Shrines & temples in Japan

Places in Japan of this type, by prefecture.

Plan by month in the app →

• Hokkaido Jingu (Hokkaido Shrine) Hokkaido
  Hokkaido's chief shrine, founded in 1869 as guardian of the island's development. In spring, its cherry and plum trees bloom at the same time.
• Iwakiyama Shrine Aomori
  An old shrine at the foot of Mt. Iwaki, worshipped for over 1,200 years. Its richly carved buildings are nicknamed the "Nikko of the north".
• Osorezan Bodaiji (Mt. Osore) Aomori
  A sacred temple site on a volcanic caldera, where barren sulfur fields recalling hell meet the white beach of Lake Usori. Open only May to October.
• Saishoin Five-storied Pagoda Aomori
  A five-storied pagoda in Hirosaki, praised by the temple as the most beautiful pagoda in Tohoku. The grounds are free outside festival periods.
• Takayama Inari Shrine Aomori
  An Inari shrine where rows of red torii gates wind over the hills. A lookout behind the gates shows the whole line.
• Chusonji Temple Iwate
  A mountain temple whose Golden Hall, covered in gold leaf, has stood for 900 years.
• Hoonji Temple (500 Rakan) Iwate
  A Zen temple in Morioka's temple district whose hall holds about 500 lacquered wooden arhat statues carved in Kyoto in the 1730s, each with a different face.
• Motsuji Temple and Pure Land Garden Iwate
  A Hiraizumi temple whose large pond garden was laid out to represent the Buddhist Pure Land, a short walk from the station.
• Narushima Bishamon-do (Mikumano Shrine) Iwate
  A 4.73 m Bishamonten statue carved from one zelkova trunk stands in a hillside shrine wrapped in old cedars.
• Shoboji Temple Iwate
  A Soto Zen temple founded in 1348, once ranked third after Eiheiji and Sojiji. Its main hall has one of Japan's largest thatched roofs, and monks still train here.
• Takadachi Gikeido Iwate
  A small hall on a hill above the Kitakami River in Hiraizumi, where the warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune is said to have died. Basho wrote a famous haiku here.
• Takkoku no Iwaya Bishamondo Iwate
  A hall built into a cliff face south-west of Hiraizumi, said to date back to the general Sakanoue no Tamuramaro.
• Entsuin Temple Miyagi
  The family temple of Date Masamune's grandson Mitsumune next to Zuiganji, with moss and rock gardens; its shrine has roses said to come from Hasekura's Europe mission.
• Jogi Nyorai Saihoji Temple Miyagi
  A Pure Land temple in the mountains west of Sendai, linked to the Heike clan for about 800 years and fondly called 'Jogi-san'. Souvenir shops line the approach, and the grounds include a five-storey pagoda.
• Kinkasan Koganeyama Shrine Miyagi
  A shrine to the gods of gold and fortune on the sacred island of Kinkasan, reached by boat. Praying here three years in a row is said to keep you free of money worries; about 450 deer roam the island.
• Osaki Hachimangu Shrine Miyagi
  A shrine built by Date Masamune in Momoyama style, its lacquered, richly coloured hall is a National Treasure. The Dontosai fire festival is held on Jan 14.
• Rinnoji Temple Miyagi
  A Zen temple linked to the Date family in north Sendai, with a stroll garden around a pond and a three-storey pagoda. Irises and other seasonal flowers bloom there.
• Shiogama Shrine Miyagi
  The head shrine of the old Mutsu province, on a hill above the port of Shiogama. A long steep stairway climbs to the main gate; its cherry tree is a natural monument.
• Takekoma Shrine Miyagi
  One of Japan's three great Inari shrines, founded in 842 in Iwanuma. Its two-storey Edo-period gate and Chinese-style gate stand in the grounds.
• Zuiganji Temple Miyagi
  Matsushima's great Rinzai Zen temple, said to date from 828 and rebuilt by Date Masamune. Its main hall, kitchen building and corridor are National Treasures.
• Karamatsu Shrine Akita
  A shrine known for blessings of safe childbirth and children. An avenue of cedars over 300 years old leads to steps that go down to the main hall, an unusual layout.
• Jakushoji Temple (Wakamatsu Kannon) Yamagata
  A mountain temple said to have been founded by the monk Gyoki in 708, the first of the 33 Kannon temples of Mogami. Known for blessings on love and marriage, its beech-wood Kannon Hall is an Important Cultural Property.
• Jionji Temple Yamagata
  An old temple in Sagae said to date from the Nara period, protected by successive rulers; its 1618 main hall and Heian–Kamakura Buddhist statues are Important Cultural Properties.
• Kumano Taisha (Nanyo) Yamagata
  An ancient shrine called the 'Ise of Tohoku' and one of Japan's three great Kumano shrines. Find all three rabbits carved on the back of the main hall and your wish is said to come true.
• Mount Haguro (Dewa Sanzan) Yamagata
  One of the three sacred Dewa Sanzan mountains: 2,446 stone steps climb through old cedars past a National Treasure pagoda to the shrine hall at the top.
• Uesugi Shrine (Matsugasaki Park) Yamagata
  The shrine to the warlord Uesugi Kenshin on the site of Yonezawa Castle's main keep, ringed by water moats; its treasure hall Keishoden shows armour and relics of the Uesugi lords.
• Yamadera (Risshakuji Temple) Yamagata
  Climb about 1,000 stone steps through cedar forest to temple halls on a cliff, with wide valley views.
• Yudonosan Shrine Yamagata
  The innermost shrine of the Dewa Sanzan, where the object of worship is a great rust-coloured rock with hot water welling out; visitors walk barefoot and no photos are allowed.
• Enzoji Temple (Yanaizu) Fukushima
  A temple founded in 807 on a cliff above the Tadami River in Yanaizu, one of Japan's three great Kokuzo Bodhisattva temples, known for its naked pilgrimage festival on January 7.
• Isasumi Shrine Fukushima
  The ancient head shrine of the Aizu region. Its sacred Usuzumi cherry has single and double blossoms on one branch, and the iris garden next door blooms in early summer.
• Shingu Kumano Shrine Nagatoko Fukushima
  A long, open-sided thatched hall on 44 pillars. An 800-year-old ginkgo beside it turns gold in November.
• Shiramizu Amidado Fukushima
  A late-Heian Amida hall in Iwaki built in memory of a local lord by his wife, a daughter of Fujiwara no Kiyohira, set in a Pure Land garden pond; Fukushima's only National Treasure building.
• Amabiki Kannon (Rakuhoji Temple) Ibaraki
  A mountain temple said to date from 587, No. 24 of the Bando 33 Kannon pilgrimage. Known for hydrangeas, cherry blossoms and peacocks roaming the grounds.
• Daiho Hachimangu Shrine Ibaraki
  A Hachiman shrine founded in 701, which calls itself the oldest in Kanto. The 1577 main hall stands within the earthworks of a medieval castle.
• Eigenji Temple (Momiji-dera) Ibaraki
  A Soto Zen temple founded in 1446 on a hill behind Hitachi-Daigo Station. Known as the "maple temple", it looks over the town of Daigo.
• Kasama Inari Shrine Ibaraki
  One of Japan's three great Inari shrines, said to date from 651. The 19th-century main hall is covered in fine wood carvings.
• Kashima Jingu Shrine Ibaraki
  An ancient shrine to the warrior god Takemikazuchi. A path through a deep forest leads past the deer park to the inner shrine and a clear spring pond.
• Oarai Isosaki Shrine Ibaraki
  A seaside shrine rebuilt by Mito lord Tokugawa Mitsukuni. Below it, the Kamiiso torii gate stands on a rock in the Pacific surf.
• Oiwa Shrine Ibaraki
  An ancient mountain shrine in Hitachi where 188 deities of Mt. Oiwa are worshipped, with a giant sacred cedar split into three trunks. A pilgrim trail climbs to the summit in about an hour.
• Sairenji Temple Ibaraki
  A Tendai temple said to date from 782, called the 'Koyasan of Hitachi'. It has old gates, a bronze pillar and a huge ginkgo tree.
• Ushiku Daibutsu (Great Buddha) Ibaraki
  A 120 m bronze standing Buddha, listed by Guinness in 1995 as the tallest bronze Buddha statue. A lift inside rises to a window at 85 m.
