Hōryū-ji Temple in Spring, Japan

Japan-18, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Hōryū-ji is a Buddhist temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is Hōryū Gakumonji , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, named as such because the site serves as a seminary as well as a monastery. The temple is widely acknowledged to have one of the oldest wooden buildings existing in the world, and is one of the most celebrated temples in Japan. In 1993, Hōryū-ji was inscribed together with Hokki-ji as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area. The Japanese government lists several of its structures, sculptures and artifacts as National Treasures.

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Snow view of Golden Pavilion, Rokuonji Temple, Japan

Japan-16, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Kinkaku-ji, or formally Rokuon-ji is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan.
Kinkaku-ji was originally built in 1397 to serve as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, as part of his estate then known as Kitayama. It was his son who converted the building into a Zen temple of the Rinzai school.

The Golden Pavilion, or Kinkaku, is a three-story building on the grounds of the Rokuon-ji temple complex. The top two stories of the pavilion are covered with pure gold leaf. The pavilion functions as a shariden, housing relics of the Buddha (Buddha's Ashes). The top floor is built in traditional Chinese cha'an style, also known as zenshu-butsuden-zukuri; and the middle floor in the style of warrior aristocrats, or buke-zukuri. The ground floor is rendered in shinden-zukuri style, reminiscent of the residential style of the Heian imperial aristocracy. The building is often linked or contrasted with Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion Temple), and Shōkoku-ji, which are also located in Kyoto.

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Nijo Castle, Kyoto, Japan

Japan-17, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Inner Moat and Gate to the Hommaru Palace

Japan-17, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Nijo Castle is a flatland castle located in Kyoto, Japan. The castle consists of two concentric rings of fortifications, the Ninomaru Palace, the ruins of the Honmaru Palace, various support buildings and several gardens. The surface area of the castle is 275,000 square meters, of which 8000 square meters is occupied by buildings.

The Nijo Castle has two concentric rings of fortifications, each consisting of a wall and a wide moat. The outer wall has three gates while the inner wall has two. In the southwest corner of the inner wall, there are foundations of a five-story keep, destroyed by a fire in 1750. The inner walls contain the Honmaru Palace with its garden. The Ninomaru Palace, Kitchens, Guard House and several gardens are located between the two main rings of fortifications.

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Rock Garden, Ryoan-Ji Temple, Kyoto, Japan

Japan-15, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Ryoan-ji is a Zen temple located in northwest Kyoto, Japan. Belonging to the Myoshin-ji school of the Rinzai branch of Zen Buddhism, the temple is one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

To many, the temple's name is synonymous with the temple's famous karesansui (dry landscape) rock garden, thought to have been built in the late 1400s. The garden consists of raked gravel and fifteen moss-covered boulders, which are placed so that, when looking at the garden from any angle (other than from above) only fourteen of the boulders are visible at one time. It is traditionally said that only through attaining enlightenment would one be able to view the fifteenth boulder.

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JP-73053, Dome of A-Bomb, Hiroshima, Japan

Japan-13, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial, commonly called the Atomic Bomb Dome or A-Bomb Dome, in Hiroshima, Japan, is part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The building serves as a memorial to the people who died in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
The building was originally designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel. It was completed in April 1915, and the new building was named the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition (HMI). It was formally opened to the public in August that year. In 1921 the name was changed to the Hiroshima Prefectural Products Exhibition Hall, and again in 1933 to the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.

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Itsukushima Shrine, Japan

Japan-12, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima (popularly known as Miyajima) in the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Japanese government has designated several buildings and possessions as national treasures.
The shrine is dedicated to the three daughters of the Shinto deity Susano-o no Mikoto, brother of the great sun deity, Amaterasu (the tutelary deity of the Imperial household). The first shrine buildings were probably erected in the 6th century, and the shrine has been destroyed many times. The present shrine dates from the mid-16th century, having been rebuilt in keeping with its earlier 12th century design.

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Shirakawa-go, Japan

Japan-11, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Shirakawa is a village located in the northwest part of Ono District, Gifu, in Gifu prefecture, Japan. It is best known for being the site of Shirakawa-go , a small, traditional village showcasing a style of buildings called gassho-zukuri.
The village is located near Takayama, in Gifu. Together with Gokayama in Nanto, Toyama, it is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.

