Tucked up a series of ascending trails and steps, a small Buddhist temple and surrounding buildings overlooks this small mountain hot springs town of Arima. It is a well-marked path starting across from and just to the hill from the bus station.

With a history that dates back over 1,000 years, Arima is considered one of the oldest hot spring resorts in Japan.

Founded in 1906 on the site of a castle, Myoken-ji Temple is dedicated to a statue of the Myōken bodhisattva, a deified personification of the North Star. It was originally enshrined on Mount Atago in Kyoto but was relocated here after the original temple went defunct.