• Bannaji Temple (Ashikaga) Tochigi
  The former home of the Ashikaga clan, still ringed by a moat and earthen walls. Its main hall is a National Treasure.
• Daiouji Temple (Kurobane) Tochigi
  A Zen temple of over 600 years, family temple of the Kurobane lords. All seven of its main buildings, linked by corridors, have thatched roofs.
• Nikko Futarasan Shrine Tochigi
  An ancient shrine to the sacred peak Mt. Nantai, next to Toshogu. It also owns the red Shinkyo Bridge at the entrance to Nikko.
• Nikko Toshogu Shrine Tochigi
  A lavishly carved and painted shrine in the forest, home of the famous 'see no evil' monkeys.
• Oyaji Temple (Oya Kannon) Tochigi
  A temple built into a rock cave in Oya. Ten Buddhas carved into the rock face, including a 4 m Thousand-armed Kannon, are among Japan's oldest stone Buddhas.
• Rinnoji Temple and Taiyuin Mausoleum Tochigi
  Nikko's head Buddhist temple, with the huge Sanbutsudo hall, and Taiyuin, the black-and-gold mausoleum of the third shogun Iemitsu.
• Saimyoji Temple (Mashiko) Tochigi
  An old hilltop temple in a dark evergreen forest above Mashiko pottery town, with a 16th-century three-story pagoda.
• Sano Yakuyoke Daishi (Sojuji Temple) Tochigi
  One of the 'three great Daishi temples of Kanto', visited for protection from bad luck. Tokugawa Ieyasu's coffin stayed here a night on its way to Nikko, and the grounds hold Tanaka Shozo's grave and Sano Toshogu.
• Unganji Temple Tochigi
  A Zen training monastery beside a clear mountain stream in the Yamizo hills. Cross the red arched bridge and climb the steps to halls set in a straight line; the poet Basho left a haiku here.
• Dokutsu Kannon Gunma
  A 450 m cave dug by hand by a Takasaki merchant, lined with 39 carved Kannon statues. The same ticket covers a hillside Japanese garden and his memorial house.
• Haruna Shrine Gunma
  An old mountain shrine reached by a long approach among giant cedars and strange rock pillars, with ornate halls set against a huge boulder.
• Ichinomiya Nukisaki Shrine Gunma
  The leading shrine of old Kozuke Province. Unusually, you walk down steps from the main gate to reach the halls; the richly painted main hall was built in 1635 on the orders of shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.
• Mizusawa Kannon (Mizusawa Temple) Gunma
  A temple on the slopes near Ikaho, known for its six-sided two-storey pagoda of Jizo statues that visitors turn by hand.
• Myogi Shrine & Mount Myogi Gunma
  A lavishly carved, black-lacquered shrine on the slopes of jagged Mount Myogi, one of Gunma's three famous peaks.
• Chichibu Shrine Saitama
  The main shrine of the Chichibu region, in a grove near Chichibu Station; its present hall was donated by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1592.
• Hodosan Shrine (Nagatoro) Saitama
  A Gongen-style shrine at the foot of Mount Hodo in Nagatoro, said to be founded by Yamato Takeru; a ropeway climbs to a plum garden on the summit.
• Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine Saitama
  An old Kawagoe shrine said to date from the 6th century as a branch of Omiya's Hikawa Shrine; Ota Dokan also revered it.
• Kitain Temple (Kawagoe) Saitama
  Kawagoe's great temple, which flourished under the monk Tenkai; rooms moved from Edo Castle include the room where shogun Iemitsu was born.
• Menuma Shodenzan (Kangiin) Saitama
  A temple whose Edo-period main hall is covered in brightly painted carvings. Volunteer guides explain the hall several times a day.
• Mitsumine Shrine Saitama
  A mountain shrine deep in Okuchichibu said to date back about 2,000 years, revered by Kamakura warriors and later by the Kishu Tokugawa family.
• Musashi Ichinomiya Hikawa Shrine (Omiya) Saitama
  Head shrine of some 280 Hikawa shrines in the Kanto region, and the source of the name Omiya; one of the oldest shrines in the region.
• Daifukuji (Gake Kannon) Chiba
  A vermilion Kannon hall clinging to the cliff face of Mt. Funakata in Tateyama. From the hall you look out over Tateyama Bay and, on clear days, Izu Oshima.
• Hondoji Temple Chiba
  A Nichiren temple founded in 1277, known as the "hydrangea temple". Over 50,000 hydrangeas bloom around its five-storied pagoda in June, and about 1,500 maples turn red in late November.
• Kasamori Kannon (Kasamori-ji) Chiba
  A hall standing on stilts on top of a huge rock, built in a style said to be the only one of its kind in Japan; its gallery looks over forested hills.
• Katori Jingu Shrine Chiba
  The head shrine of about 400 Katori shrines across Japan, reached through a quiet cedar forest; its black-lacquered main hall dates from 1700.
• Nakayama Hokekyoji Temple Chiba
  A head temple of the Nichiren school founded in the Kamakura period, approached by a stone-paved lane, with a 31 m vermilion pagoda and old halls.
• Naritasan Shinshoji Temple Chiba
  A large temple with a three-story pagoda, reached by a lively street of eel restaurants. Close to Narita Airport.
• Seichoji Temple Chiba
  A head temple of the Nichiren school near the summit of Mt. Kiyosumi, where Nichiren first proclaimed his teaching in 1253. Its giant "thousand-year cedar" is about 47 m tall.
• Tamasaki Shrine Chiba
  The ancient first-ranked shrine of Kazusa Province, listed in Heian-era records. Its black-lacquered main hall dates from 1687, and its annual festival is said to have at least 1,200 years of history.
• Jindaiji Temple Tokyo
  A Tendai temple in Chofu founded in 733, surrounded by Musashino woods, springs and soba shops. Its bronze Shaka Nyorai from the 7th–8th century is the oldest National Treasure Buddha in eastern Japan.
• Meiji Jingu Shrine Tokyo
  A quiet shrine in a deep forest, right next to busy Harajuku.
• Nezu Shrine Tokyo
  An old shrine in the Yanaka–Nezu–Sendagi area whose lacquered gongen-style halls, built in 1706 under shogun Tsunayoshi, survive intact. A tunnel of red torii gates leads to Otome Inari.
• Sensoji Temple Tokyo
  Tokyo's oldest temple, entered through a giant red lantern and a long shopping street.
• Takahata Fudo Temple Tokyo
  One of the Kanto region's three great Fudo temples. Its Fudo Hall, moved here in 1342, is the oldest listed building in Tokyo.
• Daiyuzan Saijoji Temple Kanagawa
  A Soto Zen training temple founded in 1394 in a cedar forest, linked to tengu legends; giant iron geta sandals are offered at one hall.
• Engakuji Temple (Kita-Kamakura) Kanagawa
  A major Zen temple founded in 1282 by regent Hojo Tokimune, its halls climbing a wooded valley. The Shariden hall and great bell are National Treasures.
• Great Buddha of Kamakura Kanagawa
  A bronze Buddha over 11 m tall that has sat in the open air since storms and a tsunami destroyed its hall centuries ago.
• Hakone Shrine Kanagawa
  A shrine founded in 757 on the shore of Lake Ashi, approached through tall cedars. Its red 'Peace Torii' stands in the lake.
• Hasedera Temple (Kamakura) Kanagawa
  A hillside temple near the Great Buddha, known for its Kannon hall, gardens and a terrace looking over Yuigahama Bay.
• Hokokuji Temple (Bamboo Garden) Kanagawa
  A quiet Zen temple in eastern Kamakura known for its grove of about 2,000 bamboo, with a teahouse serving matcha beside it.
• Kawasaki Daishi (Heikenji Temple) Kanagawa
  A large temple founded in 1128, widely visited for protection from misfortune (yakuyoke) and for prayers for safety and health.
• Kenchoji Temple Kanagawa
  Founded in 1253 by regent Hojo Tokiyori, the first of Kamakura's Five Great Zen Temples and the first temple in Japan to call itself a Zen temple. Its gate, halls and Chinese-style gate stand in a line.
