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Culture and history in Japan

55 culture and history

The ruined Atomic Bomb Dome stands on the bank of the Motoyasu River in central Hiroshima.

Atomic Bomb Dome

Hiroshima

MemorialCompleted 1915; preserved as it stood…UNESCO

Stone lanterns placed by bereaved families line the roadside leading to the Chiran Peace Museum.

Chiran Peace Museum

Kagoshima

MemorialChiran was an army airfield for the…

Snow weighs on the roof and pine boughs around the Benzaitendo hall at Chuson-ji in January.
Low sun lights the snowy roof of the old sutra repository at Chuson-ji in Hiraizumi.

Chuson-ji

Iwate

TempleFounded 850; rebuilt by the Oshu…UNESCO

Visitors stand outside the broad tiled hall of Daisen-ji under old cedars in November
A red-painted pavilion with a bronze basin stands in the forest at Daisen-ji in August

Daisen-ji

Daisen · Tottori

TempleFounded in the Yoro era (717–724) by the…

A coast road curves past palms and hibiscus on the climb above Muroto with the Pacific belowMotokoka / Wikimedia Commons

From the guides5 min read

Can you do the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage by bike?

Yes. The temples' association lets pilgrims choose how they travel and in what order, and riders follow the roads round about 1,400 km of island. Arrive at each temple as a pilgrim: bow at the gate, worship before the stamp and leave the camera away while people pray.

Shikoku33°42′N 133°24′E
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Snow caps each roof of the Haguro-san five-storey pagoda among tall cedars in January.
Two walkers climb a snow-covered path through the old cedar forest on Mount Haguro.

Dewa Sanzan

Yamagata

PilgrimageOpened in 593, by the shrine's account

Red maples blaze below the long roof of the Konponchudo hall at Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei
Stone lanterns line a curving path through autumn colour in the Saito area of Enryaku-ji

Enryaku-ji

Otsu · Shiga

TempleFounded 788 by Saicho; Konpon Chudo…UNESCO

Vermilion torii gates form a long tunnel over the path at Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto
The path at Fushimi Inari Taisha curves away between rows of inscribed vermilion torii

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Kyoto

ShrineEnshrined 711

Two stone Nio guardians flank the mossy stone steps that climb through cedar forest to Futago-ji.
Futago-ji's Okunoin hall stands against a rock cliff behind a red wooden railing.

Futago-ji

Kunisaki · Oita

TempleRokugo Manzan temples trace their…

Snow falls on the red lacquered Shinkyo bridge at the entrance to Nikko's shrines
The Shinkyo bridge spans the Daiya River below snowy hills in Nikko in January

Futarasan Shrine

Nikko · Tochigi

ShrineUNESCO

Snow buries the steep thatched roofs of Ainokura village in Gokayama below wooded mountains in February
Gassho-zukuri houses and blossoming cherry trees stand above the rice paddies of Ainokura in Gokayama

Gokayama

Toyama

Old townUNESCO

Old wooden townhouses line a quiet street in the Kitamachi district of Gujo-Hachiman
The white wooden keep of Gujo Hachiman Castle stands on stone walls above the town

Gujo Hachiman

Gujo-Hachiman · Gifu

Old townEdo period castle town; castle keep…

A boatman poles a covered boat along the Hachiman-bori Canal in Omihachiman in May
White-walled storehouses and stone steps line the Hachiman-bori Canal in Omihachiman

Hachiman-bori Canal

Omihachiman · Shiga

Old townLate 16th-century canal; Edo to Meiji…

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