Japan? category ?

Shimogamo-jinja is a shrine with a long history, first mentioned in records as far back as 90 BC. The two main buildings are designated as Japanese national treasures. The forest within the shrine grounds covers an area of 124,000 square meters, and ancient vegetation still remains.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple was founded in 778. There are over 30 buildings within the temple grounds, including national treasures and important cultural properties. The most popular attraction at Kiyomizu-dera Temple is the stage in front of the main hall. It is built on a cliff and is 13 metres (42.65 feet) high.

This shrine is the temporary shrine of Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for its thousand vermilion torii gates. There are four small shrine buildings lined up within the grounds. It is usually quiet, but becomes lively during the festivals in April and May.

Yasaka Shrine is an ancient shrine that dates back to before 794, when the city of Kyoto was founded. It is the head shrine of the approximately 2,300 Yasaka shrines in Japan. The main hall is the largest of its kind among shrine buildings and is designated a national treasure. Yasaka Shrine has two popular sub-shrines.

Myoshinji is the head temple of the Myoshinji school of the Rinzai sect of Buddhism, with over 3,000 branch temples. The grounds are simply spacious. There are many valuable buildings designated as Important Cultural Properties within the temple grounds. There was also a room for zen meditation and copying sutras.

Chorakuji Temple was founded in 805 by Saicho, the founder of the Tendai sect. It later changed to the Jishu sect and remains so to this day. This temple is where Taira Tokushi, the heroine of the Tale of the Heike, spent her time. This story is read by many people in Japan as a nothing lasts forever in Buddhism.

Nanzenji Temple was founded in 1291. The temple grounds contain many valuable buildings, including the Hojo hall (National Treasure) and the Sanmon gate (Important Cultural Property). The Hatto (main hall) has an impressive ceiling painting of a dragon.

At Nanzenji Temple, zen meditation sessions are held on the second and fourth Sunday mornings of every month. I practiced zazen in the large hall and in front of the dry landscape garden. I could hear the babbling water, the birds singing and feel the wind blowing, and it really calmed my mind.

It is the head temple of the Jodo Shinshu Honganji sect. The Goei-do Hall and Amida-do Hall are designated as national treasures. You can enter these halls between 5:30am and 5:00pm. Although it is hard to find, Karamon Gate was amazing. There were many auspicious carvings of sacred animals.

Toji Temple was built about 1,200 years ago and is the only temple remaining from the original founding of Kyoto. I attended the morning service at Toji Temple. I entered the national treasure hall and listened to the monks chanting sutras. It was a sutra that sounded like a song with a melody.