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Ise Grand Shrine: The Pinnacle of Japan’s 100,000 Shinto Shrines
Quick answer: Ise Jingu is considered the spiritual home of Shinto and the highest-ranking shrine among…
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Atsuta Shrine: Guardian of the Sacred Kusanagi Sword
Quick answer: Atsuta Jingu, whose founding is traditionally dated to 113 CE, ranks as Shinto’s second-most…
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Kunozan Toshogu: Where Tokugawa Ieyasu Was First Laid to Rest
Quick answer: Kunozan Toshogu is the shrine built on the direct orders of Tokugawa Ieyasu, on…
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Zenkoji Temple: The Buddhist Sanctuary With No Sect of Its Own
Quick answer: Zenkoji was founded roughly 1,400 years ago, before Japanese Buddhism had split into the…
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Erinji Temple: Takeda Shingen’s Zen Teacher and a Fire That Became a Legend
Quick answer: Erinji is a Zen temple founded in 1330 by the celebrated priest Muso Soseki,…
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Takeda Shrine History: Worshipping a Warlord at His Own Front Door
Quick answer: Takeda Shrine sits on the exact spot where the Takeda clan — including the…
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Eiheiji: Inside Japan’s Head Temple of Soto Zen Buddhism
Quick answer: Eiheiji, deep in a cedar forest in Fukui Prefecture, is one of the two…
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Takaoka Daibutsu and Zuiryuji: The Great Buddha and National Treasure Temple of Toyama
Quick answer: Takaoka, Toyama, is home to two very different monuments left behind by the Maeda…
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Yahiko Shrine: Niigata’s Ancient Ichinomiya at the Foot of a Sacred Mountain
Quick answer: Yahiko Shrine (Yahiko Jinja), in the village of Yahiko in Niigata Prefecture, is the…
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Kamakura’s Great Buddha and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu: Two Icons of the Shogunate’s First Capital
Quick answer: Kamakura, a short train ride from Tokyo, was Japan’s political capital during the Kamakura…
A Japan Journey of the Tourists, by the Tourists, for the Tourists —
Shrines & Temples
Across Japan, thousands of shrines and temples remain living centers of faith, where ancient rituals and quiet architecture continue to shape everyday life.
