Hidden Gems Across Japan
136 spots found · Temples & Shrines
Rurikoji Temple — Five-Story Pagoda National Treasure
Rurikoji Temple (瑠璃光寺) is home to one of Japan's three most beautiful five-story pagodas — a National Treasure built in…
Sazae-do Temple — Unique Double-Helix Architectural Wonder
Sazae-dō (さざえ堂) is an extraordinary hexagonal wooden temple built in 1796, featuring a double-helix interior structure w…
Kamaishi Daikannon — 48-Meter Ocean Goddess
Kamaishi Daikannon is a 48.5-meter tall statue of Kannon (Buddhist goddess of mercy) standing on a peninsula overlooking…
Motsuji Temple Garden — Pure Land Paradise Design
Motsuji Temple was once larger than Chusonji, containing 40 temple buildings and 500 monks' quarters during the Northern…
Takkoku no Iwaya Bishamon-do — Cliffside Temple in Rock Cave
Takkoku no Iwaya Bishamon-do is a Buddhist temple built into a cliff cave, dramatically perched on a rock face 15 meters…
Chusonji Temple — Golden Hall of Pure Land Buddhism
Chusonji Temple is the crown jewel of Hiraizumi's UNESCO World Heritage sites, founded in 850 CE and expanded in the ear…
Yakuoji Temple — Coastal Pilgrimage Site for Warding Bad Luck
Yakuoji (薬王寺) is Temple #23 of the 88 Temple Pilgrimage, dramatically positioned on a coastal mountain with Pacific Ocea…
Ryozen-ji Temple — Start of the 88 Temple Pilgrimage
Ryozen-ji (霊山寺) is Temple #1 of the 88 Temple Pilgrimage (四国八十八ヶ所, Shikoku Hachijū-Hakkasho), a 1,200km Buddhist pilgrim…
Ishite-ji Temple — Cave Temple with 88 Statues
Ishite-ji is Temple #51 of the 88-temple Shikoku Pilgrimage, a large Buddhist complex featuring a towering three-story p…
Hinomisaki Shrine & Lighthouse — Sacred Sunset Cape
Hinomisaki (日御碕) is a dramatic cape at Shimane's western tip featuring Hinomisaki Shrine (vermillion shrine buildings) a…
Izumo Taisha — Ancient Shrine of Marriage & Destiny
Izumo Taisha (出雲大社) is one of Japan's oldest and most important Shinto shrines, dedicated to Okuninushi, deity of marria…
Motonosumi Inari Shrine — 123 Red Torii Gates on Seaside Cliff
Motonosumi Inari Shrine (元乃隅神社) features 123 bright vermillion torii gates cascading down a coastal clifftop toward the…
Achi Shrine — Hillside Shrine Above Kurashiki
Achi Shrine (阿智神社, Achi Jinja) sits atop a forested hill overlooking Kurashiki's Bikan Historical Quarter, offering pano…
Kannon-in Temple Garden — 500-Year-Old Pond Stroll Garden
Kannon-in Temple in central Tottori City preserves a 500-year-old pond-stroll garden (chisen-kaiyu-shiki) designated as…
Mt. Daisen — Sacred Mountain of Western Japan
Mt. Daisen (1,729m) rises in near-perfect symmetry above the western Tottori plains, earning the nickname 'Mount Fuji of…
Sesshu Garden — Zen Master's 15th-Century Landscape
Sesshu Garden (雪舟庭) is a karesansui (dry landscape) garden designed by Sesshu Toyo (1420–1506), Japan's most revered ink…
Akama Shrine — Heike Tragedy and Underwater Torii
Akama Shrine (赤間神宮) is a waterfront shrine dedicated to the child Emperor Antoku, who drowned at age 8 in the 1185 Battl…
Daisen-ji Temple — 1,300-Year Mountain Buddhist Complex
Daisen-ji Temple, established in 718 AD, served as the spiritual gateway to Mt. Daisen's sacred peak for over a millenni…
Enoshima Island — Sacred Island with Caves and Ocean Views
Enoshima (江の島) is a small island (0.4km²) connected to the Shonan coast by a 600-meter bridge, crowned with shrines, bot…
Hakone Shrine — Lake Torii Gate and Cedar Forest
