Gio-ji
A Tiny Moss-Carpeted Temple Steeped in Tragic Romance
A small thatched-roof temple blanketed in luminous green moss, linked to a tragic love story from...
Hase-dera
Hase-dera Temple
A hillside temple in Kamakura celebrated for its towering gilded Kannon statue, lush hydrangea ga...
Engyo-ji Temple
Ancient Mountain Temple from The Last Samurai
A sprawling 1000-year-old temple complex atop Mount Shosha, famous as a filming location for 'The...
Tsubosakadera
Temple of Large Stone Buddhas Linked to Eye Ailments
A Shingon temple in Takatori, the sixth stop of the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage, known for a Kannon...
Zuiryuji Temple
National Treasure Zen Temple in Takaoka
A Soto Zen temple in Takaoka built for the Maeda clan, whose main gate, Buddha hall, and Dharma h...
Nanzen-ji
Nanzen-ji Temple
Highest-ranked Rinzai Zen temple in Kyoto. The 22-meter sanmon gate has city views from the top. ...
Tofuku-ji
Kyoto's Supreme Autumn Foliage Temple
One of Kyoto's Five Great Zen Temples. Best autumn foliage in the city. The view from Tsutenkyo B...
Hasedera
Mountain Temple Famous for Peonies
The head temple of the Shingon Buzan school, set on a hillside in Sakurai and known for its cover...
Daigo-ji
Hideyoshi's Cherry Blossom Temple on the Mountainside
A sprawling World Heritage Site famous for Toyotomi Hideyoshi's legendary 1598 cherry blossom vie...
Kencho-ji
Japan's First Zen Training Monastery
The first Zen training monastery in Japan, founded in 1253, and ranked first among Kamakura's Fiv...
Seiryo-ji
The Living Buddha of Saga and Its Hidden Treasures
Houses the 'Living Buddha' statue brought from China in 987, a wooden Shaka Nyorai said to replic...
Chusonji Temple
Golden Hall of the Northern Fujiwara
A UNESCO World Heritage temple complex featuring the stunning Konjikido, a hall covered entirely ...
Zenko-ji
Zenko-ji Temple
One of Japan's most important and popular temples, home to the first Buddhist statue ever brought...
Hokoku-ji
Kamakura's Bamboo Temple
The 'Bamboo Temple.' 2,000+ moso bamboo stalks behind the main hall. Small tea house inside the g...
Muroji
Women's Koya and Japan's Smallest Outdoor Pagoda
Known as Women's Koya for welcoming female worshippers when Mount Koya banned them, this mountain...