Temples and shrines – religion in Japan

Japan is a country with a very rich history and the religion was a big part of it. Traditional religion is shinto  which differs from region to region and praise many gods. There is also a considerable number od buddhists. Teachings of Buddha arrived to Japan from China as early as in V century.

• Shrines are places of worship of shinto gods – Kami. The important part of the religion is trying to establish a connection between present times and your ancestors. It is more a set of native belifes and mythology than a unified religion.
• Temples are central places of japanese buddhism. Most of them consist of a main hall, teachings hall and five-storied pagoda. Considerable number of them are also monasteries where monks devote their live to meditation and studying teachings of Buddha.

Entry to Japanese shrine

During our visit in the Country of Cherry Blossom we visited numerous shrines and temples. In every town and community you can find a place of worship. Just in historic old capital Kyoto are hundreds of them! Just like castles they are an extraordinary example of local architecture. Therefore, it was really hard to pick just 5 of them to create this list. If you have some more time in Japan consider visiting other destinations famous for their tamples like Nikko, Koyasan or Kamakura. These places are not in the top because we did not have enough time to explore them, but we heard some really good things about them.

Top 5 The most beautiful Temples and Shrines

5.  Todaiji, Nara

Nara was the first, aincient capital of Japan. It is full of historical tresures. The city is located lass than an hour train ride away from Kyoto and Osaka and you can easy get here with your JR Pass. We walked throug a neat park toward the largest wooden construction on the planet. On our way we were enjoying countless flowering trees and a company of friendly, yet greedy deers. There were hundreds of them just casualy walking around the park. According to the Shinto beliefs they are the messangers of the gods, but to us it seemed that they are always hungry and constantly asking for more snacks. In the center of the park there is Todaiji Temple. Inside it you can find 15 meter tall Buddha statue. The building itself is the largest structure made of lumber in the world. It was reconstructed in XVII centure after the original temple was destroyed by fire.

Spring in Nara

Buddha from Todaiji Temple, Nara

Blossom in Todaiji

Nara Park

Entering largest wooden structure on the Earth

4. Kinkakuji, The Golden Pavillon, Kyoto

The Golden Pavillon is a shrine in the northern Kyoto. Two stories of it are covered in gold leaves. The building is set in the middle of a well maintained park, just by the pond. The shinning walls mirror in the calm waters creating some fantastic reflections. Even though the shrine is stunning the complex is not very big, but it is extremly crowded. 

The Golden Pavilon

Sightseeing Kyoto

Closer look on Golden Pavilon, Kyoto

3. Itsukushima, Miyajima

There is an island close to Hiroshima called Miyajima which literally means a “Shrine Island“. To get there we travelled by train and a ferry and all was included in our JR Pass – super happy with this investment. Among many temples and shrines on the island one is the most famous – Itsukushima. This one was build in a uniqe way. The entire shrines stands on piers and bridges stretched over the sea. Depending on the tide while sightseeing you can be walking above sandy shore or choppy sea water.  The most recognizable part of the complex is the giant Torii Gate standing alone in the sea guarding the entry to the shrine. This iconic view is so famous, that we just had to travel all the way here to see it. There are friendly deers all over the island. Visitors can also enjoy hiking to the mountain top for panoramic views of the island and the bay. Unluckyly for us it was the most rainy and cloudy day during our entire trip to Japan, so we decided to skip hiking and indulge in hot tea instead.

Traditional weddding ceremony, Miyajima

The floating Torii

deers of Miyajima

Low tide at the shrine

The shrine at high tide

2. Fushimi Inari, Kyoto

Fushimi Inari is the biggest and the most important shinto shrine dedicated to the Kami of rice – Inari. Right behind the complex there are trails leading to the top of Inari Mountain (233 masl). Hiking one of those is a popular attraction. The paths leads uphill in the shade of the forest and thousands of vermilion Torii Gates.  All of them were fund from donations and each has a name of the donator and date painted on its back. The size of the gate depends on the generosity of the donation. On your way up you will pass by literally piles of the miniature ones. You can even buy one of your own and hope that it will bring good fortune. The hike to the top of the hill and back took us around 2 hours. The further we went the fewer people we  saw. Walking through the endless tunnel of thousands of Torii Gates is one of the best memories from Japan.

