Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and back to Tokyo. Three weeks plus some extra days.

I arrived in Kyoto before Sam and Danny I could check in at Mercure Kyoto Station quickly and easily. Looking out of the window, I saw an temple complex. On Google Maps I saw this was Nishi Hongan-ji or the Nishi Hongan Temple. 

Nishi Hongan-ji

Nishi Hongan-ji (西本願寺) is a Buddhist temple located in Shimogyō-ku in Kyoto. It serves as the head temple of the Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji-ha branch, one of the two main subsects of the True Pure Land school of Buddhism. The other temple complex, Higashi Hongan-ji (‘Eastern Hongan-ji‘), is the head temple of the Ōtani-ha subsect.

The temple was established at its current site in 1591 by Honganji Kennyo, but its origins trace back to the 14th century. Many of its structures date from the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods, making it one of the best-preserved examples of 17th- and 18th-century Japanese temple architecture. 

Seven buildings within the complex are designated National Treasures, including the Goei-dō and Amida halls, the Karamon Gate, the Flying Cloud Pavilion, the shoin and Black Study Hall (including the Denrō Gallery), and the North Noh Stage.

In 1994, Nishi Hongan-ji was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the ‘Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto’.

History

The original Hongan-ji was founded in 1321 on the site of Shinran’s mausoleum at Ōtani, where the founder of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism was buried. Shinran’s grandson Kakue and his son Kakunyo served as the temple’s early custodians, with Kakunyo becoming the first chief priest and third monshu (spiritual leader). The temple was dedicated to Amitābha (Amida) Buddha.

Under Rennyo, the eighth monshu in the 15th century, Hongan-ji grew into a major religious force. However, its growing influence drew hostility from the Tendai monks of Mount Hiei, who attacked the temple several times, forcing Rennyo to flee to Yoshizaki, where he re-established his community.

During the Sengoku period, Oda Nobunaga viewed the temple’s power as a threat and besieged the Ishiyama Hongan-ji in Osaka for ten years. In 1580, the abbot Kennyo surrendered, though his son Kyōnyo refused, leading to his disownment.

After Nobunaga’s death in 1582, Toyotomi Hideyoshi rewarded Kennyo for his resistance by granting him land in Kyoto, where he established the present Nishi Hongan-ji. Kennyo’s son Junnyo succeeded him as abbot in 1592. Meanwhile, Kyōnyo revived the Osaka Hongan-ji and later supported Tokugawa Ieyasu, who became shōgun in 1603. As a reward, Ieyasu granted him land in Kyoto to the east of Nishi Hongan-ji, forming Higashi Hongan-ji. In 1619, the government formally recognised the two temples as separate institutions.

Layout and architecture

Nishi Hongan-ji occupies nearly a full rectangular block in central Kyoto, bordered by Hanayachō-dōri to the north, Horikawa-dōri to the east, Shichijō-dōri to the south, and Ōmiya-dōri to the west. Its main entrance lies on Horikawa-dōri. 

As its name suggests, it stands west of Higashi Hongan-ji and predates it by more than a decade. The architecture of Nishi Hongan-ji is more unified and historically intact.

Karamon

The Karamon (唐門) Gate was originally built for Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Fushimi Castle around 1598 and later moved to Nishi Hongan-ji in 1632 for a planned visit by Tokugawa Iemitsu. It underwent major restoration between 2018 and 2021.

Constructed as a four-legged gate with karahafu gables on both sides and a hip-and-gable (irimoya) roof made of hinoki cypress bark shingles, the gate is famous for its elaborate carvings depicting flowers, animals, and legendary scenes. One panel portrays the Chinese hermit Xu You washing his ears to reject Emperor Yao’s offer of power; another shows a farmer cleaning his ox, symbolising purity.

Nicknamed the Higurashi no Mon (‘All-Day Gate‘) for its exquisite carvings that captivate viewers for hours, the gate is rarely opened—only for significant occasions such as ceremonies honouring Shinran (in 1983) and the pre-restoration rites of 2017. It is occasionally used for Imperial Family visits.

Goei-dō 

The Goei-dō (御影堂), or Founder’s Hall, was rebuilt in 1636 after earlier halls were destroyed by an earthquake (1596) and a fire (1617). Measuring 62 by 48 metres and standing 29 metres high, it has a single storey with a hongawarabuki tiled irimoya roof.

