JAPAN TRAVEL
Escape The Crowds And Enjoy The Tranquility
When I go out for a day's sightseeing I try to always leave some spare time, so I can enjoy unexpected pleasures that I find when I'm walking around. So after a morning at Fushimi Inari Taisha and a poke around Tofuku-ji, I see on a map a h...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
 
Temple of the Legendary Prince
Otori Taisha, who’s name translates as Great Bird Shrine, was once the Ichinomiya, or First Shrine, of the ancient Izumi Province. Izumi, along with nearby Settsu and Kawachi Provinces were eventually merged to form what we know as Osaka Prefecture. U...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Gozan temples between Takeda Shrine and Kai-Zenkoji
The meaning of 'Gozan'
During the Southern Song Dynasty in China (1127–1279), there was a system of state sponsored temples commonly called the 'Five Mountain' system. 'Five Mountains' really meant five temples (temples were very of...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Nichiren Temple Bedecked In Flowers In All Seasons
Once the site of the manor house of the prestigious Hiraga family of the Genji Clan, this Nichiren Buddhist temple is today known as “the hydrangea temple”, and is famous for its four seasons of flower displays.
Hondoji Temple was de...

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GAIJINPOT TRAVEL
The Famous Kiyomizudera Temple’s Secret Venue
Kiyomizudera is one of the must-see sites in Japan. What separates this temple from the many others in Kyoto are that there are so many amazing sights to see: from the temple itself to the Moon Garden and the 11-armed Kannon Bodhisatt...

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GAIJINPOT TRAVEL
 
The secret to long life turns out to be 808 precarious stone steps and a beautiful view of Lake Biwa.
Chomei-ji Temple sits on the edge of the majestic Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. It has the honor of being the 31st temple on the Kansai region’s Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, one...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
A Great Historic Photo Spot For All Seasons
Declared a National Treasure in 1922, Shomyoji Temple is located in Kanagawa Bunko near Sea Paradise about 20 minutes by train from Yokohama station.
It was the family temple of the Kanazawa Hojo clan built in 1258. The first thing you will...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
A temple with its past set to the future
One of the most strikingly contradictory temples to be found in Tokyo, Fukagawa Fudo-do Temple in Koto City is a neighbourhood not only famous for its like-clockwork esoteric Goma fire ritual but also for its radical sense of the modern.
Estab...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
A splendid Edo Period temple
Having survived both the earthquakes and air raids that had previously levelled the city of Tokyo, Gokokuji Temple's existence is a minor miracle. Established in 1681 by the fifth Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Gokokuji is one of the oldest, if not...

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GAIJIN POT TRAVEL
Kysuhu's little Kyoto has a big history.
Known by some as Kyushu’s own little Kyoto, the Obi Castle Town, located in Nichinan, is a compact samurai treasure trove offering an array of activities that lend insight into the history of Miyazaki Prefecture.
Built sometime during the...

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