Togakushi Shrine Okusha (Upper Shrine)
Nagano, Japan
There is no admission charge at Togakushi Shrine, and no ticket for the Okusha or any of the other four shrines is sold…
No online ticket
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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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Tsukiji Hongan-ji
Tokyo, Japan
Tsukiji Hongan-ji is free to enter and no ticket is needed; nothing for the temple alone is sold online.
No online ticket
Uji Shrine
Uji, Japan
Uji Shrine is free to visit and there is nothing to book: no ticket for it is sold online, and the gates stand open…
No online ticket
Yasaka Pagoda (Hokan-ji)
Kyoto, Japan
There is nothing to book for the Yasaka Pagoda. The five-storey tower belongs to Hokan-ji, a small Zen temple, and it…
No online ticket
Zojo-ji Temple
Tokyo, Japan
No ticket for Zojo-ji alone is sold online, and none is needed for the main part of a visit.
No online ticket
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).