Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Shitennoji

Shitennoji Temple

Japan's oldest officially administered Buddhist temple, founded in 593 AD by Prince Shotoku, feat...

Koyasan Okunoin

The most sacred site on Mount Koya, featuring Japan's largest cemetery along a mystical forest pa...

Gangoji

Japan's Oldest Temple with 1,400-Year-Old Roof Tiles

A World Heritage temple and one of Japan's oldest, where remarkably some original roof tiles from...

Ginkaku-ji

Silver Pavilion

A Zen temple famed for its elegant Silver Pavilion and meticulously raked sand garden reflecting ...

Ryoan-ji

Ryoan-ji Temple

UNESCO World Heritage Zen temple with the famous rock garden of 15 stones on white gravel. From a...

Kofuku-ji

Nara's Five-Story Pagoda and National Treasure Hall

World Heritage temple with Japan's second-tallest wooden pagoda (50m). The National Treasure Hall...

Osorezan (Mount Osore)

One of Japan's three most sacred places, a volcanic landscape believed to be the gateway to the afterlife

Osorezan (Mount Osore) in Mutsu, Aomori is one of Japan's three most sacred places alongside Moun...

Echizen Daibutsu

Echizen Great Buddha at Seidaiji Temple

Japan's tallest seated Buddha statue (17m) inside a massive five-story pagoda temple complex, riv...

Sanjusangendo

Hall of 1,001 Statues of Kannon

120-meter-long hall with 1,001 life-size gilded Kannon statues standing in rows. Hard to process ...

Horyu-ji

The World's Oldest Wooden Buildings and a UNESCO World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important temples in Japan, Horyu-ji contains th...

To-ji

Japan's Tallest Wooden Pagoda and Ancient Capital Landmark

A World Heritage Site founded in 796, home to Japan's tallest wooden pagoda at 55 meters and a be...

Toshodai-ji

Ganjin's Legacy and the Finest Nara-Period Architecture

A World Heritage temple founded in 759 by the Chinese monk Ganjin, whose Golden Hall is widely re...

Senso-ji

Tokyo's Oldest Buddhist Temple

Tokyo's oldest and most visited temple, where a 700-kilogram red lantern marks the entrance to ce...

Daitoku-ji

Vast Zen Complex of Exquisite Rock Gardens

A vast Rinzai Zen temple complex in northern Kyoto with over 20 sub-temples, many featuring excep...

Hiraizumi

UNESCO World Heritage Pure Land Buddhist Architecture with the Golden Hall

In the 12th century Hiraizumi was the political and cultural centre of northern Japan, and two of...