the pure water temple, or kiyomizu-dera (清水寺), was established in 798 on a mountain overlooking kyoto. the discovery of the otawa-no-taki waterfall (音羽の滝) due to a divine revelation during a dream lead to the establishment of this temple. this is kyoto’s most popular site.

the large terrace protruding from the main hall, kiyomizu-no-butai (清水の舞台), offers some of the best views of kyoto and is a national treasure. the amazing part about this terrace is that it was built without a single nail. that takes some serious skill. there is an old saying that if you jump from the terrace and survive, then your with will be granted. though long outlawed, several people had attempted the jump with some dying from the fall. please do not try this yourself!

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heavenly dragon temple, or tenryu-ji (天龍寺), is best known for its zen garden. considered the number one of the five great temples of kyoto, kyoto gozan (京都五山), it also serves as the head temple of the tenryu sect of rinzai zen buddhism. tenryu-ji has had all of its buildings rebuilt due to destruction by fire. the zen garden however, has been around since the 14th century.

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unfortunately, hiroshima became a historically significant place in human history because the first atomic bomb to be used as a weapon was dropped in this location. at 8:15am on august 6, 1945 the “little boy” bomb exploded 600 meters (1,968 feet) above ground just a short distance from the later named atomic bomb dome (genbaku domu 原爆ドーム), seen above.

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in japan you will often find items perched on top of something, such as in the image above.  these are lost items, or wasuremono (忘れ物).  it’s japan’s version of a social lost-and-found.

when somebody finds a lost item, they place it on top of something near by so that it is easily visible.  the item is left there in hopes that the person that lost it will return to pick it up.  i have seen small change (40 yen) that was found in a vending machine placed on a window sill next to the machine.  it was there for weeks.

i have even seen items stay in such places for over a year!  someone had lost a small key, not a house key but more likely for a bicycle lock chain or something like that.  someone else found the key and hung it on a clothes hanger from a tree next to where the key was found.  i saw it on my way to work every day for over a year.  amazing.

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nestled in the mountains north of tokyo, the shrines and temples of nikko lie at the base of sacred mt. nantai (男体山), mt. nyoho (女峰山), and mt. taro (太郎山). in this site there are 9 buildings considered national treasures and 94 important cultural properties.

perhaps its most important aspect is that toshogu shrine (東照宮), which was built to enshrine the remains of tokugawa ieyasu (徳川家康). ieyasu was one of two unifiers of japan, and is a pivotal character in its history. his shogunate was in power from 1600 until 1868, the beginning of the meiji restoration.

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ujigami-jinja (宇治上神社) is a small site, but don’t let its dimensions disappoint you. this shrine is considered the oldest shinto shrine architecture in the world. as such the main building that you see above is actually composed of three inner buildings all covered by one roof.

located just a 15 minute walk east from byodo-in across the river and about 10 minutes from the keihan line station. here’s a view of the river and one of the two bridges you must cross.

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established by fujiwara yorimichi in the year 1053, byodo-in (平等院) was converted from a villa that he received from his father. that year also happened to mark 2000 years since the passing of the buddha. the amidabha hall as seen above contained several national treasures including the hall itself, the statue of the buddha inside, paintings, the temple bell, the phoenixes, and 52 wooden statues.

the architecture of the building resembles the shape of a phoenix during flight. the phoenix is thought by the japanese to be a protector of buddha, and the building’s architecture and its two phoenix statues perched on the roof are protecting the statue of amitabha tathagata. this is the original building, which was restored during the meiji restoration.

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built atop of mt. hiei (比叡山 hiei-zan), enryaku-ji (延暦寺) was established in the 8th century and is known as the mother of japanese buddhism.

enryaku-ji can be reached from kyoto train station by train and cable car or by bus, the cheaper and quicker alternative. i recommend to take the cable car up if you have a little bit of extra time. the view of the valley in which kyoto rests is beautiful.

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