Hakone Shrine (箱根神社, Hakone-jinja) is a Shinto shrine founded in 757 AD, nestled in dense cedar forest on the shores of…
Akagi Shrine — Mystical Forest Sanctuary
Akagi Shrine (赤城神社) sits on the shore of Lake Onuma (大沼, 1,350m elevation) in the caldera of Mt. Akagi (赤城山, 1,828m), a…
Nokogiriyama — Mountain of Stone & Giant Buddha
Nokogiriyama (鋸山, 'Saw Mountain,' 329m) earned its name from the jagged cliff face created by 300 years of stone quarryi…
Katori Shrine — Ancient Shrine in Cedar Forest
Katori Shrine, founded over 2,600 years ago according to shrine records, is one of Japan's three great martial shrines (…
Naritasan Shinshoji Temple — 1,000-Year Pilgrimage Site
Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, founded in 940 AD, is one of Japan's most important Shingon Buddhist temples and a major pil…
Musashi Ichinomiya Hikawa Shrine — Ancient Regional Headquarters
Musashi Ichinomiya Hikawa Shrine (武蔵一宮氷川神社) is the grand headquarters of over 280 Hikawa shrines scattered across the Ka…
Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage — Sacred Temple Circuit
The Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage (秩父三十四箇所観音霊場) is one of Japan's three major Kannon temple pilgrimages — a circuit of 3…
Mitsumine Shrine — Mountaintop Wolf Guardian
Mitsumine Shrine (三峯神社) sits at 1,100 meters on a remote mountain peak in the Chichibu range, enshrining wolf deities (o…
Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine — Matchmaking Power Spot
Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine (川越氷川神社) is one of Japan's premier 'enmusubi' (縁結び, matchmaking) shrines, believed to grant blessi…
Zeniarai Benten Shrine — Money-Washing Cave Shrine
Zeniarai Benten (銭洗弁財天, 'Money-Washing Benzaiten') is a shrine hidden in a cave where worshippers wash coins and bills i…
Hodosan Shrine & Ropeway — Mountain Summit Views
Mt. Hodo (宝登山, 497m) rises steeply above Nagatoro town, its summit accessible by a 5-minute ropeway ride that climbs 320…
Chichibu Shrine — Dragon-Carved Sanctuary Since 2000 Years
Chichibu Shrine (秩父神社) claims a founding date of 2,100 years ago, though the current structures date to the 1592 reconst…
Hokokuji Temple — Bamboo Garden Meditation
Hokokuji Temple (報国寺, 'Temple of Nation Protection') is a small Zen temple famous for its bamboo grove — over 2,000 moso…
Meiji Shrine — Urban Forest Sanctuary
Meiji Shrine (明治神宮, Meiji Jingu) is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, set within 175 acres…
Senso-ji Temple — Tokyo's Oldest Buddhist Temple
Senso-ji (浅草寺) is Tokyo's oldest and most significant Buddhist temple, founded in 645 AD after two fishermen discovered…
Great Buddha of Kamakura — 13.35m Bronze Colossus
The Great Buddha of Kamakura (鎌倉大仏, Kamakura Daibutsu) is a 13.35-meter-tall bronze statue of Amida Buddha weighing 121…
Hasedera Temple — Hillside Temple with Ocean Views
Hasedera Temple (長谷寺) is a hillside Buddhist temple famous for its 9.18-meter wooden statue of Kannon (11-faced Goddess…
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu — Kamakura's Grand Shinto Shrine
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (鶴岡八幡宮) is Kamakura's most important Shinto shrine, dedicated to Hachiman (god of warriors and pat…
Shirahige Shrine — Torii Gate in Lake Biwa
Shirahige Shrine (白鬚神社) is a 2,000-year-old Shinto shrine famous for its vermillion torii gate standing in Lake Biwa, 30…
Enryakuji Temple — Mt. Hiei's Mountain Monastery Complex
