Engaku-ji
A Grand Zen Temple with a National Treasure Reliquary
Ranked second of Kamakura's Five Great Zen Temples, founded in 1282 to honor soldiers from the Mo...
Enryakuji Temple
Enryakuji Temple on Mount Hiei (Hieizan)
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and headquarters of Tendai Buddhism, Enryakuji Temple sprawls across...
Katsuoji Temple
Victory Temple Famous for Daruma Dolls and Minoo Mountain Views
Set in the forested mountains above Minoo, this 1,300-year-old Shingon temple has drawn seekers o...
Tenryu-ji
Arashiyama's World Heritage Zen Masterpiece
World Heritage Site, head temple of the Tenryu branch of Rinzai Zen. The Sogenchi garden uses the...
Gotanjoji Temple
Gotanjoji Temple: Echizen's Cat Temple
A working Soto Zen training temple in the hills of Echizen City that became famous as the cat tem...
Ninna-ji
Imperial Palace Temple with Late-Blooming Cherry Blossoms
A World Heritage Site and former imperial palace temple, famed for its late-blooming Omuro cherry...
Saihoji (Kokedera)
The Moss Temple Requiring Advance Reservation
A World Heritage Zen temple blanketed in over 120 varieties of moss, creating an ethereal green l...
Hiraizumi
UNESCO World Heritage Pure Land Buddhist Architecture with the Golden Hall
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hiraizumi was the political and cultural center of northern Japan i...
Yamadera
Yamadera (Risshaku-ji Temple)
A mountain temple with over 1,000 stone steps leading to panoramic views, Yamadera inspired Matsu...
Chikurinji Temple
Temple 31 on the sacred Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage, Chikurinji Temple crowns Mount Godai with a five-s...
Nanzoin Temple
Home of the World's Largest Bronze Reclining Buddha
Shingon Buddhist temple housing the world's largest bronze reclining Buddha statue at 41 meters l...
Kennin-ji
Kyoto's Oldest Zen Temple in the Heart of Gion
Kyoto's oldest Zen temple. Founded 1202 by Eisai, who brought Zen and tea to Japan. Twin Dragons ...
Kinkaku-ji
Golden Pavilion Temple
Kyoto's golden icon, where a pavilion sheathed in real gold leaf floats above its mirror-still po...
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...
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...