By now I’ve written two posts about Arashiyama, a lovely riverside town on the outskirts of Kyoto: one about its enchanting bamboo forrest and another featuring its UNESCO temples. But those are sort of obvious destinations in the area — chances are if you’ve come to this part of Japan, they’ll already be on your must-see list. Today I’m excited to share a site which is NOT popular among tourists, a hidden gem in Arashiyama: the stone statues at Otagi Nenbutsu-ji.

In fact, this spot is so under the radar that when I ask locals for directions I get a few blank stares. Finally a restaurant owner recognizes the name and points me down the right street.

A little backstory: I first heard about Otagi Nenbutsu-ji from an in-flight magazine on my way to Osaka. There was an article about lesser-known sites in Kyoto, and I ripped it out to add to my itinerary. And now here I am!

This site is special because there are 1,200 rakan, which are stone statues representing the faces of Buddha. This is the lower section featuring about a third of the rakan:

Each and every countenance is unique. Almost all are smiling.

It’s an entire village of rakan… and I can’t put my camera down.

This post is mostly a photo essay. Enjoy!

And now I make my way to the upper section.

Can you see why I am so enthralled with this place?

It’s a little out of the way — maybe a 40 minute walk from the train station in Arashiyama. I’d suggest taking a taxi out here and then walking back to stop at the bamboo forrest and temples. But if you have the time and don’t mind logging some miles, walk both ways like I did. It’s an exceedingly charming area.