Iwayaji is the 45th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, located between two towering rock precipices. As you make your way up the stone steps to the main temple grounds, you will pass moss and vine-covered statues dotting the path, surrounded by a forest of cedar, cypress, and hundred-year-old horse-chestnut trees, creating a perfect environment for forest bathing.

Beyond the temple halls are the Thirty-six Juvenile Buddhist Statues. Here, you can offer small prayers and colored bills to pay respects to the deities, which can be purchased at the main temple grounds. From there, the path continues through a narrow crack between boulders. Chains and a ladder are provided to aid in the ascent to the Inner Shrine, and to the spectacular views from the summit. Back at the main temple grounds, visitors can also try a monk-led meditation session or Buddhist sutra copying, to complete their meditative training.