One hundred and eight is a significant number in Buddhism: it is the number of passions, which delude humans and bind to the Wheel of Samsara, the number of times temple bells are rung at the end of the old year, and the number of beads on Buddhist rosaries…

Temples in Tokyo

– Overview of Tokyo temples –

• Gohyaku Rakanji. A modern temple in Meguro has become the home of the remnants of the Fivehundred Arhats (rakan) left over from Tokyo’s most wonderful temple extravaganza. There sits the Buddha, on Vulture Peak, carrying a flower and silently preaching.
• Jindaiji. Stands in patch of lush green next to a botanical garden. It is famous for the soba restaurants in front of its rustic gate, but I feel attracted to the beautiful ancient Shaka statue on view in a special hall, the oldest Buddha in Tokyo.
• Zenpukuji. Much dwarfed by modern buildings, Zenpukuji and nearby Korinji played a role in modern history: the first one was home to American consul Townsend Harris, the second one harbors the grave of the Dutch interpreter Henry Heusken. But above all, Zenpukuji boasts a giant gingko tree that according to legend grew out of Shinran’s staff…

Temples in Eastern Japan (Kanto)

• Ennoji. Small temple in Kamakura, opposite the Engakuji Zen monastery, boasting a wonderful set of the statues of King Emma and the Judges of Hell..
• Great Buddha (Kotokuin). The Buddha Amida in its most famous incarnation in Japan: the bronze colossus in Kamakura. The Great Buddha has lost his temple and sits “amid the dew,” in a pose of infinite serenity against the backdrop of green hills…
• Gumyoji. A Yokohama neigborhood temple that - unexpectedly - houses a beautiful statue of Kannon, the Goddess of Compassion, caring about our daily lives…
• Shinshoji. The temple that formed the raison d’etre for Narita until the airport came. Besides modern halls, there is a beautiful pagoda and a park for leisurely strolls. The temple has more art treasures than it usually gets credit for and there are also some interesting museums, such as the one displaying the temple’s large votive plates. The park contains haiku stones by Basho and Kyoshi.
• Taya Caves. The Taya Caves in the grounds of Josenji temple in Ofuna near Kamakura are filled with simple carvings of Buddhist deities, a testimonial to centuries of devotion and piety. Visit them by the light of a flickering candle…
• Yugyoji Temple. Yugyoji Temple in Fujisawa (Kanagawa Pref.) is dedicated to Saint Ippen, the Holy Man who abandoned everything and went wandering and prosyletizing through Japan.

Temples in Central Japan (Chubu and Hokuriku)

• Horaizan. Horaiji on Mt Horai in Aichi Prefecture is nothing but a Niomon Gate and a modern hall, but climbing the old pilgrim’s path up the craggy mountain is a great spiritual experience. Basho, too, visited here and left a haiku record.
• Zenkoji. One of the most important pilgrimage centers of the whole country, dedicated to an Amida Trinity that according to a beautiful legend came to Japan when Buddhism itself entered and to which wondrous powers are ascribed…

Temples in Kyoto, Nara and the Kansai region

• Kiyomizudera. Kyoto’s oldest temple, dedicated to the Bodhisattva Kannon, is famous for its large platform and huge domed roof. Despite its popularity with tourists and the lamentable fact that its treasures and statues are not on view, this remains a wonderful temple.
• Rokuharamitsuji. The temple of Kuya, a 10th c. saint and early propagator of Pure Land Buddhism. You find his statue in the temple’s museum, still chanting and banging his gong, with six small Amida statues on his tongue…
• Ginkakuji. The Temple of the Silver Pavilion or Ginkakuji is an exquisite esthetic retreat, a safe haven in the storms of the world. The pavilion stands in a beautiful pond garden and, fortunately, displays its plain wooden walls without a trace of a silver coating. The only treasure of Ginkakuji is the silvery moonlight, reflected into the garden by a sandy mound at the entrance.
• Honenin. Honen (1133-1212) was the founder of Pure Land Buddhism and the teacher of Shinran. Honenin is a temple at the foot of the Eastern Hills. Visitors can only see part of the garden and glance into the Main Hall from the veranda, but the peaceful atmosphere is a powerful reason to come.
• Koetsuji. Temple in northern Kyoto built to the memory of the 17th c. artist Honami Koetsu, featuring a famous bamboo fence and a view of Mt Takagamine.
• Entsuji. A contemplative Zen garden in northern Kyoto famous for its ‘borrowed view’ of Mt. Hiei.
• Kinkakuji. The Golden Pavilion stands sagging under too much fresh gold, although the first view from over the lake is beautiful. But the management of this tourist spot is too businesslike and I do not find the right atmosphere for a pilgrimage. Only the pavilion’s reflection in the lake is memorable…
• Daigoji. Large esoteric temple complex in southern Kyoto, containing Kyoto’s oldest surviving pagoda, a great museum, the boisterous Samboin gardens, and, after an hour’s hike to the top of the mountain, a Kannon Hall and angry statues of the Five Kings fighting evil…
• Hosshoji. Temple near Tofukuji in Kyoto, so small that it is almost a private house, sheltering a wonderful Kannon statue from the 10th c. The esoteric statue (a National Treasure) is believed to ward off misfortune and has 28 heads instead of the usual eleven…
• Kozanji. The temple of the famous medieval priest Myo-e, standing in Takao, northwest of Kyoto. Except for the beautiful Sekisui-in Hall, previously Myo-e’s residence, most of the temple consists of dilapidated halls in a deep forest and ruins on mossy ground.
• Enryakuji. Head temple of Tendai Buddhism on Mt Hiei, to the northeast of Kyoto. Founded in 788 by Saicho as a study and meditation center, it grew into a church wielding enormous power.
• Muroji. Temple possessing great statues and a small but fine pagoda, standing in a beautiful landscape south of Nara.
• Daichiji. A small temple in southern Shiga Pref., worth visiting for the garden that sports a huge clipped hedge in the form of the Ship carrying the Seven Deities of Good Fortune.
• Ishidoji. Temple in Shiga Pref. famous for an old stone pagoda that according to legend was erected by King Asoka in India and came here by magical flight… The larger pagoda is now surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of smaller ones.
• Shitennoji. Shitennoji in downtown Osaka has been rebuilt in concrete, but traces its founding to the early 7th century. The temple is associated with the legend of Prince Shotoku and this has made it popular among the people of Osaka. It is their faith that keeps the temple alive also today. The main statue, a Guze Kannon, is seen as the Prince’s reincarnation. Many treasures in the temple museum also claim some connection with the Prince.

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