Hiking in the shade of thousands of Torii

Trail in Fushimi Inari Shrine

Piles of Torii Gates

1000s & 1000s of Torii

Torii Gates price list

Hiking to the Inari summit

Fushimi Inari

Thousands Torii Gates

In the tunnel

Fushimi Inari, Kyoto

1. Chureito Pagoda, Fujiyoshida

A visit to Japan would not be complete for us without seeing the highest peak of the country, a famous Fuji volcanoe. Shortly after our arrival to Tokyo we decided to go to Five Lakes District on the northern slopes of Mt Fuji. It turned out that the highland areas had not heard about spring yet. What is even worse during our visit to Arakura Sengen shrine and Chureito Pagoda we could not see the peak of Fuji at all. It was all covered in clouds! We were a bit disappointed and we promised to ourselves that if time allows we will come back in 10 days at a very end of our trip.

Fuji Five Lakes

Not always lucky with the weather

Chureito Pagoda

Mt Fuji and cherry blossom

On our last day in Japan we were flying back to Australia at 6:30 pm. Previous evening we made it back to Tokyo and decided that we use all the time that we have left ( it wasn’t much of it!) to visit Five Lakes District again. We left our luggage in a locker on Tokyo station and took a train to Otsuki. From there we hopped on Fujikyu Rail which is designed for tourists willing to travel to Mt Fuji (it was not included in JR Pass and costed us 960 JPY per person). It took 35 minutes to get to   Shimo-Yoshida station. From there it was 10 minute walk to the entry of the shrine. 400 steps higher was the goal of our time pressured excursion – the most picturesquely located pagoda in entire Japan. We only had an hour for sightseeing and we still had to rush to make it on time for return train , but it was definitly worth it.

10 days had passed from our last visit and the landscape was completly transformed. Thousand of cherry blossom decorated the slopes and symetric, majestic Mt Fuji was the most stunning background to it.

Maybe Chuerito Pagoda is not the oldest, the biggest or the richest shrine in Japan, but its postcard-worthy location secured its win in our TOP 5 countdown. This is the view that we hopped for while we were planning our trip months before. Seeing it with our own eyes gave us a feeling of fulfillment and pure joy. This moment will last in our memories forever.

Mt Fuji and Pagoda

Yet another great angle

Matcha Ice creams and Mt Fuji

Postcard from Japan

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The celebration of Spring

Every spring in Japan people follow the Sakura Zensen – the cherry blossom forecast. Every local and many, many tourists as well carefully plan those few magical days when flowers are in full bloom. The goal is to see it in the most charming corners of the country. This moment is very elusive as it takes only a week from the appearance of the flowers till the petals start to fall. If you are planning your “Sakura Chase” it is worth considering a visit to one of the famous Japanese castles. This structures are very intriguing, especially to us – Europeans who are used to a very different look of historical defensive structures. Most of the castles were built during the chaotic era of Warring States. The typical castle consists of main, multi-leveled keep, a labyrinth of walls and alleys, and a moat.

Unfortunately, only as few as a dozen original castles built before 1868 remained to the present days. Therefore, most of the castles that you can see are modern reconstructions, often made with steel and concrete, instead of traditional materials.

You can see these reconstructions in Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuyama, among others. Many of the originals were destroyed during the earthquakes and World War II. Just like the castle in Hiroshima which was wiped off the face of the Earth with the entire city by the nuclear bomb in 1945.

The Castle in Hiroshima

The reconstruction of the castle began 13 years after the city was turned into dust. Today, people can see five-storied keep resembling the historical building from XVI century. It is surrounded by walls and moat and, around all this, there is plenty of cherry trees blooming picturesquely in the spring time. Another place to visit is the nearby Memorial Park, where you can learn more about the doom of the city. When you plan your trip to Hiroshima, bear in mind that the cherries bloom here faster than in Kyoto and Tokyo. It is convenient to get here with the Shinkansen bullet train.

Hiroshima Castle

Cherry Blossom

Under the cherry trees

Peace Park in Hiroshima

Original Japanese Castles

Traditionally, a castle is surrounded by the 3 rings of walls. The smallest one, in the middle was called honmuaru and surrounded the main keep. Most of these castle towers have two to five stories on the outside, but there might be more on the inside. Four out of twelve original castles still standing today were listed as the National Treasure of Japan and on UNESCO World Heritage List. These are castles in Himeji, Matsumoto, Inuyama and Hikone. We were fortunate enough to visit two of them,  known as the White Heron and the Black Crow.

