Discover 5 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Sakurai (Japan). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Hase-dera, Ōmiwa Shrine, and Tanzan Shrine. Also, be sure to include Abe Monju-in in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Sakurai (Nara).
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Hase-dera
Also known as: 長谷寺
8th-century Shingon Buddhist temple. Hase-dera is the main temple of the Buzan sect of Shingon Buddhism. The temple is located in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The Main Hall is a National Treasure of Japan.[1]
Address: 731-1 Hatuse, 633-0112 Sakurai
Ōmiwa Shrine
Also known as: 大神神社
Shinto shrine dedicated to a mountain. Ōmiwa Shrine, also known as Miwa Shrine, is a Shinto shrine located in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The shrine is noted because it contains no sacred images or objects because it is believed to serve Mount Miwa, the mountain on which it stands. For the same reason, it has a worship hall, but no place for the deity to be housed. In this sense, it is a model of what the first Shinto shrines were like. Ōmiwa Shrine is one of the oldest extant Shinto shrines in Japan and the site has been sacred ground for some of the earliest religious practices in Japan. Because of this, it has sometimes been named as Japan's first shrine. Ōmiwa Shrine is a tutelary shrine of the Japanese sake brewers.[2]
Address: 1422 Miwa, 633-0001 Sakurai
Tanzan Shrine
Also known as: 談山神社
Historical Shinto landmark in a forest. Tanzan Shrine, also known as the Danzan Shrine, the Tōnomine Shrine and the Tōnomine Temple, is a Shinto shrine in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan.[3]
Address: 319 Tonomine, 633-0032 Sakurai
Abe Monju-in
Also known as: 安倍文殊院
Buddhist temple in Sakurai, Japan. Abe Monju-in is a Buddhist temple in the Abe area of Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Dating to the seventh century, it houses a sculptural group by Kaikei, and a kofun within its grounds has been designated a Special Historic Site.[4]
Address: 645 Abe, 633-0054 Sakurai
Mount Miwa
Also known as: 三輪山
Mountain in Japan. Mount Miwa or Mount Mimoro is a mountain located in the city of Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It has been an important religious and historical mountain in Japan, especially during its early history, and serves as a holy site in Shinto. The entire mountain is considered sacred, and is home to one of the earliest Shinto shrines, Ōmiwa Shrine. Several burial mounds from the Kofun period can be found around the mountain.
The kami (spirit) generally associated with Mount Miwa is Ōmononushi (大物主) (Ōmono-nushi-no-kami), a rain kami. However, the Nihon Shoki notes that there was a degree of uncertainly when it came to naming the principal kami of Mount Miwa, but he is often linked to Ōkuninushi.[5]