Shitennoji Temple in Osaka, Japan

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Shitennō-ji

Osaka


Shitennō-ji is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan, said to be founded (in 593) by priest-prince Shotoku-taishi (who first spread Buddhism in Japan). Only the big stone torii (Shintō shrine gate) is original, the oldest of its kind in the country (1294). It's free to see the gate and to wander most of the expansive grounds. Admission is required to visit the main hall and the five-storey pagoda, which (unusually) you can climb up.

The Honbō-teien strolling garden here (admission extra) is worth a visit.

On the 21st and 22nd of each month there's a very good flea market outside the temple, with antiques and secondhand goods, including old kimonos.

Transportation

  • subway: Tanimachi line to Shitennōji-mae, exit 4

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Osaka attractions

1. Honbō-teien

0.02 MILES

This strolling garden in the northeast corner of Shitennō-ji illustrates a Buddhist parable of overcoming earthly hell to arrive at paradise, symbolised…

2. Shin-Sekai

0.56 MILES

A century ago, Shin-Sekai ('new world') was home to an amusement park that defined cutting edge. Now this entertainment district mixes down-at-heel with…

3. Abeno Harukas

0.56 MILES

This César Pelli–designed tower, which opened in March 2014, is Japan's tallest building (300m, 60 storeys). The observatory on the 16th floor is free,…

4. Abeno Harukas Art Museum

0.56 MILES

This state-of-the art museum inside Abeno Harukas hosts temporary shows that vary wildly, including, so far, Renaissance painting and tantric Buddhist…

5. Tsūten-kaku

0.59 MILES

When Tsūten-kaku was first built in 1912, it was, at 63m high, the second tallest structure in Asia and the pride of Osaka. Damaged by fire in 1943, it…

6. Billiken

0.63 MILES

Ever-smiling (and a bit creepy looking) Billiken sits, toes out, like a golden Kewpie doll on a pedestal reading 'The God of Things as they Ought to Be'…

7. Imamiya Ebisu-jinja

0.81 MILES

Nicknamed 'Ebessan', this famous shrine is said to have been founded by Japan's most revered historical figure, the priest-prince Shotoku-taishi, c AD 600…

8. Kuromon Ichiba

1 MILES

An Osaka landmark for over a century, this 600m-long market is in equal parts a functioning market and a tourist attraction. Vendors selling fresh fish,…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "japan/kansai/osaka/attractions/shitenno-ji/a/poi-sig/423401/356704",
      "destination": "Osaka",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "Japan",
      "city": "Osaka",
      "position": "superzone"
    }