Hakusan Walking Guide — Four Temples on One Quiet Loop from Hakusan Station

Around Hakusan Station there are 4 registered walking spots — Shinjoji Temple, Chogenji Temple, Joshinji Temple and Dairinji Temple — and because every one of them is a temple, you can build a quiet route made entirely of temples. All 4 spots list Hakusan Station as their nearest station, so this works well as a single loop: step off the train, start walking, and end up back at the station. Not one of the spots has a budget registered, which makes this an area where the walk itself costs you nothing.

A suggested order

The simplest route is [Shinjoji Temple](/en/spot/90c982cb-e846-42cd-83b1-e548c79a600e) → [Chogenji Temple](/en/spot/635635c3-b7fe-4dcb-a394-0ac8bd88abde) → [Joshinji Temple](/en/spot/5fb35822-c0a0-4957-8f2d-426ed738909a) → [Dairinji Temple](/en/spot/dcf2290f-15e5-4e09-9feb-a378841fdeed). Since all 4 share Hakusan Station as their nearest stop, you can start anywhere and still return to the station — do just the first two if you are short on time, or all four if you want to linger. Each temple acts as a natural checkpoint, so a break in the middle never breaks the rhythm.

Shinjoji Temple

A temple spot registered with Hakusan Station as its nearest station, listed in Japanese as 真浄寺. Placing it first gives you a clean transition from the noise of the station into the stillness of a temple grounds. Pause once before passing through the gate and notice how the air changes.

Chogenji Temple

The second temple of the loop, registered as 長元寺. Even within the same "temple" category, the gate and the scale of the grounds differ from place to place, so comparing it against the first stop keeps the walk from feeling repetitive. For photos, try one straight-on shot and one from further back that includes the surrounding streets.

Joshinji Temple

Known in Japanese as 浄心寺, this is the third of the four and the natural turning point of the route. Temple-to-temple walking tends to slow your pace, so grabbing a drink around here will keep you comfortable through to the last stop.

Dairinji Temple

Dairinji Temple (大林寺) is the one to save for the end. Offer your respects here, walk back to Hakusan Station, and the temple-only loop closes neatly. Looking back afterwards, you will notice how differently each of the four felt despite sharing the same category.

One closing tip

All four are working temples embedded in a residential neighbourhood, so keep your voice down on the grounds and stay out of the way of anyone visiting to pray. The data registered on zorozoro centres on names and locations, so check the notices on site for whether and when the grounds are open. As a walk you can start with a budget of zero yen, Hakusan is a station worth getting off at on a whim.