Shiizaki Inari Shrine Shiizaki Inari Shrine is famous for its azaleas that bloom every year mid-late April. The spot is also popular because the view of Amanohashidate seen from the top resembles the famous painting “Amanohashidate-zu” (National Treasure) made by the famous artist, Sesshu. This is why this location is also referred to as “Sesshu-kan”, […]
Seirinji Temple Located in the Kamimiyazu area of Miyazu, Akechi Mitsuhide(famous historical figure)`s head is said to be buried here. The temple was originally built in 1577 in Okubo Valley. The temple was moved to the Kamimiyazu area in 1603 and its current location in 1685. (Ref: http://www.amanohashidate.jp/lang/en/spots/seirinji-temple/)
Kanabiki Waterfall Selected as one of the top 100 waterfalls in Japan, Kanabiki waterfall is 40m tall and 20m wide. The waterfall lies on a hill in Miyazu(the waterfall is located at the top of a staircase). Due to its forest location and high elevation, Kanabiki waterfall is a popular spot in the summer as […]
Chigenji Temple Chigenji Temple is a temple belonging to the Sotoshu sect of Buddhism and is an official training center for young monks. There are currently about 10 young monks training at the temple. The temple itself was constructed in 1625 by Takahiro Kyogoku for his mother. The main temple hall was constructed in March […]
Chionji Temple It is one of the three temples in Japan dedicated to the Monju Bodhisattva(Bodhisattva of Wisdom). It is believed that you can gain wisdom from visiting this temple so many students and their families visit here to pray for help passing exams. The temple has many old paintings including a 300 year old […]
Amanohashidate (天橋立) is a pine covered sandbar that spans the mouth of Miyazu Bay in the scenic, coastal region of northern Kyoto Prefecture. Viewed from the mountains at either end of the bay, the Amanohashidate Sandbar (which roughly translates to “bridge in heaven”) looks like a pathway between heaven and earth. The scene has been admired for centuries […]
This is a nice local shrine in a small town in Kyoto Prefecture. Kyotango is approximately 2 hours, driving, from Kyoto City. It’s a small, country town with agriculture as it’s main source of income. The local beaches here are nice and frequently visited by locals and outsiders in the summer season.
The temple’s Goshuin (temple signature/buddhist sutra-mantra).
The Ryōzen Kannon (霊山観音) is a war memorial commemorating the War dead of the Pacific Warlocated in Eastern Kyoto.[1] The concrete and steel statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Kannon)was built by Hirosuke Ishikawa and unveiled on 8 June 1955. The statue is 24 m (80 ft) high and weighs approximately 500 tons. The shrine beneath […]
i Nice temple with Sokuras/cherry blossoms. Unfortunately I got here late and couldn’t go inside.Nice temple. Unfortunately I got here a few minutes late and couldn’t go inside. There’s a shrine right next to it with a beautiful zen garden, which will be the next photo album, tomorrow.
This is a beautiful temple that starts on the bottom of a moutain and has a 1.5 hour hike up a trail to the other Buddhist temple. This ia located directly behind the Daigoji Temple.
Sanboin was built by the 14th Archbishop, Shokaku, in 1115. The building has since been used as the residence of successive archbishops of Daigoji Temple. Most of Sanboin’s buildings are deisgnated as important cultural properties. Of those buildings, Omote-Shoin, which commands a view of the entire garden, is designated as a national treasure for it’s […]
Daigoji: In 874, the Buddhist monk Shobo Rigen Daishi, who was a grand pupil of Kobo Daishi, the founder of the Shingon mission, built a hermitage on Mt. Daigo and carved two Kannon (Avalokitesvara) statues of Juntei and Nyoirin. Shobo dedicated them in a hall. This is the origin of the Daigoji Temple. After the […]
What is Goshuin? Goshuin can be received by visitors in Buddhist Temples and Shinto Shrines. It is a large stamp, written in ink that proves your visit to a particular temple. Shuin is often called “goshuin”, “go” being a Japanese honorific prefix. The style of shuin is different in every temple. Usually, it is the temple’s priest […]
Nanzen-ji (南禅寺 Nanzen-ji), or Zuiryusan Nanzen-ji, formerly ZenriNanzen-ji (南禅寺 Nanzen-ji), or Zuiryusan Nanzen-ji, formerly Zenrin-ji (禅林寺 Zenrin-ji), is a Zen Buddhisttemple in Kyoto, Japan. Emperor Kameyamaestablished it in 1291 on the site of his previous detached palace. It is also the headquarters of the Nanzen-ji branch of Rinzai Zen. The precincts of Nanzen-ji are a […]
Higashiyama (東山区 Higashiyama-ku, meaning “east mountain”) is one of the eleven wardsin the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It was created in 1929 when it was split off from Shimogyō-ku. During the years 1931 to 1976 it also covered the area of present-day Yamashina-ku, which was an independent town until its merger into the city in 1931. The name literally means “Eastern Mountain District”. Due to […]
Kinkaku (The Golden Pavillion) is a shariden, a Buddhist hall containing relics of Buddha. The pavilion is part of a temple that is formally named Rokuon-ji Temple, but commonly called Kinkaku-Jim Temple, or Temple of this Golden Pavilion. Rokuon-ji is a Zen Buddhist Temple, in the Shokokuji School of the Rinzai Sect. This area was […]
The Philosopher’s Walk (哲学の道 Tetsugaku-no-michi, lit. Path of Philosophy) is a pedestrian path that follows a cherry-tree-lined canal in Kyoto, between Ginkaku-ji and Nanzen-ji. The route is so-named because the influential 20th-century Japanese philosopher and Kyoto University professor Nishida Kitaro is thought to have used it for daily meditation. It passes a number of temples […]
