Kotohira

Kotohira-gū, the Shinto shrine known informally as Konpira-san, draws visitors to this pocket-sized town in Kagawa Prefecture via a staircase of 1,368 steps climbing the holy Mount Zōzu. Long a guardian deity of sailors and fishermen, the shrine heads a network of around 600 affiliated shrines across Japan and was already receiving hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually during the Edo period. The town sits at the mountain's base, with cafés and restaurants concentrated along the approach route.

• Population8,468
• Nearest water from center 0.1 km0.1 mi
• Nearest mountain from center 1.3 km0.8 mi