Day 1 Arrive in Tokyo
Day 2 Depart Tokyo, arrive Kyoto
Day 3 Kyoto
Day 4 Side Trip to Nara
Day 5 Kyoto, Depart Kyoto, Arrive Kobe
Day 6 Depart Kobe, Himeji, Arrive Hiroshima
Day 7 Miyajima, Depart Hiroshima, Arrive Tokyo
Day 8 Tokyo
Day 9 Tokyo, Depart for Seoul
Top Ten Temples and Shrines
As Japan's most prominent historical and cultural landmarks, temples and shrines were a primary focus of our trip. Japan has two major religions: Shintoism and Buddhism. Buddhist places of worship are temples; Shinto ones, shrines. Throughout the course of the trip we visited roughly 25 temples and shrines. As historically and culturally significant as each one of these sites was, after seeing so many, you unfortunately become a bit desensitized to them. Thus what was at the beginning of the trip one of the most magnificent structures I've ever seen, became just another temple. That said, there are some that will take your breath away no matter how many other temples and shrines you've seen on your trip. These are the ones that made my top ten list. You may notice that a disproportionate amount of the temples on my list are from Kyoto. This is because the city served as Japan's capital from the end of the 8th Century up until 1868. The greater Kyoto area is home to 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and we were lucky enough to get to see 11 in the 3 days we were there. Here are the top temples I saw in Japan:
10.) Nanzen-ji Temple, Kyoto
Nanzen-ji was founded in 1294. The massive sanmon gate pictured above is representative of many other gates at the entrances to other temples. This one, however, permitted you to go up inside of it. This provided us with scenic views of the temple complex and the forested mountains that surround it. The temple sits at the end of the Philosopher's Path, so named because a philosophy professor at Kyoto University used to walk it each day and to clear his mind and marvel at its beauty. The temple also features Roman-style aqueducts, a unique architectural feature in a country where pagodas and torii gates reign supreme.
9.) Byodo-in Temple, Uji (Kyoto Suburb)
After a side trip to Nara, we raced to this temple to get there before it closed. Fortunately, my travel guide was of by one hour (due to extended summer hours), and we had plenty of time to stroll through the temple's gardens and marvel at Phoenix Hall (the main hall). We were 15 minutes too late catch the last tour of the inside, but a nice museum gave us some context on the temple and displayed many small statues of Bodhisattvas floating on clouds. This is a common symbol in Amida Buddhism. Byodo-in is one of Kyoto's UNESCO World Heritage sites.
8.) Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Kyoto
While certain temples are often significant to various sects and branches of Buddhism, Kiyomizu was described by my Japan travel guide as a "temple that belongs to everyone," and it's not hard to see why. The temple was originally built in 798, but it's current form is a 1633 reconstruction. Kiyomizu means "pure water," and one of the major attractions is a spring which we partook from. According to Wikipedia (which I unfortunately had to consult due to my lack of photographic memory), the water has "therapeutic properties" and promotes "wisdom, health, and longevity." Also, the Japanese equivalent of the phrase "to take the plunge" is "to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu."
The impressive veranda overlooks Kyoto and the wooded mountains. The supports to the veranda were built without using any nails. Kiyomizu-dera is a UNSECO site.
7.) Daisho-in Temple, Miyajima Island
This is my "sleeper pick." The temple was barely a blip in my guide's section on Miyajima (an island off the coast of Hiroshima), yet was one of the most pleasant stops on our trip. It features myriad Buddha statues, impressive carvings, and a clear view over the island's other temples and the virgin forests of Mt. Misen. It is off the beaten path and is not swarming with tourists, which is another plus.
6.) Toji Temple, Kyoto
Yet another majestic Kyoto temple and UNESCO World Heritage Site, Toji features a five-story pagoda, which is the tallest in Japan. It was originally built in 826, but burned down due to lightning strikes on four separate occasions (that's form a brochure I picked up, not Wikipedia). The current pagoda was built in 1644, and is surrounded by a beautiful garden. We used the garden to sit and relax in, and we noticed these turtles trying to build a pyramid.
5.) Fushimi Shrine, Kyoto
The first Shinto Shrine to crack my list is Fushimi, built on the southern outskirts of Kyoto. The shrine honors Inari, the god of rice and sake. The grounds of the shrine feature halls of thousands of torii gates that you walk through on your hike up the mountain, most of which are donated by businessmen. As we learned later in the day from our tour guide in Nara, torii gates are characteristic of Shinto shrines because they allow crows to rest on them. In the Shinto religion crows are said to be messengers from god. We made a stop at this shrine early in the morning on our way south to Nara, so it was very peaceful and not at all crowded
4.) Ginkaku-ji Temple (The Silver Pavilion), Kyoto
The Silver Pavilion of the Ginkaku-ji Temple never received its intended paint job, hence the misnomer. Nevertheless, the temple is beautiful in its simplicity and features some of the most delightful and stylistically diverse gardens of any of Kyoto's temples. It was built by a shogun in the 15th century as a villa that he could retire at. After his death it became a Zen Buddhist temple (a similar path to templedom to that of its cousin, Kinkaku-ji). The temple sits at the north end of the Philosopher's Path, about a mile from Nanzen-ji. Ginkaku-ji is yet another UNSECO World Heritage Site and it can be assumed that from here on out, the remainder of my list will be as well.
3.) Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima Island
By far the most impressive shrine we saw on the trip was Itsukushima, built on the beach of Miyajima Island. When the tide is high, the shrine appears to be floating, but when the tide is low, the stilts supporting the shrine are revealed. One of the most iconic images of Japan is the torii gate that welcomes worshipers to the shrine. At high tide it stands majestically in the middle of the sea, but when the tide is low you can walk out to it. The tide was high when we were there, so we missed out on walking to it, but got some great pictures.
2.) Kikaku-ji Temple (The Golden Pavilion), Kyoto
I will shut up and allow you to enjoy these pictures.
1.) Todai-ji Temple, Nara
While other temples may have matched or even exceeded Todai-ji in beauty, nothing on the trip was as physically imposing or elegant. Todai-ji is the largest wooden building in the world, and even having read that ahead of time, I was still in awe upon seeing the temple. These pictures do not do the temple justice, but if you look very closely, you can see the people at the entrance, which provide a point of reference. The emperor of Japan ordered the temple built in 752, as a remedy to (or distraction from) economic and political strife throughout Japan. Shockingly, the original was 1.5 times larger than the present 1709 reconstruction. Nara, the temple's home, was the first capital of Japan. Kirk and Karl (and other former Age of Empires aficionados) may recognize the temple as the Japanese wonder.
The temple houses a Buddha statue that is over 50 feet tall. A man can fit in his palm. My photography does not do the statue justice either.
This first post was basically an excuse to show off the most impressive, beautiful, and historical sites I visited. The following posts will be more personal and provide more of a narrative of my trip.
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