A wooden statue of Shinran is enshrined at the central altar, surrounded by portraits of successive monshu. The hall serves as the venue for major ceremonies of the Hongwanji-ha sect. A four-fifths-scale replica of the hall was exhibited at the Japan–British Exhibition in London in 1910 and later reconstructed at Kew Gardens, where it remains a feature of the Japanese landscape garden.

Amida-dō

The Amida-dō (阿弥陀堂), or Amida Hall, was rebuilt in 1760 as the temple’s main worship hall. It measures 45 by 42 metres and reaches 25 metres in height. Like the Goei-dō, it features a hongawarabuki tiled irimoya roof.

The central altar enshrines a statue of Amida Buddha, flanked by portraits of six of the seven Pure Land Masters. Images of Shinran’s teacher Hōnen and of Prince Shōtoku are also enshrined.

The hall underwent extensive restoration between 2016 and 2022, reopening in stages—the front half in 2019 and the remainder in March 2022.

A visit

Access to Nishi Hongan-ji is free and you can roam freely. Take of your shoes, though. The temple is very active so I saw people praying. 

2025 Journey Across Japan

1. Japan’s Superconducting Maglev train breaks world speed record at 603 km/h.
2. Japan’s maglev bullet train delayed to 2035 or later as costs rise to ¥11 trillion.
3. QUESTION | Should you be stressed about travelling to Japan, and fear of missing out?.
4. Brussels Airport to Milan Malpensa with Brussels Airlines, operated by Air Baltic, ft. the 2025 check-in and boarding software hack.
5. REVIEW | Sala Montale Exclusive Lounge and Sala Gae Aulentin Premium Lounge at Milan Malpensa Airport, extra Schengen.
6. REVIEW | All Nippon Airways (ANA), Business Class, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Tokyo.
7. REVIEW | Toei Animation Museum in Nerima, Tokyo.
8. JAPAN | Tokyo Station, its Character Street and Pokémon Store.
9. REVIEW | Onyado Nono Asakusa Hotel in Tokyo.
10. TOKYO | Asakusa ft. Sensō-ji Temple.
11. JAPAN | The Odoriko train from Tokyo to Ito on Izu Peninsula.
12. PHOTOS & REVIEW | The Izu Teddy Bear Museum in Izu-Kōgen.
13. JAPAN | A visit to Ito on Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture.
14. REVIEW | Japan’s Saphir Odoriko in Premium Green Car from Ito on Izu Peninsula to Tokyo Station.
15. GAY TOKYO | 24 Kaikan in Asakusa (+ Ueno and Shinjuku).
16. TOKYO | Sawara in Chiba Prefecture, ‘Little Edo’ beyond Narita.
17. TOKYO | Omotesandō in Shibuya – AEON Shinonome –  Uniqlo – Muji.
18. PHOTOS | The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum in Koganei Park.
19. JAPAN | Solo in Tokyo.
20. REVIEW | Brussels Airport The View lounge.
21. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Business Class Brussels to Doha.
22. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Al Mourjan The Garden Business lounge.
23. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Q-Suite Business Class Doha to Tokyo.
24. REVIEW | Pullman Tokyo Tamachi.
25. REVIEW | The Railway Museum, Ōmiya, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture.
26. TOKYO | Imperial Palace East Gardens – Akihabara – Tamiya flagship store – Skytree.
27. JAPAN | Kanazawa Castle – Kenrokuen Garden – Higashi Chaya District.
28. REVIEW | Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kanazawa Eki Nishiguchi.
29. JAPAN | Road trip to Hida no Sato, Takayama and Shirakawa-go from Kanazawa.
30. OSAKA | Namba Parks – Dōtonbori – Glico Man – Shinsaibashi.
31. REVIEW | Swissôtel Nankai Osaka.
32. Experiencing Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai Japan.
33. KANSAI | Osaka Castle ft. Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum.
34. OSAKA | EGDE store – Umeda Sky Building – Grand Front – Namba Parks – Daiso – Luscious.
35. REVIEW | Mazda Museum in Hiroshima.
36. REVIEW | Candeo Hotels Hiroshima Hatchobori.
37. JAPAN | The Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the Peace Memorial Park and the Peace Memorial Museum.
38. JAPAN | Himeji Castle.
39. JAPAN | Itsukushima Shrine on Itsukushima aka Miyajima.
40. REVIEW | Miyajima Seaside Hotel.
41. REVIEW | Spending a night in a couples’ or love hotel: ホテルCOO玖 男塾ホテルグループ in Okayama.