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...
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...
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...
Motsuji Temple
Motsuji Temple - UNESCO Pure Land Garden in Hiraizumi
A UNESCO World Heritage temple in Hiraizumi featuring one of Japan's finest Pure Land gardens fro...
Kurama-dera
A Mountain Temple of Mystical Energy and Ancient Forests
A powerful mountain temple said to be where Yoshitsune trained as a child. The forested trail con...
Nishi Hongan-ji
A Free Head Temple 15 Minutes from Kyoto Station, Open from 5:30
Head temple of the Hongwanji branch of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, on this site since 1591. Entry is f...
Nanzen-ji
Nanzen-ji Temple
Highest-ranked Rinzai Zen temple in Kyoto. The 22-meter sanmon gate has city views from the top. ...
Tachibana-dera
The Temple That Marks the Traditional Birthplace of Prince Shotoku, with a Two-Faced Stone and an Old Pagoda Base
A Tendai temple on the spot where, by tradition, Prince Shotoku was born. The Asuka-period temple...
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...
Ryozenji
Starting Point of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage
Temple #1 of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, where most pilgrims begin their 1,200-kilometer jo...
Asuka-dera
The Asuka Daibutsu, Dated by the Temple to 609 and Called by It Japan's Oldest Buddha Statue, Photos Allowed
A small hall in the fields of Asuka on the site of the temple Soga no Umako began in 588. Inside ...
Kodai-ji
Nene's Temple for Hideyoshi, With Gold Lacquer and Lit Autumn Nights
The Zen temple Toyotomi Hideyoshi's widow Nene founded in 1606 to pray for him, with her tomb und...
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...
Hokki-ji
Japan's Oldest Three-Storey Pagoda, Out in the Fields North-East of Horyu-ji
A small temple among fields on the north-east edge of Ikaruga. Its three-storey pagoda, finished ...
Jojakko-ji
A Hillside Temple Famous for Its Fiery Autumn Foliage
Hillside temple in Sagano, best in autumn. The pagoda surrounded by red and orange maples is the ...