Enryakuji Temple (延暦寺) is a sprawling Buddhist monastery complex atop Mt. Hiei (848m), straddling the border between Kyo…
Miidera Temple — Historic Tendai Temple with City Views
Miidera Temple (三井寺, formally Onjo-ji) is a major Tendai Buddhist temple founded in 672 CE, located on Mt. Hiei's easter…
Omi Shrine — Karuta Card Game Holy Site
Omi Shrine (近江神宮) is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Tenji (626–672 CE), who reigned during Japan's adoption of Chi…
Ishiyama-dera Temple — Literary & Autumn Color Spot
Ishiyama-dera (石山寺, 'Stone Mountain Temple') is a historic Buddhist temple founded in 747 CE, built on a massive natural…
Koyasan Temple Town — Sacred Mountain & Temple Stays
Koyasan (高野山, Mt. Koya) is a sacred mountain plateau at 900m elevation, home to 117 temples and the headquarters of Shin…
Nachi Falls & Kumano Nachi Taisha — Japan's Tallest Waterfall
Nachi Falls (那智滝, Nachi-no-Taki) is Japan's tallest single-drop waterfall, plunging 133 meters from a sheer cliff into a…
Okunoin Cemetery Night Walk — 200,000 Lantern-Lit Tombs
Okunoin (奥之院) is a 2-kilometer path through 200,000 moss-covered tombstones and memorial monuments beneath towering 500-…
Kumano Hongu Taisha — Grand Shrine at Sacred Rivers' Confluence
Kumano Hongu Taisha (熊野本宮大社) is the head shrine of the Kumano Sanzan (Three Grand Shrines) and spiritual terminus of the…
Kongobu-ji Temple — Shingon Buddhism Headquarters
Kongobu-ji (金剛峯寺) is the head temple of Shingon Buddhism and the administrative center of Koyasan's 117 temples, founded…
Takijiri-oji Shrine — Gateway to Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage
Takijiri-oji (滝尻王子) is the starting point of the Nakahechi Trail, the most popular Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route, and his…
Kimii-dera Temple — Hydrangea Hillside & Cherry Blossoms
Kimii-dera (紀三井寺, 'Temple of Three Wells of Kii Province') is a hilltop temple complex founded in 770 AD, famous for its…
Kumano Nachi Taisha Fire Festival — 1,400-Year-Old Torch Ritual
The Nachi-no-Hi Matsuri (那智の火祭り, Nachi Fire Festival), held annually on July 14th, is one of Japan's three great fire fe…
Ise Jingu — Japan's Most Sacred Shinto Shrine
Ise Jingu (伊勢神宮) is the holiest site in Shinto, dedicated to Amaterasu (sun goddess and mythological ancestor of Japan's…
Meoto Iwa (Wedded Rocks) — Sacred Sunrise Torii
Meoto Iwa (夫婦岩, 'Wedded Rocks') are two sacred rocks in the ocean connected by a thick shimenawa (sacred rope) made of r…
Sarutahiko Shrine — Crossroads & New Beginnings
Sarutahiko Shrine (猿田彦神社) is dedicated to Sarutahiko no Okami — the Shinto deity of guidance, crossroads, and new beginn…
Futami Okitama Shrine — Frog Statues & Purification Ritual
Futami Okitama Shrine (二見興玉神社) is a coastal Shinto shrine famous for its hundreds of frog statues (蛙, kaeru) and pre-pil…
Natadera Temple — Moss-Covered Cave Grottoes
Natadera Temple (那谷寺) is an ancient mountain temple founded in 717 AD, renowned for its dramatic natural setting among m…
Zenkoji Temple — Pilgrimage to the Hidden Buddha
Zenkoji Temple (善光寺) is one of Japan's most important pilgrimage sites, home to the first Buddhist statue ever brought t…
Togakushi Shrine — Five Shrines in Mountain Forest
Togakushi Shrine (戸隠神社) is a complex of five Shinto shrines scattered across the forested slopes of Mount Togakushi, con…
Kunozan Toshogu Shrine — Cliff-Edge Shrine for Tokugawa Ieyasu
Kunozan Toshogu Shrine (久能山東照宮) is a lavishly decorated Shinto shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who unifi…