• Meigetsuin Temple (Hydrangea Temple) Kanagawa
  A Kita-Kamakura Zen temple known as the "hydrangea temple" for its blue blooms along the approach. The garden behind the main hall, seen through the round "window of enlightenment", opens only twice a year.
• Samukawa Shrine Kanagawa
  The ichinomiya (head shrine) of old Sagami Province, with about 1,600 years of history, revered as Japan's only guardian against misfortune from all eight directions (happoyoke).
• Shomyoji Temple (Kanazawa, Yokohama) Kanagawa
  The family temple of the Kanazawa Hojo clan, founded in the 13th century. Its old pond and earthworks still show the medieval temple layout.
• Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine Kanagawa
  Kamakura's main shrine, at the end of a long approach from the sea, with lotus ponds below.
• Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine Kanagawa
  A shrine at the far end of a hidden valley, said to have been founded after Minamoto no Yoritomo saw its god in a dream. Through a tunnel cut in the rock, visitors wash their money in spring water inside a cave.
• Yahiko Shrine Niigata
  An ancient shrine at the foot of sacred Mt. Yahiko. A ropeway climbs to sea views over Sado Island.
• Oiwasan Nisekiji Temple Toyama
  Mountain temple known for a Fudo figure carved into the rock face; visitors can try waterfall training under six dragon spouts.
• Shokoji Temple (Fushiki, Takaoka) Toyama
  A large Jodo Shinshu temple on the site of the old provincial office; its 1795 main hall became a National Treasure in 2022 after a 23-year restoration.
• Takaoka Great Buddha Toyama
  A 16 m bronze Amida Buddha finished in 1933 by local casters; a gallery inside the pedestal shows Buddhist paintings and the head of an earlier statue.
• Zuiryuji Temple (Takaoka) Toyama
  Zen family temple of the Maeda lords; its gate, Buddha hall with lead-tiled roof and lecture hall are National Treasures, framed by symmetric corridors.
• Keta Taisha Shrine (Hakui) Ishikawa
  Ancient head shrine of Noto Province, known for matchmaking; its halls are Important Cultural Properties, backed by an untouched sacred forest.
• Myoryuji (Ninja Temple) Ishikawa
  A temple nicknamed Ninja-dera for its defensive tricks: an offering box that hides a pit, concealed stairs and a well said to lead to the castle.
• Natadera Temple Ishikawa
  A temple of Mt. Hakusan worship founded in 717, set among weathered rock outcrops; the main hall and three-storey pagoda are Important Cultural Properties.
• Oyama Shrine Ishikawa
  Shrine to Maeda Toshiie and his wife Matsu; its gate mixes Japanese, Chinese and Western styles with stained glass at the top, lit up after dark.
• Shirayama Hime Shrine Ishikawa
  Head shrine of about 3,000 Hakusan shrines across Japan, reached by an approach of ancient cedars at the foot of the Hakusan range.
• Echizen Daibutsu (Seidaiji Temple) Fukui
  A giant Buddha at Seidaiji Temple in Katsuyama, founded in 1987. The 17 m bronze seated figure is taller than Nara's Great Buddha, and 1,281 Buddha statues line the walls around it.
• Eiheiji Temple Fukui
  A working Zen monastery in a cedar forest, where about 100 monks train. Covered corridors link the halls.
• Gotanjoji Temple (Cat Temple) Fukui
  A Soto Zen training temple in the quiet hills of Echizen City. Known as the 'Cat Temple' because it took in cats with nowhere to go, it is now home to about 30 cats.
• Heisenji Hakusan Shrine Fukui
  A shrine on the site of a once vast medieval temple complex, known for the deep moss carpeting the grounds under tall cedars.
• Kehi Jingu Shrine Fukui
  Ichinomiya (head shrine) of old Echizen Province in Tsuruga. Its huge vermilion wooden torii is counted among Japan's three great wooden torii.
• Myotsuji Temple Fukui
  A temple in a quiet valley outside Obama. Its 1258 main hall and 1270 pagoda are the only National Treasure buildings in Fukui.
• Okamoto & Otaki Shrines Fukui
  A shrine in the Echizen washi paper village honouring the goddess said to have taught papermaking. Its hall has a complex layered roof.
• Takidanji Temple Fukui
  Founded in 1375, the oldest temple in Mikuni. A stone path under old trees leads to halls and a garden designated a national scenic place.
• Daizenji Temple (Katsunuma) Yamanashi
  A temple in the Katsunuma wine district, known as the 'grape temple' for its legend of a Yakushi Buddha holding grapes. Its main hall is a National Treasure.
• Erinji Temple Yamanashi
  Family temple of the Takeda clan, holding Takeda Shingen's grave and a garden attributed to the Zen master Muso Soseki.
• Kawaguchi Asama Shrine Yamanashi
  An ancient shrine founded in 865 to calm the eruptions of Mt. Fuji. An approach lined with great cedars leads to the 'Seven Cedars', said to be more than 1,200 years old.
• Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine Yamanashi
  The traditional starting point for climbing Mt. Fuji on the Yoshida Trail, reached along a long approach lined with tall cedars.
• Minobusan Kuonji Temple Yamanashi
  Head temple of the Nichiren school, founded by Nichiren in the Kamakura period. A 400-year-old weeping cherry blooms in front of the main halls.
• Oimata Kubo Hachiman Shrine Yamanashi
  A shrine revered by Takeda Shingen and his father, with many Muromachi-period buildings. Its main hall is the longest nagare-style shrine hall in Japan.
• Seihakuji Temple Yamanashi
  A Zen temple said to date from 1333, whose Zen-style Buddha hall is a National Treasure. About 50 old plum trees line the approach.
• Takeda Shrine Yamanashi
  Shrine to warlord Takeda Shingen, built in 1919 on the site of the Takeda clan residence, where moats and earthworks remain.
• Nishina Shinmei-gu Shrine Nagano
  A shrine in a cedar forest in Omachi with the oldest surviving building in the shinmei style of Ise Shrine. Its main hall, gate and connecting roof are National Treasures.
• Suwa Taisha Kamisha (Honmiya & Maemiya) Nagano
  The upper shrines of Suwa Taisha, south of Lake Suwa. Honmiya, set in a primeval forest, has the most surviving buildings of the four shrines, in the unique Suwa style with no main hall; Maemiya is said to be where Suwa worship began.
• Suwa Taisha Shrine (Shimosha Akimiya) Nagano
  One of the four shrines of Suwa Taisha around Lake Suwa, near Shimo-Suwa Station. Huge fir pillars called onbashira stand at the four corners of the shrine.
• Togakushi Shrine Nagano
  Five shrines at the foot of Mt. Togakushi. The walk to the inner shrine passes an avenue of over 200 giant cedars about 500 m long.
• Zenkoji Temple Nagano
  A temple of about 1,400 years that belongs to no single sect. Under the main hall, walk a pitch-dark passage to touch the 'key to paradise'.
• Gifu Great Buddha (Shohoji Temple) Gifu
  A 13.7 m seated Buddha finished in 1832 after 38 years of work, built of wood and bamboo covered with sutra paper, lacquer and gold leaf.
• Hida Kokubunji Temple Gifu
  A temple founded under the 8th-century provincial temple edict, near Takayama Station, with a Muromachi-period main hall, a three-storey pagoda and a huge old ginkgo.
• Kokeizan Eihoji Temple Gifu
  A Zen training temple founded in the 1300s beside the Toki River. Two halls are National Treasures and the pond garden with an arched bridge is a Scenic Beauty.
• Tanigumisan Kegon-ji Temple Gifu
  The 33rd and final temple of the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage, known locally as "Tanigumi-san". Its approach is lined with cherry trees and is busy at the autumn maple festival.
• Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shizuoka
  The head shrine of some 1,300 Sengen shrines, which worship Mt. Fuji. A vermilion two-storey hall given by Ieyasu and a clear spring pond.
• Hitoana Fujiko Ruins Shizuoka
  A lava cave where Hasegawa Kakugyo, founder of the Fuji-ko faith groups, is said to have trained, with more than 200 stone monuments set up by Fuji-ko pilgrims. A component of the Mt. Fuji World Heritage site.
• Kinomiya Shrine Shizuoka
  Atami's guardian shrine, home to a sacred camphor tree over 2,100 years old with a trunk about 24 m around. Walking once around it is said to add a year to your life.
