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Kinkasan (金華山; also Kinkazan) is a small mountainous island at the tip of the Oshika Peninsula, part of Ishinomaki City. It's not far from Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
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黄金山神社
This shrine is the reason most Japanese come here. The shrine originally dates to the 8th century, However a major fire destroyed most of the buildings during the Meiji period. Following that a team of hundreds of woodworkers were brought to the Island, where they spent 15 years building one of the most exquisitely carved pavilions in Japan. Legend has it that those who visit the shrine three years in a row will become rich.
黄金山神社参集殿
A pilgrim's lodge operated by the shrine, is the sole accommodation choice on the island itself. The lodge is a large and impersonal five-story concrete building, but rooms are Japanese style with tatami and partly redeemed by the gigantic steel bathtub downstairs.
By train
If traveling by train from Sendai, take the JR Senseki line to Ishinomaki, then change to the JR Ishinomaki line for Onagawa. From here, you can take a 35-minute ferry to Kinkasan.
By bus
Alternatively, you can take a 90-minute bus from Ishinomaki to the whaling town of Ayukawa, from where ferries ply to Kinkasan in 20 minutes (¥900).
Excluding a van ferrying guests up from the ferry to the shrine's ryokan, there is no motorized transport on the island, so you'll have to walk.
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