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#ShrinesAndTemples
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Fushimi Inari Taisha: why so many torii gates line Mount Inari
Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto is the head shrine of about 30,000 Inari shrines. Why worshippers have given it some 10,000 torii, what the vermilion and the foxes mean, and how inarizushi got its name. -
Nikkō Tōshōgū: the gilded shrine of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Nikkō Tōshōgū in Tochigi enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu as a god. Why his grandson rebuilt it in gold leaf and carvings in 1636, the Yōmeimon gate, the three monkeys and the sleeping cat. -
Shrine vs. temple in Japan: what is the difference?
A shrine is a Shinto place for the kami; a temple is Buddhist, with images of buddhas. How to tell them apart in Japan, how to pray at each, and why they mixed.