• Kunozan Toshogu Shrine Shizuoka
  The first shrine built for Tokugawa Ieyasu, on a hill above Suruga Bay. Brightly painted halls; reach it by ropeway or 1,159 stone steps.
• Mishima Taisha Shrine Shizuoka
  The chief shrine of old Izu Province, where Minamoto no Yoritomo prayed before his rise. A large zelkova main hall and a 1,200-year-old fragrant olive.
• Ryotanji Temple Shizuoka
  The family temple of the Ii clan in the hills north of Lake Hamana, with a pond garden attributed to Kobori Enshu.
• Yamamiya Sengen Shrine Shizuoka
  A shrine with a worship platform for viewing Mt. Fuji from afar, thought to preserve an old form of Fuji worship. It is a component of the Mt. Fuji World Heritage site.
• Atsuta Jingu Aichi
  A major Nagoya shrine whose deity is linked to the sacred sword of the imperial regalia, in a wooded precinct of about 19 ha.
• Nittai-ji Temple (Kakuozan) Aichi
  Japan's only temple belonging to no single Buddhist sect, founded in 1904 to enshrine relics of the Buddha given by Siam (now Thailand). A statue of King Rama V stands in the grounds.
• Toyokawa Inari (Myogonji Temple) Aichi
  A Soto Zen temple founded in 1441, counted among Japan's three great Inari sites. Over 1,000 stone foxes donated by worshippers fill the Reikozuka mound.
• Hana-no-Iwaya Shrine Mie
  A shrine with no main hall: a huge rock face by the sea is itself the object of worship. The Nihon Shoki names it as the grave of the goddess Izanami.
• Ise Jingu (Inner Shrine) Mie
  Japan's most sacred shrine, rebuilt in plain cypress every 20 years, deep in an ancient forest.
• Ise Jingu Geku (Outer Shrine) Mie
  The Outer Shrine of Ise Jingu, set in forest at the foot of Mt. Takakura. It honors Toyouke, the goddess who prepares Amaterasu's meals.
• Kongosho-ji Temple (Mt. Asama) Mie
  An old temple on top of Mt. Asama, said to guard Ise Jingu's unlucky northeast. Kukai is said to have trained here; the main hall dates from 1609.
• Takada Honzan Senju-ji Temple Mie
  Head temple of the Shinshu Takada school, in a temple town in Tsu. Its huge Mieido hall and carved Nyoraido became National Treasures in 2017.
• Takihara-no-miya Shrine Mie
  A detached shrine of Ise's Inner Shrine, revered since ancient times as the 'distant shrine'. A path through cedars several centuries old passes a stream used for purification to two sanctuaries standing side by side.
• Tsubaki Grand Shrine Mie
  At the foot of the Suzuka Mountains, the head shrine of some 2,000 shrines to Sarutahiko, the god of guidance. The wooded grounds hold Shoshoan, a tea house donated by Konosuke Matsushita.
• Eigen-ji Temple Shiga
  Head temple of the Eigenji school of Rinzai Zen, founded in 1361. Maples line the stone-stepped approach along the Echi River, making it one of Shiga's best spots for autumn leaves.
• Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine Shiga
  Head shrine of about 3,800 Sanno shrines, at the foot of Mt. Hachioji in Sakamoto. Halls stand in a forest along the Omiya River.
• Hyakusai-ji Temple Shiga
  One of the three Koto Sanzan temples, said to have been founded by Prince Shotoku in 606, making it one of the oldest in Omi. A stone-walled approach climbs to the main hall, and the garden of the Kiken-in residence is called the 'garden with a view of the realm'.
• Ishiyama-dera Temple Shiga
  Temple No. 13 of the Saigoku pilgrimage, founded in the Nara period above the Seta River. Murasaki Shikibu is linked with it and The Tale of Genji.
• Keisoku-ji Temple (former Hanpuku-ji) Shiga
  The site of an old temple whose mossy stone steps and walls are covered by some 200 old maples in autumn. Said to have been founded by Gyoki and revived by Saicho, it is now cared for by local residents.
• Mii-dera Temple (Onjo-ji) Shiga
  Head temple of the Tendai Jimon school on the slopes above Otsu. Its name comes from a sacred spring used for the first baths of three emperors.
• Mt. Hiei Enryakuji Temple Shiga
  A vast temple complex in a mountain forest, where a lamp has burned for 1,200 years.
• Omi Jingu Shrine Shiga
  A shrine to Emperor Tenji on the site of his 7th-century capital, Omi Otsu-no-miya. Known as the home of competitive karuta and for its clock museum, as the emperor started Japan’s first time signal with a water clock.
• Saimyo-ji Temple (Koto Sanzan) Shiga
  One of the three Koto Sanzan Tendai temples. The early Kamakura main hall, built without nails, was among the first National Treasures.
• Shirahige Shrine Shiga
  A shrine on the west shore of Lake Biwa with a large vermilion torii standing in the water, called the 'Itsukushima of Omi'.
• Taga Taisha Shrine Shiga
  A major shrine to Izanagi and Izanami, parents of the sun goddess, long visited for long life and good matches. A stone arched bridge leads in.
• Tarobogu (Aga Shrine) Shiga
  A shrine of victory and good fortune on sacred Mt. Akagami, said to date back about 1,400 years. Near the main hall, a path only 80 cm wide runs between the two halves of the giant Meoto-iwa rock.
• Tokanji Kannon Hall (Kogen-ji) Shiga
  A village hall in the Kannon country of north Lake Biwa. Its Eleven-faced Kannon is one of seven National Treasure statues of this type.
• Ukimido Floating Hall (Mangetsu-ji) Shiga
  A small hall built out over Lake Biwa at Katata, famous as one of the Eight Views of Omi. The present building dates from 1937.
• Byodoin Temple (Uji) Kyoto
  An 11th-century temple in Uji whose Phoenix Hall seems to float on its pond; the hall appears on the 10-yen coin.
• Daigo-ji Temple Kyoto
  Head temple of the Daigo school of Shingon Buddhism, founded in 874 and spread over a whole mountain. Its five-story pagoda, completed in 951, is the oldest wooden building in Kyoto, and the Sanboin garden was planned by Toyotomi Hideyoshi for his famous cherry-blossom party.
• Fushimi Inari Taisha Kyoto
  Thousands of orange torii gates form tunnels up a forested mountain. Open all day and night.
• Gansenji Temple Kyoto
  A quiet mountain temple with a three-storied pagoda among the trees, known for hydrangeas in June.
• Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion) Kyoto
  A Zen temple built from a shogun's retreat, with a two-story pavilion, raked sand cone and a moss garden path up the hill.
• Joruriji Temple Kyoto
  A rural temple where a pond garden separates a hall of nine Heian-period Amida statues from a three-story pagoda.
• Kaijusenji Temple Kyoto
  A hillside temple above the Kizu River whose slender Kamakura-period five-storied pagoda is a National Treasure.
• Kamigamo Shrine Kyoto
  Kyoto's oldest shrine, founded by the Kamo clan. Two cone-shaped sand mounds in front of the Hosodono hall represent the sacred Mt. Kōyama.
• Kifune Shrine Kyoto
  A shrine to the god of water in a mountain valley north of Kyoto, also visited by people praying for love and good matches.
• Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) Kyoto
  A pavilion whose upper two floors are covered in gold leaf, reflected in a still pond.
• Kiyomizu-dera Temple Kyoto
  A wooden temple stage built out over a hillside, with views across Kyoto.
• Kozan-ji Kyoto
  A World Heritage mountain temple in Togano-o, known for the Choju-jinbutsu-giga scrolls and for Japan's oldest tea field. The National Treasure Sekisui-in can be visited.
• Kurama-dera Temple Kyoto
  A mountain temple founded in 770 north of Kyoto; a forest trail over the ridge leads on to Kibune.
• Nanzen-ji Temple Kyoto
  Head temple of the Nanzen-ji school of Rinzai Zen, founded in 1291 and once ranked above Kyoto’s five great Zen temples. Climb the huge Sanmon gate for the view, and see the red-brick Suirokaku aqueduct of 1888 in the grounds.
