Best Shrines Spot List

The head shrine of all Gion satellite shrines throughout Japan. Local residents call the shrine ”Gion-san.”

Here resides the god who watches over Kyoto's kitchens

The head of Japan’s Kumano shrines—famous for matchmaking

The most sacred of the three Dewa Sanzan

Famous for its cherry blossoms and being one of Kyoto’s three Kumano Shrines

An historic shrine favored as a place of rest and relaxation by locals

A historical shrine with a solemn atmosphere built in Gongen-zukuri (style of Shinto architecture in which the main hall and worship hall share one roof). It is designated as National Important Cultural Property. Late April is the best period to see the Azaleas on the premises.

A shrine that has a beautiful vermilion-lacquered shrine pavilion from the Edo period. It is also called Sanja Gongen (in honor of three men who founded the temple), and the Sanja Matsuri held in May is one of the Three Great Festivals of Edo (now Tokyo).

This is an auspicious shrine because of the kanji characters that are used for writing its name Hodosan can also be read as ”climbing a mountain of treasures.” The deities who protect people from fire, thefts, and other disasters are enshrined there.

Where the guardian buck and doe are enshrined

This lushly green shrine faces Midosuji boulevard and is more than 1600 years old

A guardian deity of water with miraculous virtue worshipped since ancient times. The shrine has been worshipped for better luck marriage by countless people through the ages, including nobles.

The head shrine of all the Tenman-gu shrines in Japan, affectionally called ”Kitano no Tenjin-san.” The shrine is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane.

Atago Shrine is a scenically situated shrine perched 26 meters above sea level atop Mount Atago.

The head shrine of all the Kasuga-jinja shrines all over Japan, it is located on Mt. Mikasa, which has been treated as a sacred area since ancient times. In 2018, the shrine commemorated its 1,250th anniversary.

The head Kumano shrine where various Kumano deities are worshiped

A shrine to visit for breaking bad habits or starting good ones

Famous as a spiritual site believed to bring good luck in marriage

A well-known shrine for its Chichibu Night Festival. Chichibu shrine enshrines several gods and has a history of over 2,100 years.

Famous since the Edo period (1603–1868) for its god of business prosperity. Site of the largest Tori no Ichi open-air market in Japan.