Atsuta Shrine — Sacred Sword & 1,900 Years of Worship
Atsuta Shrine (熱田神宮, Atsuta Jingu) ranks among Japan's most important Shinto shrines, housing the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (草…
Atsuta Jingu Forest — 1,900-Year Sacred Grove in Urban Nagoya
The sacred forest (鎮守の森, chinju-no-mori) surrounding Atsuta Shrine comprises 190,000 square meters of old-growth camphor…
Yahiko Shrine — Sacred Mountain Vermillion Gateway
Yahiko Shrine sits at the base of Mt. Yahiko (634m), a sacred peak that has been a Shinto pilgrimage site for over 2,400…
Hakusan Shrine Furusato Village — Hydrangea Stairway to Heaven
Hakusan Shrine is a modest Shinto shrine in Niigata City's outskirts, known not for its religious significance but for t…
Zuiryuji Temple — Zen Architecture Perfection
Zuiryuji Temple (瑞龍寺) is a National Treasure Zen temple in Takaoka City, representing the pinnacle of early Edo-period t…
Chureito Pagoda — Iconic Mt. Fuji Viewpoint
The Chureito Pagoda, a five-story vermillion structure perched on the hillside above Fujiyoshida City, offers the postca…
Takeda Shingen Historical Sites — Legacy of the Warring States
Takeda Shingen (1521–1573) was one of the most formidable daimyo of Japan's Warring States period, ruling Kai Province (…
Erin-ji Temple — Takeda Clan Temple and Rock Garden
Erin-ji Temple, located in the mountains east of Kofu, served as the family temple of the Takeda clan during the Warring…
Daizenji Taisekiji Temple — Grapes and Autumn Temple
Daizenji Taisekiji Temple, nestled in the Katsunuma wine valley, has an unusual claim: it houses a 1,200-year-old wooden…
Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine — Gateway to Mt. Fuji Climb
Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine has served as the traditional starting point for Mt. Fuji pilgrimages via the Yoshida…
Eiheiji Temple — 700-Year-Old Zen Training Monastery
Eiheiji (永平寺, 'Temple of Eternal Peace') is one of Japan's two head temples of Soto Zen Buddhism, founded in 1244 by Zen…
Bessho Onsen — Kamakura of Shinano
Bessho Onsen (別所温泉) is a quiet hot spring town with a remarkable concentration of Kamakura-period (1185–1333) temples, e…
Fushimi Inari Taisha — 10,000 Vermillion Torii Gates
Fushimi Inari Taisha is Kyoto's most iconic shrine, famous for the Senbon Torii (千本鳥居, 'thousands of torii gates') — a t…
Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion — Zen Temple Wrapped in Gold
Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺, 'Temple of the Golden Pavilion') is a three-story Zen Buddhist temple covered in pure gold leaf, reflec…
Kiyomizu-dera — Wooden Stage Over Cherry Trees
Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺, 'Pure Water Temple') is a UNESCO World Heritage temple famous for its wooden stage (清水の舞台, Kiyomizu…
Ginkaku-ji Silver Pavilion — Zen Aesthetic Perfection
Ginkaku-ji (銀閣寺, 'Temple of the Silver Pavilion') was built in 1482 by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa as a retirement villa,…
Ryoan-ji Rock Garden — Zen's Ultimate Minimalism
Ryoan-ji Temple (龍安寺) houses Japan's most famous Zen rock garden (枯山水, karesansui 'dry landscape') — a rectangular plot…
Tenryu-ji Temple — UNESCO Zen Temple with Borrowed Scenery
Tenryu-ji (天龍寺, 'Heavenly Dragon Temple') is a UNESCO World Heritage Zen temple built in 1339, ranking first among Kyoto…
Sanjusangen-do — 1,001 Golden Kannon Statues