• Ninna-ji Kyoto
  A temple long tied to the imperial family and a World Heritage site. Its Kondo hall is a National Treasure, and the late-blooming Omuro cherry trees are famous.
• Nishi Hongan-ji Temple Kyoto
  Head temple of the Hongwanji branch of Jodo Shinshu, on this site since 1591. The vast Goeido and Amidado halls and the ornate Karamon gate are National Treasures, and the grounds are free to enter.
• Rurikoin Temple Kyoto
  A sukiya-style villa temple at the foot of Mt. Hiei, open only in spring, summer and autumn. The garden's maples are mirrored in a polished desk and floor.
• Ryoanji Temple Kyoto
  A Zen temple known for its rock garden: 15 stones set in raked white gravel, viewed from the abbot's hall.
• Sanjusangendo Kyoto
  A hall about 120 m long holding 1,001 standing statues of the Thousand-Armed Kannon in long rows.
• Sanzen-in Temple (Ohara) Kyoto
  The main temple of the mountain village of Ohara, with moss gardens dotted with small stone jizo and a hall holding an Amida triad.
• Shimogamo Shrine Kyoto
  One of the oldest shrines in Kyoto, founded before the Heian period. Two National Treasure main halls and 53 Important Cultural Property buildings stand at the end of Tadasu-no-Mori, a large ancient forest.
• Shoju-in Temple Kyoto
  A mountain temple among tea fields, known for its heart-shaped inome window and a guest-hall ceiling covered with 160 painted panels of flowers and scenery.
• Tenryuji Temple Kyoto
  A large Zen temple in Arashiyama, a World Heritage site best known for its Sogenchi pond garden.
• To-ji Temple Kyoto
  Founded in 796 to guard the new capital and given to Kukai in 823. Its 55 m five-story pagoda is the tallest wooden pagoda in Japan, and the lecture hall holds 21 statues arranged as a three-dimensional mandala.
• Tofuku-ji Temple Kyoto
  Head temple of the Tofuku-ji school of Rinzai Zen, completed in 1255. The Tsutenkyo bridge crosses a valley of maples famous for autumn colour, and Shigemori Mirei’s 1939 gardens around the abbot’s hall include bold checkerboard designs.
• Ujigami Shrine Kyoto
  A World Heritage shrine whose main hall, built in the late Heian period, is regarded as the oldest surviving shrine building. The worship hall dates from the early Kamakura period. Both are National Treasures.
• Yokokuji Temple (Yanagidani Kannon) Kyoto
  A mountain temple prayed to for eye ailments, said to be where flower-filled water basins (hanachozu) began. About 5,000 hydrangeas bloom in June.
• Amanosan Kongoji Temple Osaka
  A temple in the hills of Kawachinagano where Emperor Go-Murakami held court for about five years in the 1300s; it holds five National Treasures.
• Fujiidera Temple Osaka
  Temple No. 5 of the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage. Its National Treasure Kannon really has over 1,000 arms and is shown only on the 18th of each month.
• Inunakisan Shippo-ryuji Temple Osaka
  A mountain-ascetic (Shugendo) temple founded in 661 in a wooded gorge, named after a loyal dog that saved its master from a giant snake. Seven sacred waterfalls line the valley.
• Ishikiri Tsurugiya Shrine Osaka
  'Ishikiri-san', a shrine at the foot of Mt. Ikoma known for curing boils and illness. Worshippers walk back and forth between two stones for the hundred-times prayer (ohyakudo).
• Jigen-in Temple Osaka
  The oldest temple in southern Osaka's Senshu area, founded in 673. Its Kamakura-period Tahoto pagoda, about 10 m tall, is said to be Japan's smallest and is a National Treasure.
• Kanshinji Temple Osaka
  A mountain-edge temple in southern Osaka with a National Treasure main hall and ties to the warrior Kusunoki Masashige.
• Katsuoji Temple Osaka
  A mountain temple in Minoh, prayed to for 'winning luck' for 1,300 years; small red daruma dolls are left all over the grounds.
• Namba Yasaka Shrine Osaka
  A neighborhood shrine in Namba whose stage is shaped like a giant lion head, 12 m high, with a wide open mouth.
• Shitennoji Temple Osaka
  Founded by Prince Shotoku in 593, a temple whose central compound keeps its original straight-line layout, rebuilt after the war.
• Sumiyoshi Taisha Osaka
  Head shrine of the Sumiyoshi shrines, about 2,300 across Japan. Its four National Treasure main halls stand in a row like a fleet of ships.
• Ichijoji Temple Hyogo
  A Tendai mountain temple and stop 26 of the Saigoku pilgrimage. Its three-storey pagoda, dated 1171, is the oldest in Hyogo.
• Ikuta Shrine Hyogo
  A shrine of about 1,800 years in central Sannomiya, popular for matchmaking. Behind the halls is the Ikuta Forest, once a battlefield of the Genpei War.
• Ishi-no-Hoden (Oshiko Shrine) Hyogo
  A shrine whose sacred object is a huge carved block of stone, estimated at about 500 tonnes, cut from the bedrock and seeming to float on water.
• Izanagi Jingu Shrine Hyogo
  Awaji's first-ranked shrine, dedicated to Izanagi and Izanami, the gods who created Japan in the creation myth. A pair of camphor trees about 900 years old grows in the grounds.
• Jodo-ji Temple (Ono) Hyogo
  Founded by the monk Chogen, who rebuilt Todaiji. Its Jodo-do hall (1197) houses a 5.3 m Amida triad by Kaikei that glows in the setting sun from the west.
• Kakurinji Temple Hyogo
  A temple linked to Prince Shotoku, with two National Treasure halls from the Heian and Muromachi periods in a town-center precinct.
• Mt. Shosha Engyoji Temple Hyogo
  A large mountain temple founded over 1,000 years ago, reached by ropeway from Himeji. Its wooden halls stand in a forest on the summit.
• Akishinodera Temple Nara
  A quiet temple in north-west Nara with a moss garden, known for its graceful statue of Gigeiten, a deity of the arts.
• Asuka-dera Temple Nara
  The first full-scale Buddhist temple in Japan, completed in 596. The Asuka Daibutsu still sits where it was placed when the temple was founded.
• Chuguji Temple Nara
  A small nunnery-temple just behind Horyuji, home to a serene wooden Bodhisattva famous for its gentle smile.
• Futaiji Temple Nara
  A small temple tied to the poet-courtier Ariwara no Narihira, with an old main hall and seasonal flowers, a short walk from central Nara.
• Gangoji Temple Nara
  Successor to Hokoji (Asuka-dera), Japan's first full-scale temple, moved to Nara in 710. Its National Treasure halls keep roof tiles said to be the oldest in Japan.
• Hasedera Temple Nara
  A mountainside temple reached by a long covered stairway, with a large wooden stage and flowers in every season.
• Horyuji Temple Nara
  Founded by Prince Shotoku; its buildings are the oldest surviving wooden structures in the world, per Nara Prefecture.
• Isonokami Jingu Shrine Nara
  One of Japan's oldest shrines, once the armoury of the ancient Mononobe clan, set among tall cedars on the Yamanobe-no-Michi. Its worship hall is a National Treasure, and roosters roam the grounds.
• Kasuga Taisha Nara
  A vermilion-lacquered shrine in the woods of Nara Park, with about 3,000 stone and hanging lanterns along its paths and corridors.
• Kinpusen-ji Nara
  The head temple of Shugendo at the heart of Yoshinoyama and a World Heritage site. The main hall Zao-do and the Niomon gate are National Treasures; Zao-do is said to be the largest ancient wooden building after Todai-ji's Great Buddha Hall.
• Kofukuji Temple Nara
  A great Nara temple by Nara Park; its National Treasure Museum shows the famous Ashura statue and other ancient Buddhist sculptures.
• Muroji Temple Nara
  A mountain temple once open to women when Mount Koya was not, with a small five-storied pagoda among cedars and stone steps.
• Okadera Temple (Ryugaiji) Nara
  A hillside temple in Asuka, said to be founded in 663 and No. 7 of the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage. Its 4.6 m clay Nyoirin Kannon is the largest clay Buddhist statue in Japan.