Himeji Castle

The Himeji Castle

The structure is known as the White Heron Castle due to its elegant, white appearance. It is considered the most beautiful and best preserved castle in Japan. We could not agree more. This was one of the most spectacular spots that we visited in this country. What is more, we got there at the perfect time to see the cherry blossoms in full swing. It could not be better. The castle is located in historically strategic place on the west approach to former capital – Kyoto. Himeji is definitely worth stopping by ,for day or two. It is easily accessible and you can do it on your way to Hiroshima using JR Pass. From the train platform you can already see the Castle towering above the city. You can get pass the moat and within the first ring of walls for free. There is the huge open space with hundreds of blooming cherry trees around. The view is magical and incredibly photogenic.

The White Heron Castle

Moat surrounding Himeji Castle

The White Heron Castle inside

After paying 1000-yen admission fee (9,5 USD), we walked towards the main keep. As the path was getting narrower and narrower we were getting closer and closer to the main tower. The inside of the tower is made from wood and….completely empty. We expected it to be a sort of a museum but there were no artifacts to see. Together with a thick crowd of both tourists and locals celebrating sakura, we were pushed all the way up to the top floor.

It was an exhausting experience as it was very busy, quite cold and you had to take your shoes off. There was not enough time to marvel at the view from the top because everybody was trying to force their way to one of the few windows. In the end, we think that the Himeji Castle is best viewed from the outside, where you can fully enjoy its architecture, blooming flowers and fresh air.

UNESCO listed site

The city of Himeji

Inside the Stronghold

Heading to the main keep

Dusk in Himeji

Full Bloom

The Matsumoto Castle

On our way from Kyoto to Nagano, we stopped in Matsumoto. An original, well preserved castle is just  a 15-minute walk away from the Japan Rail station. We decided to visit it and even though we had to carry our luggage it was not far, at all. The outside of the castle is painted black and because of that it was nicknamed – the Black Crow Castle. On a clear day, you can see the mountain peaks around the valley. The main keep is surrounded by the wide moat and the cherry trees. It is worth knowing that the further north you go, the later the spring arrives. We found the red bridge leading to the castle especially neat, as its red color stood out from the calm waters of the moat.

Sakura in Matsumoto

Matsumoto Castle

Sakura

Bridge to the Matsumoto Castle

Castles and city parks are not the only great places to go to see Sakura. The mountain landscapes, temples and shrines are just as great.

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Tokyo

Our first task after landing in Tokyo was to exchange a voucher which we bought in Australia for an actual JR-Pass. It is not a hard thing to do. You can do it via the counter in JR Service Center inside the train station at the airport terminal. From the very first moment in Japan, we liked the way the foreigners are treated. The locals seemed very friendly, helpful and pleased that people are coming to visit their country. Not all Japanese speak as good English as the airport staff, but everybody who we met was eager to help us. No matter the language barrier and cultural differences.

Japanese hospitality is easy to spot on websites like couchsurfing. Despite that the apartments are often very small, people are welcoming and happy to host.

Suburbs of Tokyo

On our very first night in Japan, we tried to make it to our host in western Tokyo. After studing the map of train network – which looks like a plate full of colorful spaghetti, we made it to the right station.   All the signs were obviusly in Japanese, therefore we had some problems finding the right street.  Friendly locals offered us help. Even though they did not speak any English, they made an effort to  solve our problem. If there is a will, there is a way.

Public Transport

We had the JR-Pass, so we were using only trains to move around Tokyo. There are hundreds of stations and after a few train rides you will move around with ease. In addition, there is an underground/subway network. For us, it did not make much sense to use it and pay again, since we already paid a small fortune for the JR pass.  Trains are very frequent and even if you miss one, there is another one coming in minutes. Trains can a bit packed in rush hours, especially downtown.

A bit crowded, not too crazy tho

Ueno Park

First day of our sightseeing was all about  Sakura. We went to the famous Ueno Park. Cherries were in full bloom and under the trees there was a hanami at its best.  There are a few temples inside the park. The streets leading to them are lined with food stalls. You can find there famous okonomiyaki, grilled calmari, rice cake and much much more. Plenty of goodies to choose from! It is the busiest part of the year in the park and there were heaps of people. After spending so much time in Australian Outback and mountains of New Zealand we were a bit schocked. The park is very picturesque. We spent a lot of time walking along its cherry trees and temples. A popular attraction seems to be renting a swan-shaped boat  to cruise around the pond and marvel at spring flowers.

ueno park

cherry blossom

swan lake

sakura, Ueno PArk

busy season at the park

Ueno park temple

food stalls

snacks by the temple

Picturesque Ueno Park

Shibuya & Shinjuku

Shinjuku is the busiest train station in the world. It is located in the west of Tokyo and serves as a major transport hub. The district is full of modern architecture, shopping malls and butiques. Thousends of neons set the evening sky ablaze. Not many places shine so bright. Well, maybe the neighbourhood Shibuya district does. There, you can find the busiest crossing on the planet.

