Japan? category ?

Yasaka Koshindo was built over 1000 years ago.Because monkeys move around a lot, they are also said to be symbols of desire. For this reason, there was a custom of tying the hands and feet of monkey dolls. Nowadays, people write their wishes on colorful monkey dolls and tie them on them.

Okazaki-jinja Shrine was built in 794, the same year the city of Kyoto was founded. Rabbits are said to be messengers of gods. There are many rabbit statues in the precincts. Rabbits are said to bring blessings for safe childbirth because they give birth to many young.

Yasui-Konpiragu Shrine was founded between 668 and 671. This shrine is famous for severing ties. There is a stone in the precincts where people pray for severing ties and finding love. You pass through from the front to the back while praying to cut ties.

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.

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.

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.