• Omiwa Shrine Nara
  One of Japan's oldest shrines, which worships Mount Miwa itself as the god's body, so the hall has no inner sanctuary.
• Shinyakushiji Temple Nara
  Founded in 747 by Empress Komyo. In the Nara-period main hall, Japan's oldest and largest clay statues of the Twelve Heavenly Generals stand in a circle around the Yakushi Buddha.
• Taimadera Temple Nara
  An old temple at the foot of Mount Nijo with an east and a west three-storied pagoda, famous for its peonies in spring.
• Tamaki Shrine Nara
  A shrine high on Mount Tamaki in Totsukawa, approached through old cedars on the Omine pilgrimage route.
• Tanzan Shrine Nara
  A mountain shrine on Tonomine with a rare wooden thirteen-storied pagoda, especially colourful in autumn.
• Todaiji Temple Nara
  A giant bronze Buddha inside one of the world's largest wooden buildings.
• Toshodaiji Temple Nara
  A temple founded by the Chinese monk Ganjin, with a broad, calm main hall set among trees in Nishinokyo.
• Yakushiji Temple Nara
  A World Heritage temple in Nishinokyo whose original East Pagoda survives, beside a rebuilt vermilion main hall and West Pagoda.
• Chohoji Temple Wakayama
  A temple said to date from 1000, later the family temple of the Kishu Tokugawa lords. Its main hall, pagoda and gate are all National Treasures.
• Danjo Garan (Koyasan) Wakayama
  The sacred complex Kukai laid out when he founded Koyasan, with the vermilion Konpon Daito pagoda, the Kondo hall and other halls.
• Kamikura Shrine Wakayama
  The sacred rock where the Kumano deities are said to have first descended. A steep flight of 538 stone steps leads up to the giant Gotobiki-iwa boulder and a view over Shingu and the Kumano Sea.
• Kimiidera Temple Wakayama
  A hillside temple reached by 228 stone steps, overlooking Wakanoura Bay. Known for early cherry blossoms that signal spring in the Kinki region.
• Kishu Toshogu Shrine Wakayama
  A shrine to Tokugawa Ieyasu and Yorinobu founded in 1621 at Wakanoura, with richly coloured halls in the Momoyama style.
• Kokawadera Temple Wakayama
  A large pilgrimage temple at the end of a small temple town, with a stone-built garden set into the slope below the main hall.
• Kongobuji Temple (Koyasan) Wakayama
  The head temple of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism, with painted sliding doors and Banryutei, one of Japan's largest rock gardens.
• Koyasan Okunoin Wakayama
  A 2 km path through a cedar forest lined with over 200,000 moss-covered graves. Stay overnight at a temple.
• Kumano Hayatama Taisha Wakayama
  One of the three Kumano shrines, with bright vermilion halls and a nagi tree said to be 1,000 years old. Its treasure hall holds about 1,000 national treasures.
• Kumano Hongu Taisha and Oyunohara Wakayama
  The head of the three Kumano shrines, with cypress-bark halls. The original site, Oyunohara, by the river is marked by a huge torii gate.
• Nachi Falls & Kumano Nachi Taisha Wakayama
  Japan's tallest single-drop waterfall (133 m), with the red pagoda of Seigantoji beside it — a classic Kumano view.
• Negoroji Temple Wakayama
  Head temple of the Shingi Shingon school, founded by the monk Kakuban about 900 years ago. Its Great Pagoda (1547), 37 m tall, is Japan's largest wooden pagoda of its type and a National Treasure you can enter.
• Niutsuhime Shrine Wakayama
  An old shrine in the Amano hills below Koyasan, dedicated to the goddess Niutsuhime and listed with Koyasan as World Heritage.
• Daisenji Temple and Ogamiyama Shrine Okumiya Tottori
  An old mountain-worship temple on the slope of Mt. Daisen, and above it a large gongen-style shrine reached by a 700 m stone-paved approach.
• Fudoin Iwayado Tottori
  A hall built on stilts inside a natural rock cave, designated an Important Cultural Property. Said to date from the early 800s, it enshrines the "Kurokawa Fudo" image attributed to Kobo Daishi.
• Mitokusan Nageiredo Tottori
  A temple hall built into a sheer cliff face, reached by a steep climb up roots and chains.
• Ube Shrine Tottori
  The leading shrine of old Inaba Province, said to date from 648; it was the first shrine printed on a Japanese banknote, so people pray here for money luck.
• Gakuenji Temple Shimane
  A Tendai temple said to date from 594, once a mountain training center hidden in a deep valley, with the Furo waterfall and a legend that the warrior monk Benkei trained here. Known as the best autumn foliage spot in Shimane.
• Izumo Taisha Shrine Shimane
  One of Japan's oldest shrines, known for its giant 13 m sacred rope and for bringing good relationships.
• Kamosu Shrine Shimane
  A quiet forest shrine whose main hall is said to be the oldest surviving example of the taisha style used at Izumo Taisha, reached by rough stone steps.
• Miho Shrine Shimane
  Head shrine of the more than 3,000 Ebisu shrines in Japan, in a harbor town facing Miho Bay. Visiting both Izumo Taisha (Daikoku) and Miho (Ebisu) is a traditional pairing, and 846 offered musical instruments are national folk property.
• Taikodani Inari Shrine Shimane
  One of Japan's five great Inari shrines, founded in 1773; a tunnel of about 1,000 red torii gates climbs about 300 m up Shiroyama hill.
• Yaegaki Shrine Shimane
  A matchmaking shrine tied to the myth of Susanoo and Princess Inata; in the woods behind it you float paper on Kagami Pond to read your fortune in love.
• Yomotsu Hirasaka Shimane
  The place named in the Kojiki as the border between this world and the land of the dead, where Izanagi sealed the entrance with a great rock. Large boulders stand in a quiet grove, and a "letters to heaven" post receives messages to the departed.
• Bitchu Kokubunji Temple Okayama
  A temple on the Kibi Plain whose 34 m five-storey pagoda, the only one in Okayama, rises above rice fields and seasonal flowers.
• Entsuji Temple and Park Okayama
  The Soto Zen temple where the monk-poet Ryokan trained as a young man. From the park on the hilltop around it you look over Tamashima's old streets and the islands of the Seto Inland Sea.
• Kibitsu Shrine Okayama
  A shrine tied to the legend behind the Momotaro tale, with a rare double-gabled main hall and a 360 m covered corridor.
• Kibitsuhiko Shrine Okayama
  The chief shrine of old Bizen Province, dedicated to the prince said to be the model for Momotaro. It sits at the foot of sacred Mt. Kibi-no-Nakayama, and at the summer solstice the sun rises straight through its torii.
• Saidaiji Kannon-in Temple Okayama
  A temple said to date from 751 and the stage of the Eyo naked festival, one of Japan's three strangest festivals. The stone gate, Nio gate and three-storied pagoda are old highlights.
• Saijo Inari (Myokyoji Temple) Okayama
  One of Japan's three great Inari sites, alongside Fushimi and Toyokawa. Officially a Nichiren Buddhist temple, it kept its Shinto-Buddhist blend, so it has a giant torii and a shrine-style main hall.
• Buttsuji Temple Hiroshima
  A Zen head temple founded in 1397 in a wooded valley of Mihara, still a training hall, and known for its autumn colours.
• Daisho-in Temple (Miyajima) Hiroshima
  The head temple of the Omuro school of Shingon at the foot of Mt. Misen, said to date from Kukai's training here in 806.
• Fudoin Temple Hiroshima
  A temple at the foot of the hills in Hiroshima city whose National Treasure hall survived the 1945 atomic bombing.
• Itsukushima Shrine (Miyajima) Hiroshima
  A red shrine and giant torii gate that seem to float on the sea at high tide. Deer roam the island.
• Jodoji Temple Hiroshima
  An old temple in Onomichi said to have been founded by Prince Shotoku. Its main hall and two-storey Tahoto pagoda are National Treasures, and its garden is a national Place of Scenic Beauty.
• Kojoji Three-Story Pagoda, Setoda Hiroshima
  A bright vermilion pagoda built in 1432 in Setoda town on Ikuchi Island, along the Shimanami route.
• Kosanji Temple & Hill of Hope Hiroshima
  A colourful 20th-century temple on Ikuchijima whose halls pay homage to Nara and Heian-era temples, with a museum and a white marble garden on the hill.
