Heian Shrine (Heian Jingu)
Kyoto, Japan
Entry to the courtyard of Heian Jingu is free, and there is nothing to book.
2 tickets & tours
Country
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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Kifune Shrine (Kibune Jinja)
Kyoto, Japan
Kifune Shrine has no admission fee and nothing to reserve.
2 tickets & tours
Kitano Tenmangu
Kyoto, Japan
Kitano Tenmangu needs no ticket. The gates open to anyone from early morning, there is no admission charge for the main…
2 tickets & tours
Ninna-ji
Kyoto, Japan
For most of the year you can walk into the outer precinct of Ninna-ji without paying, and you buy separate tickets at…
2 tickets & tours
Tofuku-ji
Kyoto, Japan
Tofuku-ji is a large Zen monastery in south-east Kyoto, one stop from Fushimi Inari, and visiting it needs no booking.
2 tickets & tours
Yasaka Shrine
Kyoto, Japan
Yasaka Shrine is open to everyone, at all hours and without charge, so there is nothing to buy in order to visit.
2 tickets & tours
Yasukuni Shrine
Tokyo, Japan
Yasukuni Shrine, in the Kudan district of central Tokyo just north of the Imperial Palace, is free to enter, and the…
2 tickets & tours
Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine
Fujiyoshida, Japan
Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine is free to enter at any hour, and the climb to its famous five-storey pagoda costs nothing…
1 ticket or tour
Enryaku-ji
Otsu, Japan
Entry to Enryaku-ji is by a common ticket, bought at booths in the Todo area, that covers all three precincts of the…
1 ticket or tour
Hase-dera Temple
Nara, Japan
There is no online ticket for Hase-dera alone. You pay the entrance fee at the gate at the foot of the long staircase,…
1 ticket or tour
Higashi Hongan-ji
Kyoto, Japan
Higashi Hongan-ji charges no entry fee and sells no tickets: the great gates open early in the morning and anyone may…
1 ticket or tour
Hiyoshi Taisha
Otsu, Japan
Hiyoshi Taisha sells no tickets online. A modest admission fee is paid at the booth by the entrance to the inner…
1 ticket or tour
Hokoku Shrine, Osaka
Osaka, Japan
Hokoku Shrine is free to enter and has no ticket of its own.
1 ticket or tour
Izumo Taisha
Izumo, Japan
Izumo Taisha is an open shrine, so there is nothing you have to buy before you arrive: the gates, the long approach and…
1 ticket or tour
Kamigamo Shrine
Kyoto, Japan
Kamigamo Shrine is free to enter. You can walk through the torii gates, across the great lawn and up to the vermilion…
1 ticket or tour
Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine
Takamori, Japan
Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine is a small village shrine in the forest on the southern side of the Aso caldera, with no…
1 ticket or tour
Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine
Kawagoe, Japan
There is nothing to buy in advance for Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine itself.
1 ticket or tour
Kinpusen-ji
Yoshino, Japan
Kinpusen-ji does not sell tickets online. The temple precinct on the Yoshino ridge is open to walk through for free,…
1 ticket or tour
Kofuku-ji
Nara, Japan
There is no advance ticket for Kofuku-ji. The temple grounds are an open space at the western edge of Nara Park and you…
1 ticket or tour
Kumano Nachi Taisha
Nachikatsuura, Japan
Kumano Nachi Taisha does not sell tickets. The shrine is free to enter, and only a few extras cost money: the platform…
1 ticket or tour
Manpuku-ji
Uji, Japan
There is no online ticket for Manpuku-ji alone. You pay a modest admission fee at the gate and walk round at your own…
1 ticket or tour
Mitaki-dera
Hiroshima, Japan
Mitaki-dera sells no tickets online and needs no booking.
1 ticket or tour
Motonosumi Shrine
Nagato, Japan
Motonosumi Shrine has no ticket and no entry fee; the only charge is for parking, collected at the car park above the…
1 ticket or tour
Myoshin-ji
Kyoto, Japan
Nothing needs to be booked to see Myoshin-ji. The great walled precinct is open to walk through for free, and you pay…
1 ticket or tour
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).