How we check facts

Japan's shrines and temples are living places of worship with long histories. We want every visitor to understand them correctly and with respect.

Where our facts come from

1. The official website of each shrine, temple or site
2. The Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation database, written after on-site research and expert review
3. Wikidata (structured facts such as location, founding year and heritage designations) and Wikipedia (introductions shown with their source and licence)
4. University sources, such as Kokugakuin University's Encyclopedia of Shinto, and the Japan National Tourism Organization

Three rules

• Not checked, not shown. A fact we could not confirm in a reliable source is not published.
• Legends are marked. When something is a legend or one of several explanations, it carries the 伝 legend mark.
• No made-up numbers. Opening hours and fees change, so we link to the official website instead of guessing.

Japan's history, told carefully

Japan's imperial family is the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world. The founding date of 660 BCE for Emperor Jinmu comes from the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki chronicles, and we describe it as tradition. Shinto speaks of yaoyorozu no kami — countless kami present in nature and in ancestors. For centuries kami and buddhas were worshipped together, until the government separated them in 1868; that is why you can still find Buddhist buildings at some shrines.

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