Ooyaji Temple

This Tendai Sect Buddhist temple in Oya Town， Utsunomiya City， Tochigi has been built surrounded by a cavern. Within the temple are 10 stone carvings of buddha carved directly into the cavern wall including Japan’s oldest statue of the goddess Kannon (the Oya thousand-armed Kannon).

These historical artifacts have led the temple to have been designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan.

Treasure Museum Interior displays earthenware and stone tools unearthed from beneath the temple.”

Location Map

Basic Information

Address	1198， Oya-machi， Utsunomiya-shi， Tochigi
Telephone Number	028-652-0128
Website	http://www.ooyaji.jp/en/
Business Hours	April–September: 8：30〜17：00 October–March: 9：00〜16：30 *Entrance closed 20 min. before closing time
Days Closed for Business	Thursday December 21st–31st each year
Price	Adults: 500 yen Junior high school students: 200 yen Elementary school students: 100 yen Group discount: Adults: 400 yen / Junior high school students: 150 yen / Elementary school students: 70 yen *Group of 25 people or more
DIRECTIONS	30 minutes from JR Utsunomiya Station West Gate by buses bound for Tateiwa to Ooya Kannon-mae bus stop, then a 3-minute walk.
Map Code	132 353 176*61

Central Area

Utsunomiya, the most populous city in Tochigi, is about an hour from Tokyo by Shinkansen, and serves as a major transportation hub for the different regions of the prefecture. In addition to being known for its famous Gyoza (pan-fried dumplings), Utsunomiya is called the “city of jazz and cocktails”, as there are numerous venues for hearing live jazz music, and the bartenders are quite skilled, so there are plenty of options for enjoyable nightlife.