Meiji Shrine, Tokyo - The Meiji Shrine is located in a large forest reserve near Harajuku in Tokyo. Interestingly, every Sunday, many Japanese youths gather near the entrance of the shrine and hang out dressed in their favourite gothic outfits.

The Meiji Shrine is dedicated to the Emperor Meiji who passed away in the early 20th century. Access to the shrine is via a 500m long path that runs through the forest that surrounds the shrine. This was a very pleasant walk that lead us under three large wooden toriis (gates) prior to arriving at the main shrine.

This was the first shrine that we visited on our trip and it is among one of the nicest. While at the shrine, we were lucky to witness a Japanese wedding procession.

Rinnoji Temple, Nikko - In my opinion, Rinnoji Temple is the most picturesque of the three famous shrines in Nikko. This is due to a large part of the abundance of cherry blossom trees in the grounds of the temple. It seems that the Toshogu Shrine gets the most press in Nikko but Rinnoji Temple was much more interesting in my opinion. See also Nature.

Kinkakuji, Kyoto - The Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji) was a villa built in the 1300s by the 3rd Shogun. The villa was converted into a Zen temple upon the Shogun's death.

This is quite a picturesque area but all you see is really what you see in the photos. We were not able to enter the pavilion.

Grand Kasuga Shrine, Nara - The Grand Kasuga Shrine is one of three main attractions in Nara. But to me, it was the least interesting of the three. It was certainly grand and imposing. The Shrine is quite large complex set within the Kasugayama Primeval Forest. Both the Shrine and the Forest are designated as a World Heritage Area.

What I found disappointing was the lack of proper guidance for visitors. Unlike the other shrines and temples, I found myself quite lost at the Grand Kasuga Shrine. There did not seem to be central point of interest.

There were a number of interesting things about the shrine. One, was that like the other attractions in Nara, wild deer roamed freely around here. In fact, the local tourist information center told us that it was believed that the deer were messengers from God.

Secondly, there were thousands of stone lanterns placed over the entire area of the shrine. We did not know what the significance of these stone lanterns were. Within the shrine building itself, there were hundreds of bronze lanterns hanging in the eaves of the walkways.

Sensoji Temple, Tokyo - The Sensoji Temple is a very impressive and lively temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. Visitors to the shrine are greeted by the enormous Kaminarimon Gate (photos 1 & 2). Immediately past the Gate is the shopping street called Nakamise Dori (photo 4). Admittedly, this is a rather cheesy tourist trap with many souvenir shops lining the street. But it is interesting to walk through this street and to sample the various Japanese snacks and delicacies hawked by the vendors.

At the end of Nakamise Dori is the shrine itself. It occupies quite a large area and is an imposing red structure.