Each year six and a half million Japanese travel to the Shima Peninsula east of Osaka to visit what amounts to the Mecca of the native Shinto faith. The Isejingu, or Ise Shrine, is actually an enormous complex, including the Geku, or Outer Shrine, the Naiku, or Inner Shrine, and 123 smaller assoc...
The story of Mikimoto Island is really the story of Mikimoto Kokichi, who pioneered the production of cultured pearls. Born the eldest son of an udon noodle maker in the Shima Peninsula’s town of Toba, Mikimoto developed a childhood passion for pearls after seeing the famous pearl diving “Pearl Mai...
Kobo Daishi chose Koyasan largely for its topography. Eight peaks, suggesting the eight petals of a lotus, surround the valley. In fact, the entire valley of Koyasan stands at the center of an enormous mandala covering the mountain and, by extension, all of Japan. And the Konpon Daito, the “Funda...
Visitors to Koyasan will enter through the massive Daimon, or great gate. The 25 meter high vermillion gate was built in 1705, replacing an earlier structure. On either side of the gate, five-meter tall statues of the Nio guardians, also called the Kongo-rikishi, prevent demons and thieves from ga...
Within the incredible Shingon Buddhist mountaintop complex of Koyasan, about fifty temples function as shukubo, temples which provide overnight accommodations and meals for visitors. Shukubo also offer the opportunity to take part in the life of the religious community. This may involve joining i...
Within the incredible Shingon Buddhist mountaintop complex of Koyasan, about fifty temples function as shukubo, temples which provide overnight accommodations and meals for visitors. Shukubo also offer the opportunity to take part in the life of the religious community. This may involve joining i...
Within Koyasan, the most sacred spot in mind of most faithful is the resting place of founder Koba Daishi. In 835, according to believers, he passed into nirvana and awaits the coming of Maitreya, the Future Buddha in a state of eternal meditation.
The entrance to Okunoin is marked by the Ichi-n...
Kongobuji Temple, or the Temple of the Diamond Mountain, is the head temple of Shingon Buddhism, brought to Japan by Kobo Daishi in 805. The name Kongobuji originally referred to the entire Koyasan complex, but in 1593 Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered a new temple built in memory of his mother. In 1868 ...
Heralded in Japan's oldest myths as the first main island created by the gods Izanagi and Izanami, Awaji Island (or Awajishima) stands between Honshu and Shikoku. For centuries it served as a main route between the two islands, and today is connected to Kobe by the Akashi Straits Suspension Bridge,...
Heralded in Japan's oldest myths as the first main island created by the gods Izanagi and Izanami, Awaji Island (or Awajishima) stands between Honshu and Shikoku. For centuries it served as a main route between the two islands, and today is connected to Kobe by the Akashi Straits Suspension Bridge,...
Heralded in Japan's oldest myths as the first main island created by the gods Izanagi and Izanami, Awaji Island (or Awajishima) stands between Honshu and Shikoku. For centuries it served as a main route between the two islands, and today is connected to Kobe by the Akashi Straits Suspension Bridge,...
Located in the heart of the richly atmospheric Nara-machi district, Koshi no Ie is a well-preserved example of the traditional wooden townhouses that once sheltered the city’s affluent merchant class. The long central corridor opens on either side into a series of tatami mat rooms on its way to the...
The Sara kimono rental shop is in Nara-machi, the city’s picturesque southern district with a wealth of traditional shops and townhouses. For 2,500 yen you can rent a yukata, the casual summer garment, or a more formal kimono for 3,000 yen. It takes about half an hour to get fully dressed and deck...
In 745 the Emperor Shomu ordered that an enormous statue of the Buddha Vairocana be built to protect the capital of Nara and its people from plagues and natural disasters. It seems his plan failed. The capital was moved to Kyoto just 49 years later and in coming centuries the statue itself, called...
Nara Koen, or Nara Park, is one of Nara’s most distinctive features. Extending four kilometers east to west and two north to south, the park encloses or borders on most of the city’s main attractions, including Kasuga Taisha, Kofukuji with its five-storey pagoda, and Todaiji. Even without these, N...
