Japan, one of the oldest nations in the world, is home to numerous temples and shrines as well as a wealth of historical artefacts. Even if there is a lot to do and see in this intriguing location, visiting the grounds of even one of these well-known Japanese temples is a famous experience.
Many of Japan’s most well-known temples date back more than 1,000 years and have famous complexes with main halls, pagodas, magnificent wooden gates, statues, tea rooms, gardens, and other features. Due to the presence of important historical and religious objects, some of them have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites, while others are federally protected.
Temples in Japan
1. Kamakura's Kotokuin Temple
One of the world’s most durable Buddha statues is the enormous, 43-foot-tall bronze one outside Japan’s Kotokuin Temple. It has survived numerous earthquakes, tsunamis, and wars since the 13th century without suffering too much damage. Kotokuin, a “national treasure” of Japan, is located in the Kamakura township just outside of Tokyo.
Kotokuin’s Buddha is hollow, despite weighing well over 460,000 pounds, allowing visitors to enter while at the temple. It is distinctive because the Buddha is not located behind a roof or other structure that would shield it from the elements, but rather in an open-air facility.
2. Kamakura's Hasedera Temple
The 30-foot-tall wooden figure of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of Mercy, is housed inside Kamakura’s Hasedera Temple, one of the most well-known temples in Japan.
According to legend, two of these complex sculptures were created in the ninth century. While this one was cast into the sea to bring blessings wherever it washed up, the other was kept by devotees in a temple of the same name in Nara. The wooden monument eventually washed ashore near Kamakura, where Hasedera Temple was built to house it.
The temple complex is fairly beautiful and shaded, and it has a number of buildings that include prayer grounds, museums, and historical artefacts and writings. A shrine for wishing, a public Buddha sculpture cave, wooden pathways and garden trails, a cafe providing tea, coffee, ice cream, and snacks are all present.
3. Kyoto's Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)
Kinkaku-Ji, one of Kyoto’s most well-known temples and among the city’s most famous tourist destinations, is a must-see location. This Buddhist temple was initially built in the late 1300s, and although it was destroyed by fire in the middle of the 20th century, it was quickly rebuilt in the 1950s.
The Golden Pavilion, a three-story building covered in gilded gold leaf and set on the brink of a tiny pond known as Kyko-chi, or mirror pond, is the major attraction of this well-known Japanese monument. Midday sunlight casts a vibrant image onto the water’s surface and gives the pavilion the appearance of glowing. (The pavilion looks better when photographed from Kyko-other chi’s side.)
After taking your pictures, take some time to explore the surrounding neighbour hood, which has several small Japanese zen gardens and little outdoor shrines.
4. Shitenn-ji, Osaka
Shitenn-Ji is a government building in theory, but it doesn’t appear to be what you’d anticipate. During the Yamato Period, which lasted from the sixth century CE to the present, it was one of the first state-commissioned constructions.
Shitenn-Ji was rebuilt a few times, but despite this, it is one of the most well-known temples in Japan since its creators left the structure exactly as they found it in the famous century.
The grounds of the temple are open for visitors to explore and climb the five-story pagoda. The small entrance charge is also well worth it to enter the Gokurakujodo Gardens and temple treasure house, which showcase historical and religiously significant items and sculptures.
5. Kyoto's Ryoan-ji Temple
Since Ryoan-ji Temple is a Zen location built around one of the largest rock gardens in Japan, if you’ve ever seen a small sand garden or rock garden on someone’s desk in an office, you’ll have an idea of what to expect there.
Groups of pebbles and boulders are strewn across the broad, sandy area of the garden. Monks care to the garden during the day, creating patterns and swirls with rakes and other instruments. On the adjoining terrace, visitors can observe the monks at work while standing there.
Conclusion
Even though the entire complex is stunning, the five-story red pagoda that rises above the treeline and is the ideal location for stunning photographs, especially at sunset, is arguably what makes it the most well-known.