Travel anywhere in Japan and you will come across two kinds of sacred place: sites marked by a torii gate, and sites with a large roofed gate and Buddhist statues inside. The first is a Shinto shrine. The second is a Buddhist temple. They look similar enough that visitors mix them up constantly, but they belong to different religions, they are laid out differently, and — most importantly for you — you pray at them in different ways.
This guide covers how to tell a shrine from a temple, the correct way to worship at each, what a goshuin actually is, and where to go first. Everything below is drawn from Japanese tourism boards and public institutions.
1. The Short Answer: Shrines Are Shinto, Temples Are Buddhist
The most basic difference is which faith the site belongs to.
A shrine, or jinja, is a facility of Shinto — an ancient polytheistic religion native to Japan that reveres nature, the land, spirits and all beings as gods. A temple is a facility of Buddhism, a place where monks study doctrine and undergo ascetic training. Buddhism arrived in Japan in the middle of the 6th century, after which various schools formed and temples spread across the country.
Both traditions are woven into the landscape in real numbers. According to the Religious Statistics Survey published by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (as of 31 December 2024), there were 84,014 Shinto-affiliated and 76,493 Buddhist-affiliated single religious corporations — the category covering shrines, temples and similar individual establishments. It is worth being precise about what that figure represents: these are religious corporations registered with the Agency for Cultural Affairs, not physical buildings, so the count does not map exactly onto the number of sites you could visit.
2. Three Ways to Tell Them Apart at a Glance
Look at the gate: torii or sanmon
The entrance is the most reliable clue. The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) explains that shrines are characterised by a torii gate at the entrance, while temples are characterised by a sanmon gate.
Every shrine has a torii. It is the boundary line between holy ground and the secular world — cross it and you have entered the precinct. A sanmon is a different proposition altogether. The large sanmon gates at temples such as Todaiji in Nara or Sensoji in Tokyo have impressive roofs, and their columns sometimes house fierce temple guardian statues known as niozo.
Look at the layout: honden or hondo
The structure beyond the gate differs too. At a shrine, a sando, or approach path, leads from the torii to the honden — the main sanctuary, set further back. A purification fountain is usually placed somewhere along that route.
At a temple, the sanmon opens onto a hondo or kondo, the main hall where Buddhist statues are enshrined. Some temples also have a pagoda, which symbolises the grave marker of Shakyamuni, the founder of the faith. As the Nara City Tourism Association puts it, faith, architecture and layout together allow you to distinguish the two.
Look at the name: -jinja or -ji
The suffix on the name is another giveaway. Look at the official names of the UNESCO World Heritage components in Kyoto: shrines end in -jinja, as in Kamowakeikazuchi-jinja (Kamigamo Shrine) and Ujigami-jinja, while temples end in -ji or -dera, as in Kiyomizu-dera and Enryaku-ji.
Sites ending in -jingu, such as Meiji Jingu and Ise Jingu, are shrines as well.
3. How to Worship: The Steps Are Different
At a shrine
JNTO sets out the sequence as follows.
Bow once in front of the torii before passing through. Avoid walking down the exact centre of the path; keep a little to the left or right of it.
Next, purify yourself at the temizuya, the water pavilion inside the grounds. Take the ladle in your right hand, scoop up water and pour it over your left hand. Move the ladle to your left hand and pour water over your right. Finally, pour a little water into your left hand, rinse out your mouth, and spit the water out beside the fountain. Never touch the ladle directly to your mouth. One scoop covers all three steps.
At the altar, quietly throw a coin into the offering box and ring the bell to greet the deity. Then:
- Bow twice
- Clap twice
- Pray, with your hands still together
- Bow once more
This is what Japanese worshippers call nihai nihakushu ippai — two bows, two claps, one bow. If you take away only one thing from this article, take away those four steps.
At a temple
Temples are not as strict as shrines about the form of prayer, but calm and respectful behaviour is expected. If there is a temizuya, purify your hands and mouth exactly as you would at a shrine, then head for the altar.
Many temples have incense, or osenko. Put a coin in the offering box to buy a bundle, light it, and extinguish the flame by waving your hand rather than blowing it out with your mouth. Stand it in the incense burner, join your hands and pray in silence. You will see visitors fanning the smoke towards their bodies; it is believed to have healing powers.
You do not clap at a temple. That is the single biggest difference from a shrine.
You may also be required to take off your shoes when entering temple buildings. Leave them on the shelves at the entrance, or carry them in the plastic bags some temples provide — a decent pair of socks is worth packing. Inside the halls, watch out for signs prohibiting photography.
4. Goshuin, Omamori, Ema and Omikuji
A goshuin is a seal you receive as proof that you have worshipped at a shrine.