These fashionable districts ae bordered by gardens of Shinjuku Goyen. Best time to visit is obviously spring and sakura. A short walk from there you can find Meiji Shrine. It is dedicated to the Emperor Meiji who ended feudalism in Japan, moved the capital to Tokyo and started modernisation of the country. The shrine is located in the middle of small, but dense forest. We walked a wide path sometimes leading under gigantic wooden Tori gates. Main shrine is curently under restoration, so the views are limited. Still a nice place to walk to.

busy busy busy

A path to Meiji Shrine

Meiji shrine

streets of Tokyo

A cultural journey

shibuya xing

Imperial Palace

The royal family currently lives in a palace not far from Tokyo Station. It is open to visit for everybody only twice a year:  on new year greeting celebration and on emperor birthday. Visitors are welcome to visit Eastern Gardens. From there, you can see palace walls, gates and brides hanging over the moat. Japan is a country filled with tradition. We experienced it in very interesting way while buying tickets to the Snow Monkey Park in Nagano. The date on the ticket was year 29 not 2017. Why? Because it was the 29th year of Emperor’s Akihito ruling. You can extend your visit in the area and see world’s largest fish market – Tsukiji. You won’t find fresher sushi anywhere else.

Gates to the palace

Imperial palace Tokyo

East Gardens

Shopping

Tokyo is famous for shopping. Different districts specialize in different goods to attract more customers. If you are after some bargain electronics, you should visit  Shinjuku or Akihabarea. Fancy fashion brands can be found in Giza, while modern, youth trends dominate in Shibuya and Harajuku. Mike as a trained and passionate chef was very eager to visit Kappabashi. This district is famous for suppling kitchen and restaurant equipment. There you can find world’s best knives. It is worth it to take your time and walk to smaller shops on side streets. You can find excellent japanese knives 50% cheaper than in Europe or Australia. These are the best blades you can possibly find, so they will still cost a fair bit.

Fine little blade

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Sakura – what does it mean?

We’ve considered visiting Japan, for a while. We knew that we want to go in the spring time when all the flowers are blooming. After all, Japan is known in Poland as the “Country of the Blooming Cherry”. We had to find out if that nickname matches the reality.

Sakura is a japanesse term for cherry flowers. Time of the year when cherry trees are covered in countless, white or pink flowers has cultural significance.

Beutifull cherry flowers

What a cool perspective

When to go to Japan?

In the warmer, southern regions of Japan, spring starts earlier. Even in the first half of March, you can find first flowers, while in the far north Hokkaido, sakura comes in the beginning of May. Thanks to that, we do have some flexibility. You can visit Japan any time from March to May and with a little bit of effort, you will find blooming cherries. In the news and on the websites, you can check out when currently the Sakura is at its best. We used japan-guide.com to make the most out of our time. The other very popular time of the year is the autumn/fall – a popular “Red Leaf season”.

Once, on a hot afternoon on our station in the heart of Australian outback we were checking the  current air tickets sales and there it was: Japan in early April – perfect. We immiediately booked our flights from Cairns to Tokyo.

Trains in Japan

14 days in this magical country is not much. We wanted to see and explore as much as possible, so we planned a very intensive sightseeing. We bought JR-Pass. It is a periodic train ticket that you can use to travel all around Japan. What is important, it is only available for foreigners and you need to have one before you get on the plane. Therefore, better to plan ahead. With this pass, you can use most of the trains, some buses and ferries and the bullettrains – shinkansen. This is the fastest way to travel around.

A bullettrain

Transportation in Japan is in general very expensive, but if you are planning to visit at least 2 other cities than the one you arrived to, it is worth it. We used it every day of our 2-week trip. We visited Hiroshima, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagano, Miyajima Island, castles of Himeji and Matsumoto and Faw Lakes District on the foothills of Mt Fuji. In Hiroshima the blossom was almost over but in Nagano it bearly started. You can plan you trip to witness spring in its prime, everywhere you go to.

Map of the destinations that we visited

Hanami

Hanami is an old tradition of greeting the spring, also known as the festival of cherry bloosom. It is meant as a time to appreciate the temporal beauty of the nature. People gather under the cherry trees and enjoy food, music, karaoke and each others comapny. In big cities, the best spots in the parks are reserved early in the morning. Often people, especially in Kyoto, wear traditional clothing – kimono. Will you join the celebration?

A hanami picnic

a variety of cherries blooms in different regions

Kyoto is famous for its cherry trees

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