Matsue Castle Gojoin

Matsue Castle 松江城 Matsue (松江市) November 28, 2023 (Reiwa 5) About Matsue Castle Matsue Castle is one of only 12 original castles remaining in Japan and its main keep is a National Treasure. It was originally completed in 1611. Unlike most castles in Japan, the top part is fully enclosed. I originally thought it had been altered; most castles have a wrap-around balcony you step out onto, but it was built this way due to strong winds and rain in the area My Visit I visited as part of a Japanese sword monitor tour by Oasa Bus. It was a…

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Funadama Shrine Goshuin

Funadama Shrine 船魂神社 Hakodate (函館市) July 26, 2025 (Reiwa 7) About Funadama Shrine A very old shrine in Hakodate, Funadama Shrine enshrines Watatsumi, Shitsuchioji, and Susanoo no Mikoto, all gods associated with water, the sea, and navigation. The shrine is situated up on the slopes leading up to Mt Hakodate, giving a great view of the harbor below. My Visit By the time we got to the shrine, we had marched all over town. We saw the red brick warehouses, the Old Public Hall, the Hakodate Orthodox Church, and more. The area the shrine is in is full of great…

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Myoshin-ji

Myoshin-ji 妙心寺 Kyoto (京都) June 17, 2023 About Myoshin-ji Myoshin-ji is a large temple complex in Kyoto and the head temple for Renzai Zen Buddhism. Most of the buildings aren’t open to the public, but you can enter the quarters (kuri) and the main hall for a fee. The quarters include the gardens, kitchen, storage areas, etc of Buddhist monks and has been used for filming movies here in Japan. The main hall features a huge painting of a dragon in the clouds on the ceiling. No matter where you stand in the room, it seems to be looking at…

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Myoshin-ji – Uryu Goshuin

Myoshin-ji 妙心寺 Kyoto (京都市) June 17, 2023 About Myoshin-ji Myoshin-ji is a large temple complex in Kyoto and the head temple for Renzai Zen Buddhism. Most of the buildings aren’t open to the public, but you can enter the quarters (kuri) and the main hall for a fee. The quarters include the gardens, kitchen, storage areas, etc of Buddhist monks and has been used for filming movies here in Japan. The main hall features a huge painting of a dragon in the clouds on the ceiling. No matter where you stand in the room, it seems to be looking at…

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Kumano Kotai Shrine (Pop-up Yatagarasu Goshuin) (Nagano Side)

– Kumano Kotai Shrine – 熊野皇大神社- Karuizawa (軽井沢) – July 22, 2022 Kumano Kotai Shrine is one of the many shrines located along the Nakasendo Highway connecting Kyoto and Tokyo. Built right on the border between modern day Nagano Prefecture and Gunma Prefecture, you can straddle the border and literally be in both prefectures at once. There’s even a plate set into the ground marking the line. We had a good time hopping back and forth across the line. This is by far the coolest goshuin that I own. It’s a pop-up goshuin! How nifty is that? You can find…

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Kumano Kotai Shrine (Nagano Side)

– Kumano Kotai Shrine – 熊野皇大神社- Karuizawa (軽井沢) – July 22, 2022 Kumano Kotai Shrine is one of the many shrines located along the Nakasendo Highway connecting Kyoto and Tokyo. Built right on the border between modern day Nagano Prefecture and Gunma Prefecture, you can straddle the border and literally be in both prefectures at once. There’s even a plate set into the ground marking the line. We had a good time hopping back and forth across the line. There are several goshuin available at this shrine. This is the normal goshuin available on the Nagano Prefecture side of the…

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Kumano Kotai Shrine (Famous Regional Features) (Nagano Side)

– Kumano Kotai Shrine – 熊野皇大神社- Karuizawa (軽井沢) – July 22, 2022 Kumano Kotai Shrine is one of the many shrines located along the Nakasendo Highway connecting Kyoto and Tokyo. Built right on the border between modern day Nagano Prefecture and Gunma Prefecture, you can straddle the border and literally be in both prefectures at once. There’s even a plate set into the ground marking the line. We had a good time hopping back and forth across the line. There are several goshuin available at this shrine. This is one of the special ones available on the Nagano Prefecture side…

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Nihon San Dai Kumano (Kumano Kotai Shrine) (Gunma Side)

Kumano Kotai Jinja

– Kumano Kotai Shrine – 熊野皇大神社- Karuizawa (軽井沢) – July 22, 2022 Kumano Kotai Shrine is one of the many shrines located along the Nakasendo Highway connecting Kyoto and Tokyo. Built right on the border between modern day Nagano Prefecture and Gunma Prefecture, you can straddle the border and literally be in both prefectures at once. There’s even a plate set into the ground marking the line. We had a good time hopping back and forth across the line. There are several goshuin available at this shrine. This is one of the special ones available on the Gunma Prefecture side…

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Kumano Shrine (Kumano Kotai Shrine) (Gunma Side)

  – Kumano Shrine – 熊野神社- Karuizawa (軽井沢) – July 22, 2022 Kumano Kotai Shrine is one of the many shrines located along the Nakasendo Highway connecting Kyoto and Tokyo. Built right on the border between modern day Nagano Prefecture and Gunma Prefecture, you can straddle the border and literally be in both prefectures at once. There’s even a plate set into the ground marking the line. There are several goshuin available at this shrine. This is the basic goshuin for the Gunma Prefecture side of the shrine located near the entrance. The center part in black says “Kumano Shrine”…

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Ginkaku-ji/Jisho-ji Sakura Goshuin

Ginkaku-ji / Jisho-ji 銀閣寺・慈照寺 Kyoto (京都) March 27, 2022 About Ginkaku-ji Ginkaku-ji, also known as the Silver Pavilion in English, is the more common name for Jisho-ji. It is a Rinzai sect Zen temple on the east side of Kyoto. The temple was built during the Muromachi Period by Ashikaga Yoshimasa as a retirement villa. Some people hear the name and immediately think of the shinier, more famous Kinkaku-ji, but it is a different temple entirely, though there is a connection. Kinkaku-ji was built by Yoshimasa’s grandfather and he used it as a model for his Ginkaku-ji My Visit Like…

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