East Asia
Nara, Kyoto and the schools of Japanese Buddhism.
Start here · Essential guide
Todai-ji in Nara houses a giant bronze Vairocana Buddha. Learn how Emperor Shomu's temple shaped early state Buddhism in Japan and what visitors see today.
What temple stays in Japan's central mountains involve: shukubo lodging, shared meals and morning services, plus cautions about mountain weather and access.
Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto's Golden Pavilion, is a Rinzai Zen temple known for its mirror-pond garden, its 1950 arson and its careful rebuilding in 1955.
There is no single Shingon Temple. Shingon is an esoteric Japanese school founded by Kukai, and To-ji in Kyoto is one of its key temples for visitors.
Kinkaku-ji is a relic hall in three styles, one per floor. Learn what its levels enshrine and which Rinzai Zen ideas its setting is said to express.
An introduction to Zen temple gardens in Kyoto: dry landscape and moss gardens, a few well-known examples, and quiet ways to look at them as a visitor.
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