Futarasan Shrine is a Shinto shrine in dedicated to the Shinto gods of Nikko’s three most sacred mountains Mt. Nantai, Mt. Nyoho and Mt. Taro.
In ancient time, Japanese people respected high mountains because they believed that the mountains handle various natural phenomena such as clouds, rain, snow and thunder. These phenomena give water for people’s [...]

It is the mausoleum of Tokugawa Lemitsu, the third Tokugawa shogun.
The Taiyuinbyo also combines many Shinto and Buddhist emements. The concept of Taiyuin is a bit different from Toshogu Shrine because Iemitsu hesitated to imitate the Toshogu Shrine. However, you would find there are many similar elements between Taiyuinbyo and Toshogu Shrine.
Taiyuinbyo is about 200 [...]

Rinno-ji was established in the year 766 by the Buddhist monk and is a complex of 15 temples. The founder is Shodo Shonin who introduced Buddhism to Nikko in the 8th century. The temple’s main building, the Sanbutsudo, houses the great wooden statues of Amida, Senju-Kannon (”Kanno” with a thousand arms) and Bato-Kannon (”Kanno” with [...]

Toshogu Shrine was founded by Tokugawa Leyasu who was known as the last shogunate of Japan. The shrine is dedicate to the spirts of Leyasu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Minamoto Yoritomo. Toshogu Shrine is well-known for its sophisticated decoration which consists countless beautiful wooden carvings and gold leafs in a way not seen elsewhere in Japan. [...]

The sacred island of Miyajima (Itsukushima) is known as one of Japan’s top three views and very famous for its Shinto torii gate rising from the sea. It is a part of the Seto Inland Sea National Park.
The Japanese government has designated several buildings and possessions as national treasures and since 1996 it is a [...]

Yakushiji is one of the most famous imperial and ancient Buddhist temples in Japan.
It is part of the Hosso sect, founded by Xuanzang (JPN: Genjo) in China around 630, and established in Japan by the middle of the 7th century.
It features a rare 7th-century pagoda as well as ancient statues of the Healing Buddha and [...]

Horyuji’s full name is Hōryū Gakumonji (法隆学問寺), or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, is an important Buddhist Temple and one of the oldest in Japan. The temple is also widely acknowledged to have one of the oldest wooden buildings existing in the world, and is one of the most celebrated temples in Japan.
It contains [...]

The Kasuga Shrine, and the Kasugayama Primeval Forest near the shrine, are registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara”.
The shrine was built by the Fujiwara family in 768 at the time of Heijo-kyo and is one of the best and most important in Japan.
In accordance with [...]

Kōfuku-ji Temple along with several Buddhist temples in Nara, received the distinction of being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name: “Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara.”
It is one of the great temples of the Nara period, the complex features two pagodas, located on either side of the southern entrance and many Buddhist art [...]

Todaiji is one of Japan’s most famous and historically significant temples and a landmark of Nara. The Great Buddha Hall (大仏殿 Daibutsuden) is the largest wooden building in the world and houses the world’s largest bronze statue Buddha Vairocana.
The temple is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site as “Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara”, together with [...]