Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Explore temples, shrines, castles, parks, and more

Shrine
Nara

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...

Sakurai, Nara, Japan
Shrine
Osaka

Osaka Tenmangu Shrine

Shrine to the God of Learning and Host of the Tenjin Matsuri

A shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deity of learning, and the site of the Tenjin Ma...

Osaka, Japan
Shrine
Miyazaki

Ama no Iwato Shrine

Cave Where the Sun Goddess Hid

Sacred shrine marking the cave where the sun goddess Amaterasu hid, plunging the world into darkn...

Takachiho, Miyazaki, Japan
Shrine
Nara

Kasuga Taisha

Kasuga Grand Shrine

Ancient Shinto shrine set in a primeval forest, famous for thousands of stone and bronze lanterns.

Nara, Japan
Shrine
Shiga

Taga Taisha

Major Shinto Shrine Honouring Izanagi and Izanami

One of Shiga's principal shrines, dedicated to Izanagi and Izanami and popularly called Ota-ga-san.

Taga, Shiga, Japan
Shrine
Shiga

Omi Jingu

Otsu Shrine Tied to Emperor Tenji and Competitive Karuta

A Shinto shrine in Otsu dedicated to Emperor Tenji, widely known as a centre of competitive karuta.

Otsu, Shiga, Japan
Shrine
Nagano

Suwa Taisha

Suwa Taisha - One of Japan's Oldest and Most Revered Shrines

One of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan, spread across four buildings around Lake Suwa and famo...

Suwa, Nagano, Japan
Shrine
Kanagawa

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine

Kamakura's most important Shinto shrine, situated at the end of a grand tree-lined approach stret...

Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan
Shrine
Ibaraki

Kashima Shrine

Kashima Shrine is one of Japan's oldest and most venerated shrines, dedicated to the deity of mar...

Kashima, Ibaraki, Japan
Shrine
Shizuoka

Kunozan Toshogu

Ornate Shrine and Original Burial Site of Tokugawa Ieyasu

An ornately decorated hilltop shrine built in 1617 as the first burial place of Tokugawa Ieyasu, ...

Shizuoka, Japan
Shrine
Yamaguchi

Motonosumi Shrine

Motonosumi Shrine - 123 Torii Gates by the Sea

A seaside shrine where 123 vermillion torii gates snake down a clifftop hillside to the edge of t...

Nagato, Yamaguchi, Japan
Shrine
Kyoto

Kitano Tenmangu

Shrine of Learning Famous for Plum Blossoms and Flea Markets

A major shrine dedicated to the deity of learning and scholarship, celebrated for its 2,000 plum ...

Kyoto, Japan
Shrine
Miyazaki

Miyazaki Shrine

Shrine of Japan's Legendary First Emperor

Grand shrine dedicated to Emperor Jimmu, Japan's mythological first emperor, set in a vast sacred...

Miyazaki, Japan
Shrine
Ishikawa

Oyama Shrine

Shrine with a Three-Style Shinmon Gate

A Kanazawa shrine dedicated to Maeda Toshiie, known for a front gate blending Japanese, Chinese a...

Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
Shrine
Ibaraki

Tsukuba-san Shrine

Tsukuba-san Shrine sits at the base of Mount Tsukuba, one of Japan's most famous mountains, where...

Ibaraki, Japan