Kōzan-ji

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Hidden amid a grove of towering cedar trees, this temple is famous for the chuju giga scroll in its collection. It's an ink-brush depiction of frolicking animals that is considered by many to be the precursor of today’s ubiquitous manga (Japanese comics). The temple is reached by following the main road north from the Yamashiro-Takao bus stop or, more conveniently, by getting off the JR bus at the Toga-no-O bus stop, which is right outside the temple.

Note that there is an extra fee of ¥500 to visit the temple's gardens during the autumn-foliage season; other times of the year it's free to enter the grounds.

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