• Mitakidera Temple Hiroshima
  A temple in a forested valley on the edge of Hiroshima city, named after its three waterfalls, with a two-story pagoda and fine autumn leaves.
• Myooin Temple Hiroshima
  A Shingon temple on a hillside in Fukuyama with two National Treasures: a main hall from 1321 and a five-story pagoda from 1348.
• Akama Shrine Yamaguchi
  A shrine to the child emperor Antoku, lost at the Battle of Dannoura, with a vermilion gate modeled on the Dragon Palace above the Kanmon Strait.
• Hofu Tenmangu Shrine Yamaguchi
  Said to be the first of Japan's some 12,000 shrines to Sugawara no Michizane, god of learning. A vermilion gate and halls stand above a long approach, with views over Hofu from the Shunpuro tower.
• Motonosumi Shrine Yamaguchi
  123 red torii gates wind down a green cliff to the blue Sea of Japan.
• Rurikoji Temple Five-storey Pagoda Yamaguchi
  A 15th-century pagoda counted among Japan's three finest, standing in Kozan Park; its cypress-bark roof was re-laid in a recent restoration.
• Shoin Shrine and Shoka Sonjuku Yamaguchi
  A shrine to the teacher Yoshida Shoin; in its grounds stands the small original school where many leaders of the Meiji Restoration studied.
• Sumiyoshi Shrine (Nagato Ichinomiya) Yamaguchi
  The top shrine of old Nagato Province, whose main hall of 1370 joins five sanctuaries under one long roof, a rare style.
• Taineiji Temple Yamaguchi
  A Soto Zen temple founded in 1410, where the powerful Ouchi clan met its end. Moss-covered graves, the stone Banjaku Bridge and about 120 maple trees fill the grounds.
• Tokoji Temple Yamaguchi
  An Obaku Zen family temple of the Mori lords founded in 1691; behind it some 500 stone lanterns line the lords' graves.
• Ryozenji Temple (Temple 1) Tokushima
  Temple No. 1 of the 88-temple Shikoku pilgrimage, where many pilgrims start their walk and buy their white robes and gear.
• Shosanji Temple (Temple 12) & Henro-korogashi Trail Tokushima
  The second-highest temple of the Shikoku pilgrimage, near the top of Mt Shosan (938 m) among huge old cedars. The 12 km mountain path from Temple 11 is the pilgrimage's most famous hard climb, "Henro-korogashi".
• Yakuoji Temple (Temple 23) Tokushima
  Temple 23 of the Shikoku pilgrimage, famous nationwide for warding off bad luck. Pilgrims climb the "yakuzaka" steps leaving a coin on each one, up to the 29 m Yugito tower above Hiwasa.
• Kotohiragu Shrine (Konpira-san) Kagawa
  Climb 785 stone steps past shops and lanterns to a shrine with views over the Sanuki plain.
• Okuboji Temple Kagawa
  Temple 88, where the Shikoku pilgrimage ends, in the mountains near the Tokushima border. Pilgrims leave their hats and staffs here.
• Sanuki Kokubunji Temple Site Kagawa
  Grounds of an 8th-century provincial temple, laid out as a park with restored foundations and a small museum. The living temple next door is No. 80 of the Shikoku pilgrimage.
• Takaya Shrine (Torii in the Sky) Kagawa
  The upper shrine stands 404 m up Mt. Inazumi, and its torii frames Kan'onji and the Inland Sea below. A steep path climbs from the lower shrine.
• Zentsuji Temple Kagawa
  Birthplace of Kobo Daishi (Kukai) and Temple 75 of the Shikoku pilgrimage. The vast grounds have two halves, with a five-storey pagoda in the eastern half.
• Ishiteji Temple Ehime
  Temple 51 of the Shikoku pilgrimage near Dogo Onsen, with a National Treasure gate, many Important Cultural Properties and a mysterious cave behind the main hall.
• Iwayaji Temple Ehime
  Temple 45 of the Shikoku pilgrimage, built against a huge cliff deep in the Kumakogen mountains and reached by a steep 600 m path; the mountain itself is its main object of worship.
• Oyamazumi Shrine Ehime
  A major shrine on Omishima Island in the Shimanami Kaido, whose treasure hall keeps about 80% of Japan's armour and weapons designated as National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties.
• Taisanji Temple Ehime
  Temple 52 of the Shikoku pilgrimage. Its main hall, built in 1305 and a National Treasure, is said to be the oldest wooden building in Ehime; the Kamakura-period gate is an Important Cultural Property.
• Burakuji Temple Yakushido Hall Kochi
  A mountain temple in Otoyo said to date from 724. Its Yakushido hall, a National Treasure, is the oldest building in Shikoku, with a gently sloping shingle roof typical of the late Heian period.
• Chikurinji Temple Kochi
  Temple 31 of the Shikoku pilgrimage on Mount Godaisan, founded in 724, with a five-storey pagoda, a scenic garden and 17 statues that are Important Cultural Properties.
• Hotsumisakiji Temple Kochi
  Temple 24 of the Shikoku pilgrimage, on the hill above Cape Muroto, said to have been founded by Kukai in 807. Its treasure hall holds Important Cultural Properties such as a stone seated Nyoirin Kannon.
• Iwamotoji Temple Kochi
  Temple 37 of the Shikoku pilgrimage in Shimanto town, whose main hall ceiling is covered with 575 paintings chosen by public call in 1978, from flowers to a portrait of Marilyn Monroe.
• Tosa Kokubunji Temple Kochi
  Temple 29 of the Shikoku pilgrimage in Nankoku, founded in 741 as the provincial temple of Tosa; the whole precinct is a National Historic Site.
• Tosa Shrine Kochi
  Long revered as the Ichinomiya, the foremost shrine of Tosa Province. Its buildings, rebuilt by the warlord Chosokabe Motochika, follow an unusual layout called iri-tonbo and are an Important Cultural Property.
• Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine Fukuoka
  A shrine to the god of learning, surrounded by about 6,000 plum trees. Try umegae-mochi on the approach.
• Hakozakigu Shrine Fukuoka
  One of Japan's three great Hachiman shrines, said to have moved here in 923. Its main hall, tower gate and stone torii are Important Cultural Properties.
• Homangu Kamado Shrine Fukuoka
  A shrine at the foot of Mt. Homan with over 1,350 years of history, popular for prayers for good relationships. A modern-designed amulet office and a viewing deck over Dazaifu sit among cherry and maple trees.
• Jotenji Temple Fukuoka
  A Zen temple founded in 1242 with the backing of Song Chinese merchant Xie Guoming. Its founding priest is said to have brought udon, soba and manju making from China.
• Kushida Shrine Fukuoka
  Hakata's guardian shrine and home of the Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival. A towering decorated float stands in the grounds most of the year.
• Miyajidake Shrine Fukuoka
  A shrine with a huge sacred rope; in February and October the sun sets straight down its approach toward the sea.
• Munakata Oshima Island Fukuoka
  Fukuoka's largest island, home to Munakata Taisha Nakatsu-gu and the Okitsu-gu Yohaisho, a shrine for worshipping the sacred island of Okinoshima from afar. Both are part of a World Heritage site.
• Munakata Taisha (Hetsumiya) Fukuoka
  Main shrine of the three Munakata goddesses, part of the Okinoshima World Heritage site; its treasure hall shows national treasures from the island.
• Nanzoin Temple Fukuoka
  Head temple of the Sasaguri pilgrimage, home to a bronze reclining Buddha 41 m long and 11 m high, among the largest bronze statues in the world.
• Shofukuji Temple Fukuoka
  Founded in 1195 by the monk Eisai and known as Japan's first Zen temple, with quiet grounds in Hakata's old temple district.
• Sumiyoshi Shrine Fukuoka
  Thought to be the origin of Japan's roughly 2,000 Sumiyoshi shrines, long revered for safe sea voyages. The main hall, rebuilt in 1623, is an Important Cultural Property.
• Tochoji Temple Fukuoka
  Said to have been founded by Kobo Daishi (Kukai) in 806. The Great Buddha Hall holds the Fukuoka Daibutsu, a 10.8 m wooden seated Buddha.
