It took just 6 months for 20 000 labourers to build the stone base and walls of Nagoya Castle’s main tower, led by the legendary samurai Katō Kiyomasa 「加藤 清正」 in the early 1600s. Kiyomasa ...
This single building was what drew me to Daigo-ji 「Daigo Temple, 醍醐寺」 during one hot Kyoto summer (well that, plus I’m on a mission to see all of the 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites in ...
Formally nishikigoi 「錦鯉」, the decorative carp is more commonly called koi 「鯉」 and since the 1800s has been bred purely for its aesthetics. The formal name nishikigoi literally means “brocaded carp”, brocade being the art ...
At larger shrines in Japan you will often find a small juyosho「visitors center, 授与所」 which as well as selling general information about the shrine (e.g. maps or a written history of the shrine), usually offers ...
Good luck in exams, safety in traffic, prosperity in business and finding someone to marry… all types of good fortune that can be obtained from a small amulet – the Japanese omamori 「お守り」. Omamori 「amulet, ...
Asakusa is most famous for the iconic Senso-ji 「Senso Temple, 浅草寺」 with a huge lantern hanging from the main entrance gate, its long path lined with stalls and its five storied pagoda. From Asakusa Station, ...
Just about everything you see at a shrine in Japan is a symbol. At Kamigamo-jinja, 1 of 17 World Heritage sites in Kyoto, the most predominant symbols are two standing sand cones, immediately visible upon ...
[dropcap]H[/dropcap]ousing the entire collection of Buddhist sutras and scripts published by Tenkai, this small structure contains a hexagonal revolving bookcase which is where the building gets its name. Tenrinzō 「てんりんぞう, 転輪蔵」in English means “revolving cylindrical ...
The Kamo Shrines – Kamigamo Shrine and Shimogamo Shrine – are surrounded by wonderfully peaceful ancient and sacred forests. Kamigamo-jinja is a UNESO World Heritage shrine which claims to be the oldest shrine in Kyoto ...
Wakamiya-Hachiman-sha 「Wakamiya-Hachiman Shrine, 若宮八幡社」 in south Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture is a small local shrine with a rustic worship hall. Surrounded by a small wooded grove, this shrine is an isle of green in an ...
Kamigamo Shrine lays claim to the oldest shrine in Kyoto. This UNESCO World Heritage shrine in Kyoto is a hidden gem in the treasure of the ancient city’s historic sites. In this article: Explore Kamigamo-jinja ...
After following a beautiful path from Moto-Hakone village, lined with traditional Japanese lanterns and surrounded by a tall cedar tress, visitors to Hakone Shrine reach the water purification pavilion and gate leading up to the ...
This bullet train was designed with one purpose in mind: to get from Tokyo to Osaka as quickly as possible – well of course there is the spotless safety record and awesome comfort – but ...
Although Kiyomizu-dera isn’t actually open at night, you can get pretty close to the entrance for some great night photography. This UNESCO World Heritage site in Kyoto is a very popular place to visit during ...
This sacred Shinto music and dance hall is used to offer prayers in the form of kagura 「sacred music and dance, 神楽」 to Inari 「God of rice, 稲荷」 at Fushimi Inari Taisha, a World Heritage ...
This small structure is a sub-shrine of the World Heritage Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto. Many shrine complexes contain multiple shrines, often dedicated to deities who have a connection to the area. Another example is the ...
Stepping through Kamigamo-jinja‘s second torii is like stepping through a time portal. Together with Shimogamo-jinja, Kamigamo-jinja’s sister shrine, the two sites are called Kamo-jinja and are the oldest shrines in Kyoto. Torii indicate that you ...
Nestled near the foot of Mt Hakone, on the premises of Hakone Shrine, is a shrine dedicated to a very interesting legend. That legend tells the tale of a Shinto Buddhist monk using his mystical ...
After the defeat of Japan in World War II, the country clung (and/or was forced) to the idea of peace. Memorials are found all over Japan, especially in places like Hiroshima. The red torii gate, ...
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