Look up at temple halls clinging to cliffs
In a few places in Japan, small Buddhist halls stand on wooden stilts against sheer rock walls, in the hollows of a cliff or on top of a boulder. You look up from below, or climb a steep path or stairs to get close, and wonder how anyone carried the timber up there. The easiest to reach is in Chiba, a day trip from Tokyo; the other two are in Tottori, far to the west.
A small hall tucked into a hollow high on a cliff, a National Treasure that legend says a mountain ascetic threw into place with his powers. To see it up close you climb a steep trail of tree roots and rock as a pilgrimage, which needs a group of at least two and shoes with good grip, and the trail closes in winter. You can also look up at it from a viewing spot at the foot of the mountain.
A hall for Kannon, the Buddhist figure of mercy, set on top of a huge rock and held up on all sides by 61 wooden pillars. Climb 75 steep steps up into the hall and walk around its veranda, with forested hills on every side. It is in Chiba, reached from Tokyo by train to Mobara and then a local bus.
A hall built to fit snugly inside a cave about 13 m high in a rock face, in the mountain town of Wakasa in Tottori. It is a national Important Cultural Property, and because it stands close to the road you can see it without a hike. It is about 10 minutes by bus or taxi from Wakasa Station.