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Maiko at Golden Pavillion, Kyoto, Japan

Maiko dancers on wooden clogs share a paper umbrella. Hanging down on their back are silk obi sashes with elaborated embroidery.

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Byodo-in Temple, Japan

Japan-4, originally uploaded by Abhishek Chandra.

The Byodo-In Temple is a non-denominational Buddhist temple located on the island of O'ahu in Hawai'i at the Valley of the Temples. At 47-200 Kahekili Highway, the Byodo-In Temple is a replica of a 900-year-old Buddhist place of worship at Uji in Kyoto prefecture of Japan. Inside the Byodo-In Temple is a nine-foot (3 m) Lotus Buddha, the largest wooden Buddha carved in over 900 years. It is covered in gold and lacquer. Outside is a three-ton, brass peace bell. Surrounding the temple are large koi ponds that cover a total of two acres (8,000 m²). Around those ponds are lush Japanese gardens set against a backdrop of towering cliffs of the Ko'olau mountains. Sparrows are often seen fluttering about and playing in the garden trees while peacocks strut about displaying their beautiful feathers.

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Kozan-Ji Temple, Japan

Japan-2, originally uploaded by Abhishek Chandra.

Kozan-ji, or Toganoo-san Kozan-ji, is an Omuro Buddhist temple located in Ume-ga-hata Toganoo-cho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, Japan. The temple was founded by famous monk Myoe and is renowned for its numerous national treasures and important cultural properties, in particular the famous picture scroll called Choju-giga. The temple celebrates Biyakkoshin, Zenmyoshin and Kasuga Myojin, as well as the temple's tutelary Shinto deity. In 1994, it was registered as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto".
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Himeji Castle, Japan

Japan-3, originally uploaded by Abhishek Chandra.

Himeji Castle is a flatland-mountain Japanese castle complex located in Himeji in Hyogo Prefecture and comprising 83 wooden buildings. It is occasionally known as Hakurojo or Shirasagijo ("White Heron Castle") because of its brilliant white exterior.
It was registered as the first Japanese National Cultural Treasure by UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Japanese National Cultural Treasure in December, 1993. Along with Matsumoto Castle and Kumamoto Castle, it is one of Japan's "Three Famous Castles", and is the most visited castle in Japan.

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Kinkaku-ji Temple, Japan

Kinkaku-ji or "Golden Pavilion Temple" is the informal name of Rokuon-ji or "Deer Garden Temple" in Kyoto, Japan. It was originally built in 1397 to serve as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, as part of his estate then known as Kitayama. It was his son who converted the building into a Zen temple of the Rinzai school. The temple was burned down twice during the Onin War.

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Todai-ji Temple, Japan

Todai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden), the largest wooden building in the world, houses the world's largest statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu. The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism. The temple is a listed UNESCO World Heritage site as "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara," together with seven other sites including temples, shrines and places in the city of Nara. Sika deer, regarded as messengers of the gods in the Shinto religion, roam the grounds freely.

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Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Japan

Kiyomizu-dera is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) UNESCO World Heritage site. Not one nail is used in the whole temple. The temple is part of the 33-temple route of the Chugoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage through western Japan, which is still traced by worshippers today.

Originally uploaded by Abhishek

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Torii of Itsukushima, Japan

Japan-1, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Postcard World.

The Torii, or Gateway, at Miyajima Island is a classic and beloved icon of Japan, as well as a condensed essence of traditional Japanese architectural expression. This grand wooden gateway, both sturdy and graceful, sits in the tidal flats before the historic Buddist temple complex of Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima island, in the same region as the city of Hiroshima in Japan.

Built on axis with the sea-facing shrine, the gate serves to welcome spirits of the departed as they come in across the water of Japan's Inland Sea. At low tide, visitors walk around the great columns of the structure, measuring its great size against the human body. At high tide, the rugged vermillion gateway seems to float in the waves around it, a gateway for boats, or for spirits indeed.

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