Japan has a long history, and visiting historical architectures is fun to learn about it. Today, I'd love to share my experience visiting Yakushi-ji.

A couple weeks ago, I visited it in Nara Prefecture with a friend. At that time, we could still enjoy viewing cherry blossoms. We saw some on the way to the temple.

We conciser temples are very sacred places in Japan, so before praying we must clean our hands at chōzuya (purification fountain). The picture below shows it.

The next two pictures show the Nio statues. They are guardians of Buddha, and they normally show their anger on their faces. They are typically placed at the front gates of temples, and the gates are called Nio-mon (Nio's gate) in Japanese. So, when you visit temples, be sure to check them out.

After passing through the gate, you can see breathtakingly beautiful architectures.

This temple was built in 680 and has specified as one of our cultural heritages by UNESCO.

It has two pagodas: one on the right and the other on the left. The picture below shows the West Pagoda (on the left). It was burned and rebuilt in 1981.

Yakushi-ji is well known as ryūgū-zukuri ( one of the architectural styles in Japan). The design is very unique and quite different from temples in Kyoto. It looks so majestic!!

Fortunately, we saw a monk, and I couldn't help taking his photo. A monk in a temple definitely makes a great picture.

You can see another pagoda on the right, which is our national treasure. Most of buildings were destroyed by fire, but this pagoda has remained as original.

The East Pagoda, which is original.

The place was very calm and peaceful because only a few people were visiting. Since I didn't see any tourists from overseas, I think this is one of the hidden spots in Nara. If you're looking for a place to avoid crowds, I highly recommend visiting Yakushi-ji.

The last picture shows water lilies in pots. Water lilies are considered sacred flowers in Buddhism.

Yakushi-ji is a large temple, and unfortunately, we couldn't explore everything. We only saw a half of it. So, I'd love to go back and see the rest of half someday.

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