Mount Nokogiriyama (Nihon-ji Giant Stone Buddha & "Peek into Hell" Cliff)

Category: Mountain Adventure, Giant Buddha & Panoramic Cliff | Location: Motona, Kyonan-machi, Awa-gun, Chiba 299-1901 (JR Hamakanaya Station)

Rising 329.5 meters along the western shoreline of Chiba’s Boso Peninsula, Mount Nokogiriyama earns its name ("Sawtooth Mountain") from the dramatic jagged limestone ridges carved out over centuries. From the Edo to Meiji periods, it functioned as an active quarry producing premium Boshu stone used in foundational monuments across Tokyo, including the Tokyo Imperial Palace and Yasukuni Shrine. Sprawling across the mountain is Nihon-ji Temple, founded in 725 AD by high priest Gyoki at the command of Emperor Shomu. Its centerpiece is the colossal Nihon-ji Daibutsu—a staggering 31.05-meter cliff-carved stone Buddha of Yakushi Nyorai (the Medicine Buddha), comfortably dwarfing both the Great Buddhas of Nara (18.18m) and Kamakura (13.35m). Nearby trails are dotted with 1,500 distinct stone Arhat statues (Sen-Gohyaku Rakan), hand-chiseled by master sculptor Ono and his disciples over two decades. At the mountain’s summit sits the vertigo-inducing observation ledge "Jigoku Nozoki" ("Peek into Hell")—a narrow stone balcony thrust dramatically over a sheer 100-meter vertical drop, rewarding daring hikers with breathtaking views of Tokyo Bay, the Boso coast, and Mount Fuji floating across the sea. Visitors can ascend swiftly via the 4-minute Nokogiriyama Ropeway, situated an 8-minute walk from JR Hamakanaya Station.