Kinkakuji is one of the most symbolic temples in Japan, often seen on postcards and other souvenirs. It was built in the 14th Century. The building is a three-storied pavillion and is covered in gold leaf and is also commonly known in English as the Golden Temple.

The building was rebuilt in 1955 as it was burned down by a monk in 1950. The golden building sits amongst trees and on the edge of a lake and reflects the golden evening light beautifully.

Kiyomizu Temple was built in 780 and is one of the most famous temples in Japan. Located in Kyoto it stands on wooded hills and overlooks the city. It is a large wooden structure, beautifully constructed, and in stunning harmony with the the trees that surround it. It has a huge balcony area where you can look out over the hills and Kyoto city.

There is also a pagoda shrine in the back which is also nesteled beautifully amoung the surrounding flora. The pathway leading to shrine is in Higashiyama, one of the older areas of Kyoto and is bustling with vendors selling their wares. The walk to the temple is extremely interesting in its own right.

Sanjusangendo, located in Kyoto, is Japans longest wooden structure at just over 100 meters. Inside is a large statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. She is accompanied by 500 statuettes of Kannon which are in opposing groups of 250 carvings.

Each carving is slightly different as they are obviously all hand carved. There is a beautiful if not small garden outside. This temple has a lovely serene, and peaceful energy. Definitely worth a look.

Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima is perhaps one of the most photographed and is extremely well recognized as a symbol of Japan. The shrine itself is beautiful as it is built over the seawater and, at high tide, looks like it is floating on the water.

Perhaps even more famous than the shrine itself is the Torii or red gate to the shrine which sits in the sea. This torii is absolutely stunning and is a beautiful example of a man-made structure in complete harmony with the surrounding nature. Read the rest of this entry »

Address: 1, Ujitachi-cho, Ise-shi, Mie-ken

Located in Naiku, the Ise Grand Shrines are the most famous and venerated of the Shinto shrines. Over six million visitors come to these shrines each year, many of them Shinto followers on a pilgramage.� The Outer (Geku) and Inner (Naiku) Shrines are actually located several kilometers apart, each at the foot of a hill with thick woods. Both are burnt to the ground every 20 years and rebuilt according to tradition. Read the rest of this entry »

Todaiji, located in Nara, is widely considered one of Japans most important temples. It was constructed in 752 as the head of all buddist temples in Japan and became so powerful that the capital of Japan was moved to Nara.

Todaiji harbors Japan’s largest bronze buddah and the wooden structure that houses it is the largest wooden structure in the world. Todaiji is impressive in its size and cuts an imposing impression on the surrounding landscape. Well worth a visit.

Selected as Japan’s first World Heritage Site in 1993, Horyuuji Temple in Nara is an important place for buddists in Japan as it is one of the world’s oldest wooden structures and one of the first buddest temples established in Japan. Horyuji dates all the way back to 607AD, only 50 years after buddhism arrived in Japan.

The temple was established by Prince Shotoku who is generally said to have brought buddism to Japan. The temple itself is intricately constructed from wood. There is another wooden pagoda which sits over the back shoulder of the temple itself. These beautiful wooden structures all date back to the 7th Century.

Location: Two stops out of Kyoto on the JR Nara line.

Fushimi Inari Shrine is the most famous of the shrines dedicated to the god of rice, Inari. His messengers are said to be foxes and thus statues of foxes are often found at Inari shrines. There is a long trail that takes about two hours to walk on the mountain(Inari-san) behind the main shrine.

The trail is covered by countless torii gates lined one after the other along the way.

Yudono is one of the three mountains of the Dewa Sanzan. Each mountain has its own shrine with the other two being called Haguro San and Gasu San. Each of the mountains is said to represent Birth, Life, and Death.

Yudono shrine is the most famous and venerated of the three. There is a certain degree of mystery which surrounds the shrine as it is forbidden to talk of, or hear what happens within its inner sanctum. Photographs of the shrine are also forbidden.

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Kokedera literally means �moss temple� and its gardens are blanketed in moss. You must make reservations far in advance to get into this temple but it is really worth the wait. Apparently there are over 120 varieties of moss in the gardens.

These moss gardens have had a huge influence on subsequent garden design in Japan. Kokedera was converted to its current state as a zen temple from its previous itteration as a shinto shrine in 1339.