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Located in northeastern Asia between the North Pacific and the Sea of Japan, Japan is a famous tourist destination. The country of Japan is made up of 2 major religions: Buddism and Shintoism. It is told that 80% of Japanese are Buddhist and 80% are Shinto. There are numerous Temples and Shrines in Japan.
Shrines in Japan:
There are over 90,000 Shinto Shrines in Japan. The nature oriented shrines are mainly located in secluded places in order to maintain the sense of isolation.
The plain and simple shrines featuring only one room with an inner chamber, were built as a place of worship for the Japanese. They were mainly built with simple materials like wood and stone.
The later shrines,influenced by Chinese architecture and mainly by Buddhist temples, feature a painted Torii, which provides access to the shrine.
The initial Shinto Shrines were shaped after Japanese houses and storage buildings. The styles of the shrines can be classified in to the following groups:
- Taisha
- Nagare
- Shinmei
- Hachiman
Some of the renowned Shrines in Japan include:
- Atsuta-jingu Shrine
- Ise-Jingu Shrine
- Heian-jingu Shrine
- Kumano Hongu-Taisha Shrine
- Kumano-Nachi Taisha Shrine
- Kashima-jingu Shrine
- Meiji Shrine
- Toshogu Shrine
- Togakushi-jinja Shrine
- Yasaka-jinja Shrine
Temples in Japan
The Temples in Japan are mainly the place of worship for the Buddhists. Most of the temples are found in large cities such as Kyoto and Nara. Unlike the shrines, the temples are built out in the open for all people to see. The architecture is much more intricate and multifaceted.
According to the belief of the Buddhists’, death should be commemorated, rather then feared and thus, the Buddhists try to make the death a holy ceremony as much as possible.
One big bell is normally located in the temple area and on New Year's Eve, the bell is rang 108 times.
Some of the renowned Temples in Japan include:
- Chuson-ji Temple
- Enkaku-ji Temple
- Eihei-ji Temple
- Enryaku-ji Temple
- Hase-dera Temple
- Higashi Honganji Temple
- Jochi-ji Temple
- Kencho-ji Temple
- Kuonji Temple
- Kongobu-ji Temple
- Narita-san Shinsho-ji Temple
- Senso-ji Temple
- Seiganto-ji Temple
- Toji Temple
- Zenko-ji Temple
Come and visit to the Temples and Shrines in Japan.
For further reference on Temples and Shrines in Japan, kindly check travel.mapsofworld.com
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