Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine, the Largest Burial Mounds in Japan

Off the Beaten Path

Hideo Y.

4.57 / 5
(167 reviews)
Osaka
English, Japanese (Native)
8 hours
Private tour (only you and your group)
Up to 15 people

The Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine was founded in 211 and is dedicated to the sea gods which are the Sumiyoshi Sanjin (Sumiyoshi three gods) and the Empress Jingu.

It's the headquarters of the approximately 2,300 Sumiyoshi shrines nationwide.

About 2.35 million people visited the shrine during the first three days of the New Year in 2013.

Then we'll move to Sakai-higashi Station by train. You can see a panoramic view of Osaka city including Abeno Harukas.

Meeting Point

at your hotel

09:30 AM

Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine and its small shrines

It is dedicated to the sea gods.

11:00 AM

Sakai City Hall

From the top floor you can see a Mozu Burial Mound.

01:00 PM

The mausoleum of Emperor Nintoku

The largest key-style ancient tumulus in Japan

01:30 PM

Sakai City Museum at Daisen park

You see how to make mounds in the film.

02:30 PM

Sakai City Tea house at Daisen park

You enjoy tea ceremony.

03:30 PM

Japanese garden at Daisen park

You see the beautiful Japanese garden.

Ending Point

at your hotel

What to Expect

Numerous historical spots and natural sites are located along theNankai railroad line in Osaka prefecture.

I would like to take you to Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine on a street car called the "Chinchin-densha", established about 100 years ago. You can feel the nostalgic atmosphere of good old days.

The Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine was founded in 211 and is dedicated to the sea gods which are the Sumiyoshi Sanjin (Sumiyoshi three gods) and the Empress Jingu.

It's the headquarters of the approximately 2,300 Sumiyoshi shrines nationwide.

About 2.35 million people visited the shrine during the first three days of the New Year in 2013. This number was ranked in the 7th among shrines and temples in Japan.

The main shrine was built in 1810 using one of Japan's oldest shrine structure styles called "Sumiyoshi-zukuri style."

It consists of 4 buildings from the First to Fourth Sanctuaries of the same shape and size, which are all designated as National Treasures. When you walk through the front gate to cross a beautiful vermillion bridge called "Taikobashi" or drum bridge, first you'll see the third main shrine.

Various Shinto rituals are held there, such as the "Otaue ceremony" or rice planting ceremony, which is a traditional event to pray for rich harvests. Another is the "White Horse Shinto Ritual" to rid people of evil spirits as they watch a white horse galloping around the shrine grounds.

Then we'll move to Sakai-higashi Station by train, you can see a panoramic view of Osaka city including Abeno Harukas (the tallest building in Japan) and the "Cluster of Mozu Burial Mounds" from the observation deck on the 21st floor of Sakai City Hall. A typical example of a Mozu Burial Mound is "the mausoleum of Emperor Nintoku." It is the largest keyhole-shaped burial mound in Japan with a length of 486 meters, a width of 306 meters, and a total area of about 464,000 square meters. It is said to have been built in the 5th century. It is referred to as one of "the World's three largest burial mounds" along with the Great Pyramid in Egypt and the Mausoleum of the first Qin Emperor in China.

In front of the mausoleum, there is the Daisen Park which provides a great place for visitor's to rest and relax. In the park, there are a lot of facilities such as the Sakai City Museum, the Sakai City Tea house "Shin-an", the Peace Tower, and a Japanese garden with a total area of approximately 26,000 square meters. You can watch a video about the cluster of Mozu Burial Mounds at the museum, have sweets and a cup of powdered green tea at "shin-an", and appreciate the beautiful Japanese garden.

Why don't you join the tour of Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine and the largest keyhole-shaped burial mounds in Japan ?

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Inclusions & Exclusions

What‘s included

guide fee

What‘s not included

transportation fee (you and guide), lunch, entrance fee

Important Information

I guide you Sapporo, Furano, Otaru, Hakodate in Hokkaido / Aomori in Hokuriku / Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Kagoshima in Kyushu / Kochi, Matsuyama in Shikoku / Tottori, Shimane, Kanazawa, Sakaiminato in Japan Sea side. Please get in touch with me!!

