Best Shrines Spot List

Encounter a god of matchmaking in a busy district

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

Surrounded by the old-growth forest of Tadasu-no-Mori, the shrine has records that date back before Christ. It is also renowned as a spiritual place believed to bring good luck in romance.

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).

Dedicated to Toyo'uke-no-Omikami

A shrine where the god for safe sea travel is enshrined has been respected by people. Many important cultural properties of the ward are preserved in the shrine ground.

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.

Renowned for its famous Somei spring water and bush clover flowers

The most sacred of the three Dewa Sanzan

This is a shrine founded on the vast premises surrounded by the mountains of Nikko. It is familiar to people as the god of luck and marital matchmaking.

Founded in 1895 for the 1,100th anniversary of the relocation of the capital city to the Heian-kyo, the shrine reproduces the Imperial Palace of the Heian-kyo. It enshrines Emperor Kanmu and Emperor Komei.

Enshrines Japan's top Shinto deity

Known for its god that brings economic blessings

The oldest shrine in Kyoto

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.

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

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.

Hanazono-jinja Shrine in Shinjuku, loved by many as an urban oasis.

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

A famous shrine that plays a central role in the Gion Festival