Sanjusangen-do (三十三間堂, 'Hall with 33 Bays') is a 120-meter-long wooden hall containing 1,001 life-size golden statues of…
Byodo-in Phoenix Hall — 10-Yen Coin Temple
Byodo-in Temple (平等院) features the Phoenix Hall (鳳凰堂, Hōōdō), a National Treasure depicted on Japan's 10-yen coin and 10…
Nanzen-ji Temple — Zen and Aqueduct Architecture
Nanzen-ji (南禅寺) ranks as the head temple of the Rinzai Zen sect's Nanzen-ji school, with a massive Sanmon gate (三門, 22 m…
Kifune Shrine — Summer River Dining Platforms
Kifune Shrine (貴船神社) sits in a forested mountain valley north of Kyoto, famous for its summer river dining platforms (川床…
Kurama-dera Temple — Mountain Fire Festival Temple
Kurama-dera Temple (鞍馬寺) sits atop Mt. Kurama (570m) in northern Kyoto, accessible by cable car or a scenic 30-minute fo…
Tofuku-ji Temple — Autumn Maple Sea
Tofuku-ji Temple (東福寺) is Kyoto's premier autumn foliage destination, featuring 2,000 maple trees that create a 'sea of…
Eikan-do Temple — Autumn Foliage Night Illumination
Eikan-do Temple (永観堂), officially Zenrin-ji, is renowned for its autumn night illuminations (mid-November) when 3,000 ma…
Yasaka Shrine — Gion's Guardian Shrine
Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社) anchors the eastern end of Gion, serving as Gion Matsuri's spiritual headquarters and guardian of t…
Daitoku-ji Temple Complex — Zen Sub-Temple Garden Tour
Daitoku-ji (大徳寺) is a sprawling Zen temple complex containing 22 sub-temples, several with exceptional gardens open to t…
Heian Shrine — Vermillion Grandeur and Garden Paradise
Heian Shrine (平安神宮) was built in 1895 to commemorate Kyoto's 1,100th anniversary, recreating the original Heian Imperial…
Kyoto Zen Meditation — Zazen Experience at Temples
Zazen (坐禅, seated meditation) is the core practice of Zen Buddhism, and several Kyoto temples offer zazen sessions open…
Sumiyoshi Taisha — Ancient Shinto Shrine Architecture
Sumiyoshi Taisha (住吉大社) is one of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines (founded 211 CE), predating Buddhist influence in Japan.…
Shitennoji Temple — Japan's First Buddhist Temple (593 CE)
Shitennoji (四天王寺) was founded in 593 CE by Prince Shotoku, making it one of Japan's oldest Buddhist temples and the firs…
Hozenji Yokocho — Moss-Covered Fudo Statue Alley
Hozenji Yokocho (法善寺横丁) is a narrow 80-meter stone-paved alley lined with traditional restaurants, bars, and the moss-co…
Day Trip to Mount Koya — Sacred Mountain Temple Complex (90 min)
Mount Koya (高野山 Koyasan) is a sacred mountain 900m elevation, 90 minutes from Osaka, housing 120+ Buddhist temples in re…
Shoshazan Engyoji Temple — Mountain Monastery & Film Location
Engyoji Temple (円教寺) sits atop Mt. Shosha (書写山, 371m), a sprawling mountain monastery founded in 966 CE. The complex inc…
Zuihoji Temple — Arima's Historic Zen Temple
Zuihoji Temple (瑞宝寺) is a Zen temple in Arima Onsen's forested hills, famous for autumn foliage — over 2,500 maple trees…
Todaiji Temple — Japan's Largest Bronze Buddha
Todaiji Temple (東大寺, 'Great Eastern Temple') houses the Daibutsu (大仏, Great Buddha) — a 15-meter-tall bronze statue of V…
Kasuga Taisha — 3,000 Stone and Bronze Lanterns
Kasuga Taisha (春日大社) is Nara's most important Shinto shrine, established in 768 AD as the tutelary shrine of the powerfu…
Kofukuji Temple — Five-Story Pagoda & Buddhist Treasures
Kofukuji (興福寺) is a UNESCO World Heritage temple founded in 669 AD as the clan temple of the powerful Fujiwara family, s…
