Temples in Japan | Hey Japan!

Temple

Miidera Temple

Head temple of the Tendai Jimon sect, Miidera was founded in the seventh century and has survived repeated destruction, earning the name Phoenix Temple.

Otsu · Shiga

Temple

Kinkaku-ji

A golden Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto built in the 14th century as a shogun's retirement villa and now one of Japan's most iconic landmarks.

Kyoto

Temple

Mutsu Kokubun-ji

A provincial Buddhist temple founded in 741 as part of an imperial initiative, now housing Edo-period structures and archaeological remains.

Sendai · Miyagi

Temple

Miidera Temple

Head temple of the Tendai Jimon sect, Miidera was founded in the seventh century and has survived repeated destruction, earning the name Phoenix Temple.

Otsu · Shiga

Temple

Kinkaku-ji

A golden Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto built in the 14th century as a shogun's retirement villa and now one of Japan's most iconic landmarks.

Kyoto

Temple

Mutsu Kokubun-ji

A provincial Buddhist temple founded in 741 as part of an imperial initiative, now housing Edo-period structures and archaeological remains.

Sendai · Miyagi

Temple

Kōzan-ji

A Buddhist temple in Yamaguchi featuring two national treasure halls from the Kamakura period, including one built in 1320.

Shimonoseki · Yamaguchi

Temple

Shorinzan Daruma Temple

A small Zen Buddhist temple built in 1697 in Takasaki, hometown of the traditional Daruma doll, known for its particularly lucky talismans.

Takasaki · Gunma

Temple

Kotoku-in

A Buddhist temple in Kamakura housing the Great Buddha, a monumental copper statue of Amida Buddha cast in the 13th century.

Kamakura · Kanagawa

Temple

Shifuku-ji Temple

Shifuku-ji is a Rinzai Zen temple in Sendai, relocated in 1591 to serve the Date family, renowned for its 1,200 blooming hydrangeas in early summer.

Sendai · Miyagi

Temple

Eigen-ji

Eigen-ji is a Rinzai Zen temple founded in 1361 that serves as head temple of the Eigen-ji branch, overseeing over 120 temples and housing the revered Yotsugi Kannon statue.

Higashiomi · Shiga

Park & Garden

Nara Park

Large public park in Nara home to over 1,200 free-ranging sacred Sika deer, with historical temples and shrines for visitors to explore.

Nara

Shrine

Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine

Shinto shrine at the northern base of Mount Fuji dating to the 2nd century, serving as the traditional departure point for Mount Fuji pilgrimages.

Fujiyoshida · Yamanashi

Temple

Enryaku-ji

Founded in 788 by Saichō, this Tendai Buddhist headquarters on Mount Hiei hosts the famous kaihōgyō practice and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Otsu · Shiga

Temple

Aizendo Shomanin

Aizendo Shomanin is a Tendai Buddhist temple and the first stop on a seventeen-temple pilgrimage honoring Aizen Myo-o, housing Osaka's oldest wooden pagoda structure.

Osaka

Temple

Hokke-dō

Todai-ji's oldest building, constructed between 740-747 and originally dedicated to a Kannon statue, later renamed for the annual Lotus Sutra ceremony.

Nara

Temple

Daiju-ji

A Pure Land Buddhist temple founded in 1475 by Matsudaira Chikayoshi, built to honor fallen war dead and serving as the ancestral temple of the Tokugawa shoguns.

Okazaki · Aichi