Buddhist temples in Japan, written in Japanese
62 buddhist temples across 26 prefectures, each with the kanji, the kana reading and a card you can print or save to your phone before you travel.
Temple names are read in ways that surprise even Japanese speakers, and the same characters can be read two different ways in two different cities. Handing over the kanji removes the guesswork; the reading on this page is the local one.
| Kanji | Kana | English | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 清水寺 | きよみずでら | Kiyomizu-dera | Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 金閣寺 | きんかくじ | Kinkaku-ji | Kita-ku, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 法隆寺 | ほうりゅうじ | Hōryū-ji | Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture |
| 東大寺 | とうだいじ | Tōdai-ji | Nara, Nara Prefecture |
| 高徳院 | こうとくいん | Kōtoku-in Great Buddha | Hase, Kanagawa Prefecture |
| 高野山 | こうやさん | Mount Kōya | Kōya-chō, Wakayama Prefecture |
| 平等院 | びょうどういん | Byōdō-in | Uji, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 銀閣寺 | ぎんかくじ | Ginkaku-ji | Sakyō-ku, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 龍安寺 | りょうあんじ | Ryōan-ji | Ukyō Ward, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 浅草寺 | せんそうじ | Sensō-ji | Asakusa, Tokyo |
| 東寺 | とうじ | Tō-ji | Minami-ku, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 興福寺 | こうふくじ | Kōfuku-ji | Nara, Nara Prefecture |
| 薬師寺 | やくしじ | Yakushi-ji | Nara, Nara Prefecture |
| 東福寺 | とうふくじ | Tōfuku-ji Temple | Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 南禅寺 | なんぜんじ | Nanzen-ji | Sakyō-ku, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 三十三間堂 | さんじゅうさんげんどう | Sanjūsangen-dō | Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 高山寺 | こうざんじ | Kōzan-ji Temple | Ukyō Ward, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 天龍寺 | てんりゅうじ | Tenryū-ji | Ukyō Ward, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 善光寺 | ぜんこうじ | Zenkō-ji Temple | Nagano, Nagano Prefecture |
| 中尊寺 | ちゅうそんじ | Chūson-ji | Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture |
| 唐招提寺 | とうしょうだいじ | Tōshōdai-ji | Nara, Nara Prefecture |
| 元興寺 | がんごうじ | Gangō-ji | Chūinchō, Nara Prefecture |
| 輪王寺 | りんのうじ | Rinnō-ji Temple | Nikkō-shi, Tochigi Prefecture |
| 永平寺 | えいへいじ | Eihei-ji Temple | Eiheiji, Fukui Prefecture |
| 西本願寺 | にしほんがんじ | Nishi Hongan-ji | Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 總持寺 | そうじじ | Sōji-ji Temple | Tsurumi, Kanagawa Prefecture |
| 飛鳥寺 | あすかでら | Asuka-dera Temple | Asuka, Nara Prefecture |
| 萬福寺 | まんぷくじ | Manpuku-ji Temple | Uji, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 東本願寺 | ひがしほんがんじ | Higashi Hongan-ji Temple | Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 建仁寺 | けんにんじ | Kennin-ji Temple | Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 毛越寺 | もうつうじ | Mōtsū-ji | Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture |
| 泉涌寺 | せんにゅうじ | Sennyū-ji Temple | Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 瑞巌寺 | ずいがんじ | Zuigan-ji Temple | Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture |
| 聖福寺 | しょうふくじ | Shōfuku-ji Temple | Gokushomachi, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| 崇福寺 | そうふくじ | Sōfuku-ji Temple | Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture |
| 立石寺 | やまでら | Yama-dera Temple | Yamagata, Yamagata Prefecture |
| 補陀洛山寺 | ふだらくさんじ | Fudarakusan-ji Temple | Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture |
| 善通寺 | ぜんつうじ | Zentsū-ji Temple | Zentsūji-shi, Kagawa Prefecture |
| 富貴寺 | ふきじ | Fuki-ji Temple | Bungotakada, Ōita Prefecture |
| 喜多院 | きたいん | Kita-in Temple | Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture |
| 佛通寺 | ぶっつうじ | Buttsū-ji Temple | Mihara, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| 竹林寺 | ちくりんじ | Chikurin-ji Temple | Kōchi-shi, Kōchi Prefecture |
| 本山寺 | もとやまじ | Motoyama-ji Temple | Mitoyo, Kagawa Prefecture |
| 屋島寺 | やしまじ | Yashima-ji Temple | Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture |
| 安楽寺 | あんらくじ | Anraku-ji Temple | Kamiita, Tokushima Prefecture |
| 長保寺 | ちょうほうじ | Chōhō-ji Temple | Kainan, Wakayama Prefecture |
| 大山寺 | だいせんじ | Daisen-ji Temple | Daisen, Tottori Prefecture |
| 恵林寺 | えりんじ | Erin-ji Temple | Koshu, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| 鶴林寺 | かくりんじ | Kakurin-ji Temple | Katsuura, Tokushima Prefecture |
| 明王院 | みょうおういん | Myōō-in Temple | Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| 大宝寺 | たいほうじ | Taihō-ji Temple | Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture |
| 圓明寺 | えんみょうじ | Enmyō-ji Temple | Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture |
| 本寺専修寺 | せんじゅじ | Honji Senju-ji Temple | Mooka, Tochigi Prefecture |
| 本妙寺 | ほんみょうじ | Honmyō-ji Temple | Hanazono, Kumamoto Prefecture |
| 一宮寺 | いちのみやじ | Ichinomiya-ji Temple | Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture |
| 岩屋寺 | いわやじ | Iwaya-ji Temple | Kumakogen, Ehime Prefecture |
| 金剛證寺 | こんごうしょうじ | Kongōshō-ji Temple | Ise, Mie Prefecture |
| 頼久寺 | らいきゅうじ | Raikyū-ji Temple | Takahashi, Okayama Prefecture |
| 西明寺 | さいみょうじ | Saimyō-ji Temple | Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture |
| 白峯寺 | しろみねじ | Shiromine-ji Temple | Sakaide, Kagawa Prefecture |
| 正念寺 | しょうねんじ | Shonenji Temple, Takachiho | Takachiho, Miyazaki Prefecture |
| 焼山寺 | しょうさんじ | Shousan-ji Temple | Kamiyama, Tokushima Prefecture |
Frequently asked questions
How do I ask a taxi for a Japanese buddhist temple?
Temple names are read in ways that surprise even Japanese speakers, and the same characters can be read two different ways in two different cities. Handing over the kanji removes the guesswork; the reading on this page is the local one.
Do these names work outside a taxi?
Yes. The same card works at a station information desk, a hotel front desk or a police box (交番). The Japanese characters are the part that communicates; the English and romaji on the card are only there so you know what you are showing.