Koganeyama Shrine is the reason most people come to Kinkasan. Founded in the eighth century, it honours the island's link with Japan's first gold production and has long been visited for wealth and good fortune. The approach from the pier is lined with stone lanterns, forest, and deer that drift through the shrine grounds as if they own the place.
The famous local promise is that three annual visits in a row will spare you money worries for life. Believe that or not, the shrine has a strong sense of place: remote, salt-aired, and set against a mountain that feels more like a sacred backdrop than scenery.