• Ukiha Inari Shrine Fukuoka
  A small Inari shrine whose red torii gates climb the hillside in a long line. From the top you look out over the Chikugo Plain.
• Daikozenji Temple (Tsutsuji-dera) Saga
  A Tendai temple said to have been founded in 717, known as the "azalea temple": about 50,000 azaleas bloom in spring, and maples color the grounds in autumn.
• Ouo Shrine Sea Torii Saga
  Three torii gates standing in the Ariake Sea off Tara. With the huge tidal range, they rise from mudflats at low tide and stand in the water at high tide.
• Saga Shrine and Matsubara Shrine Saga
  Shrines in central Saga honouring the Nabeshima lords, including Naomasa, who pushed the domain to modernise in the 1800s.
• Takeo Shrine and Great Camphor Tree Saga
  A shrine whose sacred camphor, said to be over 3,000 years old, stands at the end of a bamboo-lined path behind the main hall.
• Taku Seibyo (Confucian Temple) Saga
  A Confucian temple founded in 1708. Its vermilion hall is carved with dragons, qilin and phoenixes, and it is counted among Japan's three great Confucian temples.
• Yutoku Inari Shrine Saga
  A bright red shrine built on tall wooden stilts against a green hillside.
• Banshoin Temple (Tsushima) Nagasaki
  Family temple of the So lords of Tsushima, founded in 1615. 132 stone steps lead past ancient cedars to the clan's large graves.
• Dozaki Church (Goto Islands) Nagasaki
  The first church built in the Goto Islands after the ban on Christianity ended. The present brick church of 1908 is now a museum on the islands' Christian history.
• Egami Church (Narushima) Nagasaki
  A wooden church built in 1918, designed and built by Tetsukawa Yosuke, with white walls and light-blue trim. It stands among giant tabu trees facing the Naru Strait.
• Former Gorin Church (Hisakajima) Nagasaki
  A small wooden church on Hisaka Island in the Goto Islands, moved here in 1931 and now a Hidden Christian World Heritage component. Its wooden interior has a calm atmosphere.
• Kashiragashima Church Nagasaki
  A rare stone church, completed in 1919 from sandstone cut nearby and designed and built by Tetsukawa Yosuke. It stands in the World Heritage "Village on Kashiragashima Island".
• Kuroshima Church Nagasaki
  A Romanesque church built in 1902 by all of the island's believers, with about 400,000 bricks on a base of local Kuroshima granite. Kuroshima is the largest of the Kujuku Islands.
• Oura Cathedral Nagasaki
  A Gothic-style church built in 1864, where hidden Christians revealed their faith in 1865. A National Treasure and World Heritage component.
• Sofukuji Temple Nagasaki
  A Chinese-style Obaku temple founded in 1629 for merchants from Fuzhou, with a red dragon-palace gate and two buildings that are National Treasures.
• Tabira Church Nagasaki
  A brick church completed in 1918, the last brick church designed and built by Tetsukawa Yosuke, set on a hill near Hirado Bridge.
• Watazumi Shrine (Tsushima) Nagasaki
  A shrine on Aso Bay in Tsushima, tied to the Dragon Palace legend and the tale of Umisachi and Yamasachi. Two of its five torii gates stand in the sea, and at high tide the water comes up close to the shrine buildings.
• Aoi Aso Shrine (Hitoyoshi) Kumamoto
  Founded in 806, with a main hall, gate and other buildings built in 1610–13. In 2023 a museum designed by Kengo Kuma opened in the grounds.
• Aso Shrine Kumamoto
  Head shrine of about 500 Aso shrines across Japan. Its large two-storey gate, badly damaged in the 2016 earthquake, was fully restored by December 2024.
• Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine Kumamoto
  A mossy forest shrine where 97 stone lanterns line the steps. Above the hall is Ugetoiwa, a huge rock with a hole about 10 m across.
• Oe Church (Amakusa) Kumamoto
  A white Romanesque church on a hill, built in 1933 by the French priest Father Garnier with local believers. The first church built in Amakusa after the ban ended.
• Reigando Cave & Unganzenji Kumamoto
  The cave behind Unganzenji Temple where Miyamoto Musashi wrote The Book of Five Rings. The path passes hundreds of stone arhat statues.
• Choanji Temple Oita
  An old mountain temple of the Rokugo Manzan tradition on the Kunisaki Peninsula, which once oversaw its 65 temples. It keeps the Taroten statue, and is known as a 'temple of flowers' for its 7,000 rhododendrons.
• Fuki-ji Temple Oita
  A Heian-period temple of the Kunisaki Peninsula whose Odo hall is a National Treasure and the oldest surviving wooden building in Kyushu.
• Futago-ji Temple Oita
  A mountain temple at the centre of the Kunisaki Peninsula, said to date from 718, with large stone Nio guardians and a forest path to the inner hall.
• Kumano Magaibutsu Oita
  Two Buddhist figures of about 7 m and 8 m carved into a cliff in the forest, reached by a rough stone stairway said to have been built by a demon in one night.
• Maki Odo Hall Oita
  The surviving hall of a once-great Kunisaki temple, keeping nine Heian-era statues including a Daiitoku Myoo riding a water buffalo.
• Usa Jingu Shrine Oita
  The head shrine of about 40,000 Hachiman shrines across Japan, with bright red halls in a forest.
• Usuki Stone Buddhas Oita
  61 Buddhas carved into rock cliffs between the late Heian and Kamakura periods, in four groups; the Dainichi of the Furuzono group is the best known.
• Amano Iwato Shrine and Amano Yasukawara Miyazaki
  The shrine facing the cave where the sun goddess Amaterasu is said to have hidden; a riverside path leads 10 min to Amano Yasukawara, a cave piled with stones.
• Aoshima Shrine Miyazaki
  A shrine on a tiny tropical island ringed by 'Devil's Washboard' wave-shaped rocks.
• Miyazaki Jingu Shrine Miyazaki
  A shrine to Emperor Jinmu, the legendary first emperor, in a wooded precinct of central Miyazaki; the halls of 1907 use local Sano cedar.
• Namikiri Shrine Miyazaki
  A small shrine with a torii gate inside a seaside cave within the grounds of Udo Jingu, also called Namikiri Fudoson. The waterline is right next to it, with views of the Nichinan Coast sea.
• Omi Shrine Miyazaki
  An old shrine to the sun goddess Amaterasu on columnar rocks above the Hyuga Sea, called 'the Ise of Hyuga'. It has one of Japan's largest groups of sazare-ishi stones and a cave shrine where a rising dragon's silhouette appears.
• Takachiho Shrine Miyazaki
  The head shrine of the 88 shrines of Takachiho, in a cedar forest, where a one-hour Takachiho Kagura performance is held every evening.
• Udo Jingu Shrine Miyazaki
  A red shrine built inside a sea cave on the Pacific cliffs. Throw clay 'luck balls' at a turtle-shaped rock.
• Arahira Tenjin (Sugawara Shrine) Kagoshima
  A shrine to Sugawara no Michizane on a rocky islet-like hill (Tenjin Island) off the coast. A sandbar leads to it, and a steep stair with a guide rope climbs to the main hall.
• Kamafuta Shrine Kagoshima
  A shrine on a rocky point jutting into a cove, dedicated to Susanoo. Visitors try the "kamafuta" prayer: carry a pot lid on the head from the torii to the hall without dropping it.
• Kirishima Jingu Shrine Kagoshima
  A vermilion shrine in the forest at the foot of the Kirishima mountains, dedicated to Ninigi, the grandson of the sun goddess. Its main halls became a National Treasure in 2022.
• Sefa Utaki Okinawa
  The most sacred site of the Ryukyu Kingdom, where the chief priestess was installed; prayer spots lie among rocks and forest.
• Sonohyan Utaki Ishimon Gate Okinawa
  A limestone gate beside Shureimon where the Ryukyuan king prayed for a safe journey before leaving the castle. It is a place of worship, not a passage. Built in 1519, it was partly destroyed in the Battle of Okinawa and restored in 1957.

Sea, coast & islands · Mountains, lakes & falls · Gardens, parks & flowers · City sightseeing · Old towns & villages · Hot-spring towns · Castles & historic sites · Museums, zoos & aquariums