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Jōei
About 4km northeast of JR Yamaguchi Station, temple Jōei-ji is notable for its simple, stone-dotted Zen garden, Sesshutei , designed by the painter Sesshū. From the garden, a trail leads uphill through the woods to several more temples. You can reach the temple by bicycle or taxi (
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San
Legend claims there are five white doves hidden in the plaque of the San-mon gate; the five short strokes in the characters for Zenkō-ji do look remarkably dove-like. See if you can spot them too. In the upper character (善, zen) theyre the two uppermost strokes; in the middle chara
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Ukiyo
This small, peaceful museum houses the excellent ukiyo-e (woodblock prints) collection of Ōta Seizo, the former head of the Toho Life Insurance Company. Seasonal, thematic exhibitions are easily digested in an hour and usually include a few works by masters such as Hokusai and Hiro
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Kōtō
On the far western edge of the Daitoku-ji complex, this sublime garden is one of the best in all Kyoto and it’s worth a special trip. It’s located within a fine bamboo grove that you traverse via a moss-lined path. Once inside there is a small stroll garden which leads to the centr
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Mazda Museum
Mazda is popular for the chance to see the impressive 7km assembly line. English-language tours (90 minutes) are available at 10am weekdays, but its best to check the website or at the tourist office for the current times. Reservations are required and can be made online or by phon
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Jōchi
Founded in 1283 by Hojo Morotoki, Jōchi-ji is the fourth of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples. The main gate’s bell on the 2nd floor of the belltower was cast in 1340. Nearby is Kanro-no-ni, one of Kamakura’s 10 revered wells. The interest in this muddy little pond, whose name tran
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Jōken
This peaceful temple is dedicated to the deity image of Obinzuru-sama. Behind the temple is the kappa-buchi pool, where Tōnos famous water sprites lurk. It is said that if pregnant women worship at the shrine on the riverbank, they’ll produce plenty of milk, but only if they first
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Mitsui Memorial Museum
Stately wood panelling surrounds a small collection of traditional Japanese art and artefacts, including ceramics, paintings, and nō (stylised Japanese dance-drama) masks, amassed over three centuries by the families behind today’s Mitsui conglomerate. On permanent display is a rec
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Museum of Oriental Ceramics
This museum has one of the worlds finest collections of Chinese and Korean ceramics, with smaller galleries of Japanese ceramics and Chinese snuff bottles. At any one time, approximately 400 of the gorgeous pieces from the permanent collection are on display, and there are often sp
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Hokkaidō University
Established in 1876 this university is a scenic spot, with a number of unique buildings. The Furukawa Memorial Hall and the Seikatei are noteworthy, and several campus museums are open to the public. The bust of William S Clark, the founding vice-president of the university, is a w
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Takachiho Gorge
Takachihos magnificent gorge, with its waterfall, overhanging rocks and sheer walls, was formed over 120,000 years ago by a double volcanic eruption. Theres a 1km-long nature trail above the gorge. Or view it up close from a rowboat , though during high season it can be as busy as
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Shunkō
A superb subtemple of Myōshin-ji, Shunkō-in is run by a monk who has studied abroad and who has made it his mission to introduce foreigners to his temple and the wonders of Zen Buddhism. There is an attractive garden and the halls are filled with interesting treasures. Best of all,
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Ōbai
If you are lucky enough to be in Kyoto during autumn when this subtemple of Daitoku-ji is opened to the public, you should make an effort to visit. It is a world of interlinked gardens, including an incredibly rich moss garden and a starkly simple karesansui . We rank this as one o
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Les Archives du Cœur
For an oddly fascinating and unique museum experience, visit this heartbeat archive on a small bay on the island of Teshima. There are tens of thousands of registered heartbeats from around the world, and you can listen to them played on a loop in surround sound in the very dark he
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Shinchi Chinatown
During Japans long period of seclusion, Chinese traders were theoretically just as restricted as the Dutch, but in practice they were relatively free. Only a couple of buildings remain from the old area, but Nagasaki still has an energetic Chinese community, evident in the citys cu
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Tokugawa Art Museum
A must for anyone interested in Japanese culture and history, this museum has a collection of over 10,000 pieces that includes National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties once belonging to the shogun family. A priceless 12th-century scroll depicting The Tale of Genji is us
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Kōsan
Shortly after the death of his beloved mother in 1934, local steel-tube magnate and arms manufacturer Kanemoto Kōzō became a Buddhist priest and sank his fortune into a series of garishly coloured temple buildings. The result is the remarkabe Kōsan-ji, a chaos of over-the top Buddh
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Kumano Magaibutsu
Around 2km south of Maki Ōdō Hall, and deep in a forest along a mossy riverbed, are two Heian-period Buddha images carved into a cliff, a 6m figure of the Dainichi Buddha and an 8m figure of Fudō-Myō-o. Known as Kumano Magaibutsu, these are the largest Buddhist images of this type
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Hōfuku
In the centre of town is Hōfuku-ji, a temple that is chiefly a museum memorialising the life of Okichi.The museum is filled with scenes and artefacts from the various movie adaptations of her life on stage and screen. Okichis grave is also here, in the far corner of the back garden
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Myōryū
In Teramachi, fascinating Myōryū-ji (aka Ninja-dera), completed in 1643, was designed to protect its Lord in case of attack. It contains hidden stairways, escape routes, secret chambers, concealed tunnels and trick doors. Contrary to popular belief, this ancient temple has nothing
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