Saidaiji Temple festival town
西大寺
Usual hours and prices, checked 2026-10-06 against the sources under “What this place is”. They can change for holidays and events — confirm before you go. Official site
Our guide
Saidai-ji, in Saidaiji-naka, Higashi Ward, Okayama, has the mountain name Kinryōzan. Its main image is a Thousand-armed Kannon, and it is the first temple of the Chūgoku 33 Kannon pilgrimage. It is famous for the Eyō “naked festival”, said to be one of Japan's three most unusual festivals.
Saidaiji Station on the Akō Line is about 900 m away in a straight line. We have not checked the festival's date or how to see it, so look for local information before you go.
Written by japan-spots.com (2026-09-22) from the sources credited on this page. Distances are straight lines between map positions.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence — see credits
- Kinryouzan Saidaiji 01 — by Reggaeman · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Kinryouzan Saidaiji 10 — by Reggaeman · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Kinryouzan Saidaiji 02 — by Reggaeman · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Kinryouzan Saidaiji 03 — by Reggaeman · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Kinryouzan Saidaiji 05 — by Reggaeman · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Saidai-ji (Okayama) — ノボホショコロトソ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Kinryouzan Saidaiji 07 — by Reggaeman · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Hadaka Matsuri (-Naked Festival-) festivities in Saidaiji, Japan — Mstyslav Chernov/Unframe/http://www.unframe.com/ · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Hadaka Matsuri (-Naked Festival-) in Saidaiji, Japan — Mstyslav Chernov/Unframe/http://www.unframe.com/ · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Kinryouzan Saidaiji 06 — by Reggaeman · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
What this place is
Saidai-ji (西大寺) is a temple in Saidaiji-naka, Higashi-ku, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture; its mountain name is Kinryōzan. Its main image is the Thousand-armed Kannon, and it is the first temple of the Chūgoku 33 Kannon pilgrimage. It is famous for the Eyō "naked festival", said to be one of Japan's three most unusual festivals.
Visitor information checked: 2026-10-06 · Saidaiji Kannon-in: worship and reception hours · Saidaiji Kannon-in: interior worship
Background text translated from Japanese Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
What to expect at this type of place: Temple
Nearby station
Nearby station: Saidaiji (Akō Line), about 900 m from the spot in a straight line.
Worked out on 2026-09-14 from this place’s map position, using HeartRails Express station data and station names from Wikidata. The distance is a straight line, not a walking route, and says nothing about buses, transfers or timetables — plan the trip on Google Maps.
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