getting a ride from the Yamaguchi Sightseeing Taxi (please check their website for up-to-date fares); they have day trips to the shrine as one of their packages. Access to the shrine is free-of-charge. The entire stretch of torii gates, which is the main highlight, is quite a steep descent followed by a milder ascent. Those who feel they might have mobility issues may wish to just walk along the main road down to the base of the shrine; that was what some of the seniors did while I was there. Oh, and if possible, visit on a weekday, I was told the place gets crazy crowded with tour groups on weekends. Now that winter is approaching, dress warmly, the winds here were really strong when I was there.
Written 10 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Raymund
Jersey, UK212 contributions
Beautiful but far
Aug 2019
This temple is soooooo beautiful. I recommend this place. It would be great if you can come here in a group like 4 people. It’s difficult to travel there. You have no choice but to get a cab. You can divide it amongst yourselves and you get to save money. Don’t forget to go to the top. There’s a wish box on top of a tori gate. If you can shoot a 5 yen coin inside, your wish will come true.
Written 6 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tinteentin
Hong Kong, China82 contributions
An amazing attraction
Jun 2019 • Family
It is an amazing attraction with 123 tori. The view is really good especially when you go on a sunny day.
Written 7 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John C
Quezon City, Philippines1,685 contributions
123 Tori Gates Toward the Sea
Jun 2019
In Nagato city, you can see the Motonosumi Jinja Shrine, which has 123 red tori arrange within a 100 meter steps down to the sea. Constructed in 1955, this has become a popular tourist site. It is good for fisherman going to the sea for business and safety. It became even more popular when it was considered by CNN as one of the 34 sight to see in Japan. Other than that, it is a small shrine and go more if you are in Nagato area.
Written 11 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carol
Izumo, Japan7 contributions
Magic Shrine
May 2019 • Couples
A peaceful and wonderful place! For sure you must have to go when in Japan, but I don’t recommend you to go in long weekend ‘cause is very, very crowded and if you wants to take nice pics choose for normal days! ⛩
Written 2 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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