According to Jinja Honcho, the Association of Shinto Shrines, its origins are thought to reach back to the Nara and Heian periods, to the written receipt issued when a worshipper offered a hand-copied sutra to a shrine or temple. The best-known example of such an offering is the Heike Nokyo. Taira no Kiyomori, influenced by the syncretic thinking that merged Shinto and Buddhism, is said to have understood the deity of Itsukushima Shrine as the Eleven-Faced Kannon in another form, and to have made his offering on that basis. The practice gradually spread to ordinary worshippers, and in time the receipt came to be issued to those who had simply worshipped, without offering a sutra at all.
The point is that a goshuin only means something if you have actually worshipped. The Miyagi Prefecture Shrine Agency stresses that it is not a stamp rally prize: like an ofuda or an omamori, it is a sacred thing grounded in faith. Worship first, then hand over your goshuincho open at the page you would like written on. Having small change ready makes things smoother. Beyond that, follow the notices and instructions posted at each shrine or temple.
You can also write a wish on an ema tablet and dedicate it, draw an omikuji fortune, or receive an omamori amulet.
5. Where to Go First
Kyoto: seventeen World Heritage components in one city
Kyoto was built in A.D. 794 on the model of the ancient Chinese capital and served as the imperial capital until the middle of the 19th century. The Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1994 and consist of seventeen component parts, situated in Kyoto and Uji Cities in Kyoto Prefecture and Otsu City in Shiga Prefecture.
All of the seventeen components are religious establishments except for the castle of Nijo-jo. Between them they comprise 198 buildings and twelve gardens, and the list includes Kinkakuji, Kiyomizu-dera, Kamigamo Shrine, Shimogamo Shrine, Ujigami-jinja and Byodo-in.
Nara: a city of prayer
In Nara, shrine and temple events known throughout Japan are held all year round and remain deeply rooted in the life of the local community. The Nara City Tourism Association notes that receiving a seal after worshipping, trying sutra copying, and attending morning training at a temple are all popular with visitors, and that the occasional public unveiling of Buddhist statues not normally shown is a highlight in itself. Many sites are known for particular blessings, such as matchmaking or warding off misfortune.
Tokyo: a good place to start
Meiji Jingu enshrines Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, who led Japan to become a modernised nation. JNTO recommends it as a first shrine visit for anyone who has just arrived in Tokyo, precisely because there is plenty of English signage to help you take part: making an offering and praying at the main shrine, writing your wishes on an ema tablet, buying a fortune or an amulet.
The forest around it covers roughly 70 hectares and was created by transplanting around 100,000 trees donated from all over Japan. The shrine celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020. Beginning on New Year’s Day, nearly three million visitors arrive.
Sensoji Temple, meanwhile, is known for its sanmon gate and the guardian statues in its columns.
6. Sleeping in a Temple: The Shukubo Option
If you want to go a step further, consider a shukubo, or temple lodging.
Mount Koya, in Wakayama Prefecture, is the best-known place to do it. Koyasan is home to Kongobuji, the head temple of Shingon Buddhism, and to Okunoin, the mausoleum of the sect’s founder Kobo Daishi. Shingon is a form of esoteric Buddhism that originated in southern India and was introduced to Japan from China in the early 9th century.
Staying at a shukubo lets you try ajikan, a meditation practice particular to Shingon Buddhism, led by monks. You can also try shakyo, sutra copying, in which you write over faintly printed characters, or walking meditation through the well-kept halls and gardens. The official site of the Koyasan Shukubo Association lists 51 temple lodgings and takes reservations.
The clearest route to Koyasan is from Namba Station in Osaka: take the Nankai Koya Line and transfer to the cable car at Gokurakubashi Station. Temple stays are not limited to Koyasan, either — JNTO also introduces temples in Yamanashi, Nara, Shiga and Kyoto.
7. Frequently Asked Questions
Can I visit if I am not a believer?
Jinja Honcho explains that Shinto is something you do rather than something you are, and that practising it is regarded as entirely compatible with adherence to another religion, or with having no religion at all. Visitors to Japan are welcome at shrines.
Is it acceptable to visit both shrines and temples?
Yes. Japan has a long history of syncretic thinking that treated kami and Buddhas as one and the same.
Do I need to take my shoes off?
Sometimes, when entering temple buildings. Leave your shoes on the shelves at the entrance, or carry them in the plastic bags provided.
In Closing
Telling a shrine from a temple starts with two simple observations: whether the gate is a torii or a sanmon, and whether you clap or not.
Beyond that, the most useful advice is to slow down. Walking one shrine and one temple properly will tell you more about how this country prays than rushing through a dozen. As the Nara City Tourism Association reminds visitors, these are religious places before they are tourist attractions. Start from that, and the rest follows naturally.
