Kinkasan Island 金華山

9.5 km2; a mountain, Mount Kinka, which gives its name and shape to the island and which culminates at 445 meters; about ten inhabitants but more than 200 monkeys and some 500 stags: The deer that inhabit the islet are protected as messengers of the gods. And the Shinto gods are very present in Kinkasan since the whole island is considered sacred and the power spots (places supposed to release vital energy) are everywhere!

• Read also: 5 places to see deer in Japan

Kogayama Shrine

This small island is also home to one of the three most sacred places in Tohoku: the Koganeyama shrine (commonly called the Kinkasan shrine) which is said to have been founded in 750.

The current buildings date from the 20th century. "Kogane" means "gold" and the temple was erected to celebrate the first time that Japan produced gold, in Miyagi prefecture, in the 8th century. This temple has therefore been known for centuries to bring good fortune. The belief is that if we visit three years in a row, we will be blessed with wealth your entire life! 

Kinkasan Island as a sacred shrine

One of the most popular shrines is the one dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten. It is one of the five largest Shinto shrines in honor of Benzaiten, goddess of the arts, beauty, music, associated with water and the sea. As in all shrines dedicated to Benzaiten, people come here to wash their coins and banknotes to make them multiply!

But in Kinkasan, we then go to the Koganeyama sanctuary, located higher up, where we pray this time to the master of the place: the god of fortune. But visitors only have access to the main hall three weeks a year. These three weeks correspond to three major festivals. These are the Great Hatsumi Festival in May, the Nanacho Festival from January 1 to 7, and during the Lunar New Year.

Not far from the basin of the Benzaiten sanctuary where money is washed, the landscape is magnificent. There is the Owadatsumi Yohaijo Shrine. The latter was founded to honor the god of the ocean, whose main shrine is at the top of Mount Kinka.

• Read also: Must-see Shinto shrines

Breathtaking nature

The estate is also home to trees that are several hundred years old, one of which is said to be 800 years old. You can also observe a unique specimen: a maple tree and a pine tree intertwined into one.

It is from the back of the sanctuary that several hiking trails start, each as spectacular as the next. One allows you to go around Kinkasan, another climbs to the top of Mount Kinka (allow about 2 hrs of walking) from where you have splendid views of the Pacific Ocean!

On the east coast of the island extends the large rocky beach Senjojiki (literally "place of 1000 tatami mats").

Throughout the year, great festivals take place at the Koganeyama shrine, and Kinkasan is then populated by the faithful or the curious. These are unique opportunities to observe Shinto rituals on this island which live to the rhythm of the shrine and the Shinto religion.

• Read also: Hiking in Japan

Warning: watch out for deer which can be aggressive during the mating season for males (September-November) and the birth season for females (May-July).

Discover our file: the Tohoku region

Visit the north-east of the archipelago with our freedom tour: getaway in Tohoku