Mount Yoshino — 30,000 Cherry Trees in Pilgrimage Mountains
Mount Yoshino (吉野山) is Japan's most famous cherry blossom viewing destination, with 30,000 shirotae cherry trees (white-…
Horyuji Temple — World's Oldest Wooden Buildings
Horyuji (法隆寺) is a UNESCO World Heritage temple containing the world's oldest surviving wooden structures — the Main Hal…
Yakushiji Temple — Twin Pagodas & Healing Buddha
Yakushiji (薬師寺) is a UNESCO World Heritage temple founded in 680 AD, famous for its twin pagodas flanking the Main Hall…
Gangoji Temple — Nara's Oldest Temple & Roof Tile Museum
Gangoji (元興寺) is one of Nara's Seven Great Temples and Japan's oldest temple, originally founded in 588 AD in Asuka befo…
Kashihara Jingu Shrine — Mythical First Emperor's Shrine
Kashihara Jingu (橿原神宮) is a large Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Jimmu, Japan's legendary first emperor according to…
Isonokami Jingu Shrine — Sacred Swords & Free-Roaming Chickens
Isonokami Jingu (石上神宮) is one of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines, established in the 4th century as a repository for sacre…
Toshodaiji Temple — Tang Dynasty Architecture Preserved
Toshodaiji (唐招提寺) is a UNESCO World Heritage temple founded in 759 AD by the Chinese monk Jianzhen (Ganjin in Japanese,…
Asuka-dera Temple — Japan's Oldest Buddha Statue
Asuka-dera (飛鳥寺) was Japan's first full-scale Buddhist temple, founded in 596 AD when Buddhism was still new to the arch…
Yoshino Mikumari Shrine — Mountain Water Goddess Shrine
Yoshino Mikumari Shrine (吉野水分神社) is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Mikumari-no-Kami (水分神), the deity of water distribution…
Chikubushima Island — Sacred Lake Island Temple
Chikubushima (竹生島) is a small sacred island in northern Lake Biwa, home to Hogonji Temple (宝厳寺) and Tsukubusuma Shrine (…
Rokugo-manzan Temples — Kunisaki Buddhist Trail
The Kunisaki Peninsula developed a unique form of syncretic Buddhism (神仏習合, shinbutsu-shugo) where mountain worship, Shi…
Usa Jingu — Head Shrine of 40,000 Hachiman Shrines
Usa Jingu, established in 725 AD, is the head shrine of all Hachiman shrines in Japan (numbering 40,000+). Hachiman is t…
Aso Shrine — Earthquake Recovery & Shinto Architecture
Aso Shrine, established in 281 AD, is one of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines and was famous for its three-story gate tower…
Honmyo-ji Temple — Samurai Cemetery on the Hill
Honmyo-ji is a Buddhist temple on a forested hill northeast of Kumamoto Castle, established in 1585 by Kato Kiyomasa. Th…
Kirishima Shrine — Sacred Mountain Complex
Kirishima Jingu is a Shinto shrine complex set deep in the forested slopes of the Kirishima volcanic range, dedicated to…
Amano Yasukawara Cave — Mythological Gathering Site
Amano Yasukawara (天安河原) is a large riverside cave along the Iwato River, believed to be the site where 8 million kami (g…
Miyazaki Jingu — Grand Shrine in the Forest
Miyazaki Jingu is one of Kyushu's most important shrines, dedicated to Emperor Jimmu — Japan's legendary first emperor w…
Aoshima Island — Tropical Island Shrine
Aoshima is a small island (1.5km circumference) connected to the mainland by a walking bridge, famous for two features:…
Omi Shrine — Sunrise Power Spot
Omi Shrine (大御神社) is a coastal Shinto shrine perched on rocks directly facing the Pacific Ocean, famous as one of Japan'…
Takachiho Yokagura — All-Night Sacred Dance
Takachiho Yokagura (夜神楽, 'night kagura') is a sacred Shinto dance-drama tradition performed all night (sunset to dawn) a…
