Sazaedo
©AFLO
Aizu Sazaedo, constructed in 1796 on Mt. Iimori in Aizu-Wakamatsu City in Fukushima, is a hexagonal, three-story temple 16.5 meters tall. In the past, 33 Saigoku statues of Kannon (the goddess of mercy) lined the unique double helix sloped staircase, and pilgrims were considered to have completed the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage to 33 Buddhist temples once they had visited Sazaedo.
Further, due to the one-way structure of the temple, which was built with entirely different passages for ascending and descending, large numbers of pilgrims could safely visit without having to pass each other. The architectural style used here is rare worldwide, and Sazaedo's unique existence in architectural history has been acknowledged; it was designated Important Cultural Property in 1996.
Street address
- 1404 Bentenshita, Ikkimachi Yahata, Aizu-Wakamatsu City, Fukushima
Access
- Take the Sightseeing Circulation Bus Haikara-san and get off at Iimoriyamashita
A 5-minute walk
- Take the Sightseeing Circulation Bus Haikara-san and get off at Iimoriyamashita
Opening Hours
- 08:15 - Sunset (April to December)
09:00 - 16:00 (January to March)
Closed
- None
Website
- https://aizuwakamatsu.mylocal.jp/en_US/trip/spot-list/-/spotdetail/spotinfo/1000000002/3999496
Best season
- All year
Point
- None

Spots around
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Kitakata ramen, asara (morning ramen)
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Aizu’s sauce-katsudon
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Aizu-Wakamatsu Station
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Spa Resort Hawaiians
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Tadami Line
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Lacquerware and Crafts, Kirinoko Ningyokan
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Nanukamachi-dori walking trail
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Iwaki la la mew
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WONDER FARM
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Higashiyama Onsen
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Aquamarine Fukushima "Environmental Aquarium"
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Mt. Iimori
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Iwakishi Sekitan Kasekikan, Horuru (Iwaki Coal and Fossil Museum)
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Goshikinuma Walking Trail
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Weeping cherry trees along the ruins of the Nichu-sen railway tracks
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Ouchi-juku
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Iwaki Marine Tower
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Koriyama Station
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Urabandai, Goshiki Onsen Hot Spring
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Play with snow at ski resorts in spring
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Experience of making the traditional Aizu craft of Makie (lacquerware craft)
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Tsuruga-jo Castle
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Walking around Kitakata
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Shiramizu Amida-do