Mt. Konpira
A thirty-minute hike along a peaceful, tree-lined trail from Goza Fishing Port leads to the Mt. Konpira View Point situated at about 110m above sea level. The viewpoint showcases a 360-degree panorama of Shima City, Ago Bay, and the Pacific. The Kii Mountains can be seen to the southwest. Mt. Konpira is a serene place to see the first sunrise of the New Year.
Hidden away in the woods, yet easily accessed from the foot of Mt. Konpira, is Tsumekiri Fudoson Temple. Tsumekiri are nail clippers in Japanese. Legend has it that the famous monk Kobo Daishi, also known as Kukai (774–835), the founder of the Shingon Sect (one of the major Japanese Buddhist sects) visited this area. Deeply moved, Kobo Daishi carved a stone figure of the Buddhist guardian deity Fudo Myo-o using only his nails. This statue is enshrined at Tsumekiri Fudoson, although hidden from public view. There is also a nadeishi, or stroking stone, behind one of the temple buildings, which you can touch and use to make a wish. Local female divers known as ama pray for safety at sea here at the beginning and end of the fishing season.