Udo Jingu Shrine — Cliffside Cave Sanctuary
Udo Jingu is one of Japan's most dramatically sited shrines — built inside a seaside cave carved into volcanic cliffs, w…
Sumiyoshi Shrine — Silent Hakata Wedding Shrine
Sumiyoshi Shrine predates written Japanese history — established, according to shrine records, in 211 AD to honor the go…
Raizan Sennyoji Temple — Ancient Mountain Monastery
On the upper slopes of Mt. Raizan, behind a cedar forest that filters almost all direct sunlight, Sennyoji Temple has be…
Mizuma Temple — Hilltop Buddha Overlooking Kyushu
Perched on a 221-meter hilltop above the Chikugo River plain, Mizuma-dera (水分寺) offers an extraordinary panoramic view t…
Tochoji Temple — Tallest Wooden Buddha in Japan
Tochoji, founded in 806 by the monk Kukai (Kobo Daishi) on his return from Tang Dynasty China, is Fukuoka's oldest Shing…
Kushida Shrine — Guardian of Hakata and Gion Festival
Kushida Shrine, tucked behind the Hakata Station shopping district, is the spiritual center of Hakata's merchant culture…
Komyozenji Temple — The Moss Garden Secret
One hundred meters from the crowds of Dazaifu Tenmangu, through a gate that most visitors walk past, lies Komyozenji — a…
Dazaifu Tenmangu — Scholar Shrine in Plum Forest
Dazaifu Tenmangu was built in 905 to enshrine the spirit of Sugawara Michizane, a Heian-period scholar and court officia…
Sakurai Futamigaura — Twin Rocks at Sunset
At Sakurai Beach in western Itoshima, two granite rocks rise from the shallow water 150 meters offshore — connected by a…
Nanzoin Temple — Japan's Largest Bronze Reclining Buddha
Deep in the cedar forests of Sasaguri, 20 minutes by train from Hakata, Nanzoin Temple houses a bronze reclining Buddha…
Sofukuji Temple — Zen Buddhism Meets Chinese Architecture
Sofukuji is a Chinese-style Zen temple established in 1629 by Chinese residents of Nagasaki, built in the Ming Dynasty a…
Hirado Xavier Memorial Church & Temple Next Door
Hirado Xavier Memorial Church (1931) stands on the exact spot where Francis Xavier preached in 1550 during his first mis…
Goto Islands — Remote Christian Pilgrimage Churches
The Goto Islands, a 100km-long archipelago 100km west of Nagasaki in the East China Sea, were the final refuge of Japan'…
Oura Catholic Church — Japan's Oldest Surviving Church
Built in 1864 by French missionary Father Petitjean, Oura Church is the oldest surviving Christian church in Japan and a…
Takeo Shrine 3,000-Year-Old Camphor Tree
Within the grounds of Takeo Jinja, a camphor tree estimated at 3,000 years old stands 30 meters tall with a circumferenc…
Saga's Okuninushi Shrine Night Trail
The path connecting Saga City's five historic shrines along the old merchant route has been maintained as a walking trai…
Atago Shrine — Hilltop Sunset Over Hakata Bay
Atago Shrine sits on Atago Hill (68m) in the Nishi-ku district of Fukuoka City, overlooking the full arc of Hakata Bay f…
Hakozaki Shrine — Ancient Protector Against Foreign Invasion
Hakozaki Shrine, established in 923, is one of Japan's three great Hachiman shrines and holds the unique distinction of…
Homan-zan Jinguji — Mountain Shrine-Temple Hybrid
Homan-zan (829m) has been sacred simultaneously to both Buddhism and Shinto since the 8th century — a mountain deity-hab…
Shofukuji Temple — First Zen Temple in Japan
Shofukuji, founded in 1195 by the monk Eisai after returning from Chinese Song Dynasty, is the first Zen Buddhist temple…