Best Architecture around Kansai Spot List

A three-tiered pagoda and world heritage site, 1200 years old

See the brave figures of twelve protective deities

Offer a prayer to Japan's largest Buddha statue in its oldest temple

See “Thunder of the Dragon” during special viewings

The head temple of the Shinshu Otani sect of Buddhism is located within walking distance from Kyoto Station. The local residents refer to it affectionately as ”Ohigashi-san.”

A shrine to the beautiful Mount Miwa, worshiped since ancient times

The oldest surviving building of Todaiji Temple. All the Buddhist statues stored here are national treasures

An inn within the temple complex

The Western Paradise of the Buddha Amida’s dazzling dream, a gold space that reflects upon a pond

The head temple of Jodo Shinshu Hongan-ji School and affectionately referred to as ”Onishi-san” in the Shichijo Horikawa district.

Japan's oldest convent was a gift from Prince Shotoku to his mother

A magnificent shrine dedicated to Emperor Jinmu and his Empress

A temple with a living, breathing aesthetic sense of the tea ceremony

The orderly lineup of 1001 thousand-armed Kannon is superb

A tea ceremony sanctuary that started as a gathering of artists

This famous shrine blossoms in full glory from season to season with its flowers

Nara’s Great Buddha is seated here

One of Japan's famous ancient temples, quietly nestled in Ikaruga

Famous for ”The Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans”

Located just north of Hokke-do in the Todai-ji Temple complex, Nigatsu-do is known as a place where Shuni-e (Omizu-tori or Sacred Water-drawing Festival) takes place every March. Nigatsu-do was named so since Shuni-e was held in February (nigatsu in Japanese) in the old calendar. Fire destroyed it in 1667, but two years later the current building was reconstructed exactly as it was before the fire. The building's design features a cascading style of architecture, and provides a commanding view of the roof of the Great Buddha Hall and Nara city. The principal image is the Juichimen Kannon, which is never shown to the public.