JAPAN TRAVEL
A complex of four Shinto shrines at Suwa Lake
 
Suwa Taisha, or Suwa Grand Shrine, is located in Nagano Prefecture, south-east of the city Matsumoto. It’s considered to be one of the oldest shrines in Japan, already existing in the late 7th century. Suwa Taisha is the head shrine of ...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
And its Beautiful Ho-O Painting
Obuse , a small town in the northern part of Nagano Prefecture hides one of the most beautiful works of Japanese art.
In order to admire it you must reach the Ganshoin temple, located approximately 2 km from Obuse station. It belongs to the Soto sect o...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
A shrine dedicated to the Japanese deity of education
Tenjin originally meant “Heavenly God” but later came to refer to the spirit of scholar Sugawara Michizane (845-903). Dazaifu Tenmangu is dedicated to the spirit of Sugawara. Michizane was born in Kyoto in 845 into a family of edu...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Resurrected by Meiji Emperor after 269-year closure
In Toyokuni Shrine, Higashiyama, Kyoto, Toyotomi Hideyoshi is enshrined. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a prominent historical figure in Japan, was originally just a poor farmer. Intelligent and ambitious as he was, later he became one of the ...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Master Artists of the Rimpa School 2 – Sotatsu Tawaraya
Kennin-ji Temple is situated very near Kyoto's Gion geisha quarters. Go straight on the busy Shijo-dori Street toward Yasaka Jinja Shrine, and turn right at the corner of famous teahouse “Ichiriki-tei”, then walk along Gion’s Ha...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
An exquisitely beautiful temple, garden and museum
About twenty minutes east of central Kyoto on the subway, Daigo-ji doesn't get as many visitors as the more storied sights in the centre, but for my money, it's as interesting and beautiful as anywhere else in the city. It's worth de...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Yamagata prefecture's mountain temple
Near the border of Yamagata prefecture and Miyagi prefecture sits a small town called Yamadera. The town is small and out of the way from any major cities or roads, but therein lies its own uniqueness. The characters “yama (山)” and “tera(寺)” tr...

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LONELY PLANET
Top choice shinto shrine in Nikkō
A World Heritage Site, Tōshō-gū is a brilliantly decorative shrine in a beautiful natural setting. Among its notable features is the dazzling 'Sunset Gate' Yōmei-mon.
As the shrine gears up for its 400th anniversary a major restoration programme i...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Old Tiger Henro 6
Forest bathing, shinrin yoku in Japanese, refers to the restorative effects of relaxing in nature. I felt I was doing this, bathing in the forests, when I henro-ed at Kochi’s Temples 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32. They were all havens of natural and untouched surroundings....

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Escape from Tennoji to one of Japan's oldest temples
Most tourists dismiss Osaka. Instead, they head straight for Kyoto to view the picturesque, wooden temples that have become the staple of the Japanese tourism industry. However, sitting amongst the squalor of suburban Osaka is one ...

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