Pop Japan

Built in the year 656, the Yasaka Shrine is one of the shrines included in the long list of Kyoto's "old Japan" treasures. Located in the Gion and Higashiyama Districts of Kyoto, the shrine actually has a different set-up from the other shrines in Japan. Shrines usually have the honden or the inner sanctuary and the haiden or the offering hall as separate rooms or establishment in a shrine compound. The Yasaka Shrine is notable for combining the two into a single building. In front of this main building is a stage adorned with hundred of lanterns that give travelers a different experience at night.

Photo by Bernard Gagnon. Licensed under Creative Commons. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

Tags: yasaka shrine, old japan, kyoto, gion, higashiyama, honden, haiden, japanese lantern