Kiyomizu-dera
Kyoto, Japan
Kiyomizu-dera does not sell timed tickets, and there is nothing to book for an independent visit: the grounds are open…
40 tickets & tours
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Best temples in Japan
Japan’s sacred sites come in two kinds that most visitors meet side by side: Buddhist temples (names ending in -ji, -dera or -in), entered through a gate with guardian figures and centred on a hall of images, and Shinto shrines (jinja, jingu, taisha), marked by torii gates, a purification basin and a closed inner sanctuary. The catalogue’s 77 sites split almost evenly, 40 shrines and 37 temples. Kyoto has 21, from Kiyomizu-dera and Kinkaku-ji to Fushimi Inari and Ryoan-ji; Tokyo follows with Senso-ji and Meiji Shrine, and Nara with Todai-ji, Kasuga Taisha and Horyuji. Further out are Nikko Toshogu, Itsukushima on Miyajima, Ise and the monasteries of Mount Koya.
Kyoto 21Tokyo 11Nara 5Fujiyoshida 3Osaka 3Uji 3Koyasan 2Nagano 2Nikko 2Otsu 2Aso 1Fukuoka 1Hakone 1Himeji 1Hiroshima 1Ise 1Izumo 1Kamakura 1Kawagoe 1Minoh 1Miyajima 1Nachikatsuura 1Nagasaki 1Nagato 1Narita 1Niigata 1Oarai 1Ogori 1Shizuoka 1Takachiho 1Takamori 1Utsunomiya 1Yoshino 1
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Nikko Toshogu
Nikko, Japan
Nikko lies about two hours north of Tokyo by train, and the Toshogu shrine is its centrepiece.
40 tickets & tours
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Kyoto, Japan
There is nothing to buy to enter Fushimi Inari: the grounds and the mountain trails are open free of charge at all…
38 tickets & tours
Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu)
Tokyo, Japan
Meiji Jingu is free to enter and there is no ticket to buy for the shrine itself: you simply walk in from Harajuku or…
38 tickets & tours
Senso-ji
Tokyo, Japan
There is no ticket for Senso-ji: the temple grounds are free and always open, and the main hall can be entered at no…
31 tickets & tours
Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)
Kyoto, Japan
Kinkaku-ji is simple to visit on your own: you pay at the gate on arrival, and the ticket, a paper talisman printed…
19 tickets & tours
Katsuo-ji (Daruma Temple)
Minoh, Japan
Katsuo-ji sits in wooded hills above Minoh, north of Osaka, and is not hard to reach on your own: an admission fee is…
17 tickets & tours
Zenko-ji
Nagano, Japan
The temple grounds and the outer part of the main hall are open to everyone free of charge.
16 tickets & tours
Chureito Pagoda (Arakurayama Sengen Park)
Fujiyoshida, Japan
The pagoda stands in a public park on the hillside above Fujiyoshida, and there is no ticket, gate or opening fee.
11 tickets & tours
Todai-ji
Nara, Japan
The precincts of Todai-ji are free to walk around, but the Great Buddha Hall, the museum and some of the other halls…
9 tickets & tours
Hakone Shrine
Hakone, Japan
Hakone Shrine does not sell entry tickets: the grounds and the main hall are open to everyone free of charge, and only…
7 tickets & tours
Nezu Shrine
Tokyo, Japan
Nezu Shrine is free to enter and open to anyone who walks in, so there is no ticket to buy;
7 tickets & tours
Asakusa Shrine
Tokyo, Japan
There is nothing to buy for Asakusa Shrine: it stands open and free inside the grounds of Senso-ji, Tokyo's oldest…
6 tickets & tours
Itsukushima Shrine
Miyajima, Japan
Itsukushima Shrine charges a small entrance fee, paid at the gate, and the island levies a visitor tax collected with…
5 tickets & tours
Ise Grand Shrine
Ise, Japan
Ise Jingu charges no entrance fee and sells no tickets: both main shrines and their forests are open to everyone during…
4 tickets & tours
Kamakura-gu Shrine
Kamakura, Japan
Kamakura-gu is a Shinto shrine with free access to its grounds, so there is nothing to book in order to visit;
4 tickets & tours
Sumiyoshi Taisha
Osaka, Japan
Sumiyoshi Taisha is a working Shinto shrine and costs nothing to enter: the grounds open at dawn, and there is no…
4 tickets & tours
Gotokuji Temple
Tokyo, Japan
Gotokuji is free to enter and there is nothing to book for the temple itself.
3 tickets & tours
Horyuji Temple
Nara, Japan
Horyuji sells a single admission ticket at the gate that covers the western precinct with the pagoda and the Golden…
3 tickets & tours
Kasuga Taisha
Nara, Japan
Kasuga Taisha does not need a ticket booked in advance. The approach, the outer precinct and the lantern-lined paths…
3 tickets & tours
Nanzo-in (Reclining Buddha, Sasaguri)
Fukuoka, Japan
Nanzo-in is a working Shingon temple with open grounds, so there is no entry ticket to buy: you walk in through the…
3 tickets & tours
Ryoan-ji
Kyoto, Japan
Ryoan-ji sells its own entry ticket at the gate, and for most visitors that is all that is needed.
3 tickets & tours
Takachiho Shrine
Takachiho, Japan
Takachiho Shrine has open grounds that you can walk into from the town at any hour, and there is no ticket to book in…
3 tickets & tours
Byodo-in
Uji, Japan
Byodo-in sells its own tickets at the gate, and there is no need to book: the general admission covers the garden…
2 tickets & tours
Almost nothing needs booking: shrine grounds are usually free and temples sell tickets at the gate. The exceptions are the timed groups into the Phoenix Hall at Byodo-in and the temple lodgings on Koyasan. The hour matters more: Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari and Nikko are best at opening, before school groups arrive. Kyoto is busiest in the cherry blossom weeks of early April and the maple season of November.
Tours and activities in Japan
Temple tours and day trips in Japan
Temples in Japan: questions
How many temples are there in Japan?
This catalogue lists 77 temples, shrines and mosques in Japan, 58 of them with tickets or tours to book online. The most booked are Nikko Toshogu, Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari Taisha.
Which is the oldest temple in Japan?
Aso Shrine, founded in 281 BC, is the oldest in the catalogue for Japan.
Which temples in Japan are free to enter?
44 of the 77 temples in Japan charge no entry fee, among them Fushimi Inari Taisha, Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu), Senso-ji. The entry fee is shown on each page.
Which temples in Japan are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
20 temples in Japan in this catalogue are on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including Nikko Toshogu, Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion).