Hoshida Myoken-gu Shrine
North Star Shrine and the Star-Fall Legend
Hoshida Myoken-gu, also called Komatsu Shrine, is a hillside shrine in Katano, Osaka, counted amo...
Ise Grand Shrine
Ise Grand Shrine (Ise Jingu)
Japan's most sacred Shinto shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu, rebuilt every 20 years ...
Photo: Saigen Jiro / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Tanzan Shrine
Mountain Shrine with Japan's Only Wooden Thirteen-Story Pagoda
A mountain shrine famous for Japan's only remaining wooden thirteen-story pagoda and its autumn f...
Yasaka Shrine
Heart of Gion and Home of the Gion Matsuri
A Shinto shrine at the heart of Gion, center of the Gion Matsuri festival every July, one of Japa...
© 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
Kumano Hayatama Taisha
Vermilion Grand Shrine at the Mouth of the Kumano River
The third of the three Kumano Grand Shrines, known for its striking vermilion buildings and an 80...
© 江戸村のとくぞう / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Jinja
The Cedar-Lined Shrine Where the Yoshida Trail up Mount Fuji Begins
The shrine at the foot of the Yoshida Trail, where Edo-period pilgrims purified themselves before...
Atsuta Shrine
One of Japan's Holiest Shrines Housing a Sacred Imperial Treasure
One of Japan's most important Shinto shrines, believed to house the sacred sword Kusanagi-no-Tsur...
© わたり鳥 at Japanese Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha
Head Shrine of Japan's Sengen Shrines and Mount Fuji Worship
The head shrine of roughly 1,300 Sengen (Asama) shrines nationwide, dedicated to the deity of Mou...
Photo: Saigen Jiro / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Atago Shrine
A Mountaintop Fire God Shrine Reached by a Rewarding Hike
Perched atop 924-meter Mt. Atago, this ancient shrine dedicated to the fire deity has protected K...
Photo: Saigen Jiro / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Heian Shrine
Meiji-Era Shrine with Large Torii and Strolling Garden
A striking Meiji-era shrine featuring one of Japan's largest vermilion torii gates and a celebrat...
© Mika-wa-Taro / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Oyamazumi Shrine
Guardian Shrine of Japan's Samurai Treasures on the Shimanami Kaido
One of Japan's most significant Shinto shrines on Omishima Island along the Shimanami Kaido, hous...
© Tawashi2006 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.1 jp)
Yoshino Mikumari Shrine
Hideyori's 1604 Shrine to the Water God and Guardian of Children, High on Mount Yoshino
A shrine to the god who shares out the water, in the upper reaches of Mount Yoshino and part of t...
© Kakidai / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Shimogamo Shrine
Ancient World Heritage Shrine in a Primeval Forest
One of Kyoto's oldest shrines (UNESCO World Heritage), located within the Tadasu no Mori primeval...
Photo: Saigen Jiro / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Izumo Taisha
Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine
One of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines. Dedicated to Okuninushi, god of marriage, so couples come h...
© MaedaAkihiko / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Kirishima Shrine
Mountain Shrine of the Divine Descent
Grand vermillion shrine dedicated to the deity Ninigi-no-Mikoto who descended from heaven to foun...