Zenkō-ji Temple, Nagano, Japan

Nagano is just about an hour away from Tokyo by Shinkansen. Quick and easy trip to see Zenkō-ji Temple. This Buddhist temple was built in the 7th century, and the modern city of Nagano began as a town built around this temple. Prepare yourself for crowds as it is a popular place to visit, but well worth it. It is a pretty big temple complex, and there are many shops and spots to eat around it.

Zenkō-ji was founded before Buddhism in Japan was split into several different sects. It currently belongs to both the Tendai and Jōdoshū schools of Buddhism and is co-managed by twenty-five priests from the former school and fourteen from the latter. The temple enshrines images of the Amida Buddha. According to legend, the likeness, having caused a dispute between two clans, was dumped into a canal. It was later rescued by Honda Yoshimitsu. The temple was thus named “Zenkō,” according to the Chinese transliteration of Yoshimitsu’s name. I took a lot of photographs while walking around it; here are a few of my favourites:

Nagano is just about an hour away from Tokyo by Shinkansen. Quick and easy trip to see Zenkō-ji Temple. This Buddhist temple was built in the 7th century, and the modern city of Nagano began as a town built around this temple. Prepare yourself for crowds as it is a popular place to visit, but well worth it. It is a pretty big temple complex, and there are many shops and spots to eat around it.

Zenkō-ji was founded before Buddhism in Japan was split into several different sects. It currently belongs to both the Tendai and Jōdoshū schools of Buddhism and is co-managed by twenty-five priests from the former school and fourteen from the latter. The temple enshrines images of the Amida Buddha. According to legend, the likeness, having caused a dispute between two clans, was dumped into a canal. It was later rescued by Honda Yoshimitsu. The temple was thus named “Zenkō,” according to the Chinese transliteration of Yoshimitsu’s name. I took a lot of photographs while walking around it; here are a few of my favourites:

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