Temple or Shrine?

Recently as you already know I came to Tokyo and last 2 weeks were full of events and emotions. Among those were the one connected to visiting some Japanese temples and shrines. It is so strange and simultaneously breathtaking to see all of the things here. I was always in love with Japan and its culture and digitally saw all of those places many times. Because of my teen anime obsession now I feel like I came back to the places I have already been to! It’s amazing how everything is majestic and either modern or old. Today I want to tell you more about temples and shrines, what they are and how they differ. By the way, I also want to mention it here that hopefully soon I’ll finally edit videos I filmed, and you will have the possibility to dive into my life in Tokyo.

Both temples and shrines are constructions erected for religious ceremonies and prayers.

🏮⛩Temple VS Shrine⛩🏮

🏮Temple - Buddhist building (Buddhism was brought in the Heian period (794 to 1185) from China); ⛩Shrine – Shinto (traditional religion of Japan; it is used to create a connection between present and past;);

🏮Temple – a lot of Buddhist statues (there different types of those like Dainichinyorai, Yakushinyorai, Shokanzeonbosatsu, etc.); ⛩Shrine – believe that there are a lot of different Gods (like God of rivers, mountains, etc.);

🏮Temple – sometimes have a graveyard; ⛩Shrine – usually have a large, red gate in front (it is believed that this sacred stone/wooden barrier separates the human world and the world of Gods);

🏮Temple – funerals are held there; ⛩Shrine – weddings (both are visited on New Year; + interesting is that Japanese usually do not consider them to be religious but still follow mentioned traditions in addition to that they celebrate some Christine events like Christmas or Easter);

🏮Temple – Buddha spirit lives in statues; ⛩Shrine – usually build on a sacred land and named after one of the Gods, + usually has pair dogs or lions (guards) on each side of the entrance;

🏮Temple - usually also have an incense burner (it's believed that the smoke has some healing properties) and pagoda (towers) also usually has a fountain (where you wash hands and mouth before praying);

🏮Temple – you can find similar in China and India; ⛩Shrine – original for Japan;

A list of Temples and Shrines to check out:

- 🏮Kinkakuji (1397) – golden Temple (the World Heritage);

- ⛩Todaiji (752) – one of the oldest Shrines;

- 🏮Kiyomizu-Dera (rebuild in 1633) - one of the most popular tourist attractions;

- ⛩Meiji Shrine - the first shrine to visit in a New Year in Tokyo;

- ⛩ Itsukushima shrine – it is “floating” in the sea;

- 🏮Kotoku-in Temple – huge Buddha statue and the Temple is a National Treasure of Japan.