For more than 1,000 years the city of Kyoto was the capital of Japan. Over that time it developed a rich history and many important cultural institutions. Today, the well-preserved and affluent city offers seemingly endless things to see and do. Top of my list was exploring the spectacular temples and shrines in Japan. Let’s follow Bestechz!
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Stunning Temples in Japan That Will Have You Buying a Plane Ticket
Senso-ji Temple
Senso-ji Temple is about an eight-minute walk from the Asakusa Station and one of the most well-known temples in Tokyo. It’s also one of the oldest.
Depending on the time of the year, you may be lucky enough to visit the temple during one of the many festivals. Even if there isn’t a festival, however, the area around Senso-ji is still worth a visit.
The surrounding area of Asakusa is full of tourist shops containing souvenirs and historic buildings with traditional Japanese architecture.
The temple is recognizable due to its large red lantern that hangs in the middle of the main gate. It appears on numerous postcards and posters of Tokyo. While the temple itself closes at 5 pm, the gate is open 24 hours a day.
Kanda Shrine
The Kanda Shrine is another ancient Shinto shrine, built over 1,000 years ago. The shrine is right next to the Akihabara Station in the Chiyoda Ward.
The surrounding area of Akihabara is a popular spot for otaku culture, celebrating anime, manga, and video games. The shrine has even been featured in video games and anime. When you walk the surrounding streets, you’ll see people dressed in cosplay costumes, maid cafes, and dozens of electronics stores. The entrance to the shrine features a large, two-storey gate. It’s a colourful temple. Visitors can purchase talismans intended for blessing your electronics against harm. The shrine also gets busy during the Kanda Festival, held around the 15th of May during odd years.
Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine
This shinto shrine is Kyoto’s second most iconic image. This ancient shrine dates back to the years before the Japanese capital moved to Kyoto in 794 AD, and is commonly recognized for the thousands of bright red torii gates that line trails around the complex. Each of the gates was paid for by a person or organization–buying one of the red gates is thought to make you lucky in business.The shrine campus is decorated with images of foxes, the animal believed to be the messenger of the Shinto God of Rice, Inari.
Kiyomizu-dera Temple
This massive and beautiful temple complex is on a hill overlooking Kyoto’s bustling and historic Gion district. The temple’s name means Pure Water, as it was founded in the year 780 on the site of a sacred spring. It’s one of the busier temples in Kyoto–the afternoon we were there, there was a line more than 100 people deep of tourists hoping to drink from a lucky fountain that taps on the sacred stream–but it’s worth visiting for several other unique experiences, including the chance to walk through the pitch-black temple basement, meant to symbolize the Buddha’s mother’s womb. The main temple building offers a stunning view over the city of Kyoto.
Todaiji Temple
This temple—which has been around since 728—has seen its fair share of trauma since opening as a training center for Buddhist monks. In 855, the head from the temple’s Great Buddha statue tumbled to the ground during an earthquake (and shortly repaired afterward). Later on, a number of fires and lightning hits damaged the Lecture Hall. And in 1180, more than half of the compound was damaged in a fire during an attack on the Ancient Nara temples by Taira no Shigehira.
Engakuji
Located in beautiful historic Kamakura, Engakuji is one of the country’s most important Zen Buddhist temples.
Built into the hillside, the temple is surrounded by lush forest and offers picturesque views of Kamakura. The autumn foliage here is especially stunning.
Sanjusangendo Temple (Kyoto)
This temple in Eastern Kyoto is mostly known for its collection of 1,001 statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The temple was originally founded in 1164, but rebuilt in 1264 after a fire destroyed the original structure.