Thank you.

Cancellation Policy

  • Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
  • 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
  • No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time

Reviews

K

Karen G.

5 / 5
Sep 3, 2024

Great day tour

We did a day tour with Hideo today and had a great day. We could not have done this on our own. So many train changes he was extremely patient and knowledgeable. We are doing another tour with him o. A couple of days. Highly recommend l. Thank you

Hideo Y.

Thank you for an excelent review, Yes, we changed trains 7 times including transfers. We visited Arashiyama Bmboo Forest and Kimono Forest. I could show you daruma and beckoning cat in Fushimi Inari Taisha. I'm very happy to guide you one more time.

P

Patrick P.

5 / 5
Aug 24, 2024

Very Flexible

Hideo-San did a great job. Good communication before we met him. On the tour, he was knowledgeable and told us many interesting things. He is also very easy to be with and talk to. We asked him to make some last minute changes to our itinerary, and he was very flexible. I also greatly appreciate that he helped us change train tickets and walked us all the way to our train in the station. We will not forget our memorable time with him in Hiroshima.

Hideo Y.

Thank you for posting an excellent review. I always try to cope with guests' requests as much as possible. This time you don't have so much time, so first we started the tour 30minutes earlier. We visited Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Museum. On the tour day Hiroshima is not so hot and humid, so I could show you many memorial monuments in the Peace Memorial Park. I could help change Shinkansen tickets directly from Hiroshima to Kyoto using JR pass. I'm sure you come back to Japan again. I wish you every success in your job.

A

Angela M.

5 / 5
Aug 23, 2024

Wow Wow Wow! 5* plus

We had the pleasure of touring Kyoto and Kobe over 2 days with Hideo. With his breadth of knowledge about Japanese culture, history, geography and religions, he was able to supplement our itinerary with facts and stories, also using printouts and pictures. This gave us a deeper understanding of the shrines, temples, famous buildings, and other landmarks. Through Hideo’s knowledge and experience, we were able to fully experience everything that these two beautiful cities had to offer, and embrace ourselves in Japanese culture with Hideo recommendations of food markets and restaurants. Before the trip he thoroughly answered all of our questions and concerns online, and tailored a perfect itinerary for our group ( 3 adults and 3 teenagers). Hideo took time to answer our questions, and was extremely patient with our group, also ensuring hospitality for an elderly person in our tour group, for example arranging wheelchairs. Overall a wonderful 2 days A most memorable experience

Hideo Y.

I'm very happy to receive your excellent review. I also enjoyed guiding your family. Your 3 students climbed up to Iwatayama Monkey park to give vegetables to monkeys while we adults visited beautiful Kiyomizu Temple. You also took a lot of pictures such as Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Tenryuji Temple, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kinkauji Temple (Golden Pavilion), and Ryoanji Temple. I'm sure you enjoyed Tea Ceremony wearing Kimono, having sweets and matcha green tea. Lastly, we visited Osaka Dotonbori. In front of Glico signboard, we took photos you do the same pose as marathon runner. We saw flashy signboards such as crab restaurant, unique Kushikatsu restaurant, Billiken and the like. Congratulations on your students' passing the entrance exam. I hope you come back to Japan again. I wish you and your family all the best for your good health and continued success.

A

Alicia V.

5 / 5
Aug 18, 2024

Great day with Hideo!

We spent the entire day with Hideo, we met us at the cruise ship port and stayed with us until after dinner. Our day with him was the best day of our 14 day visit to Japan! He is kind, knowledgeable, and easy to be around. He made great recommendations and we would use him again for future tours.

Hideo Y.

I'm very happy to receive your excellent review. First we visited Engyoji Temple. It is the set of "The last samurai." And we entered the Himeji Castle called "White Egret Castle." Finally we had Kobe Beef for dinner. Thank you for joining my tour. I hope you come back to Japan again. I wish you and your family good health and happiness.

$239/ per group

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