World Heritage Site

Japan 2008 Day 9: Nara (奈良) Kasuga Grand Shrine (春日大社)

The Kasuga Grand Shrine, originally the family shrine of the once powerful Fujiwara family, is the largest and most extensive shrine in Nara.

We explored other buildings in Toudaiji temple complex, including the Great Bell precinct and the halls named after festival months.

The Daibutsuden in Toudaiji houses the huge bronze statue of the Great Buddha, and is apparently the largest wooden structure in the world.

Toudaiji is one of the Seven Great Temples in Nara and part of the World Heritage Site. We entered it via the Nandaimon (Great South Gate).

Kinkakuji , also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion", is so famous that it is the subject of the novel by Mishima Yukio.

The Taiyuin Mausoleum honours Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604–1651), the third Tokugawa shogun, and is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage site.

Futarasan shrine enshrines three deities: Ōkuninushi, Tagorihime, and Ajisukitakahikone, and is part of the Nikko UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Toushouguu Shrine is the most famous shrine in Nikko and the final resting place for the remains of Japan's greatest shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Rinnouji Temple is a Tendai Buddhist temple in the city of Nikko. It is part of the Shrines and Temples of Nikko UNESCO World Heritage Site.