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City in Kansai, Japan
Photo: 紫煙, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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長谷寺
Dating to 686, this temple is the headquarters of the Buzan sect of Shingon Buddhism and contains numerous National Treasures including the main hall and a wooden statue of Eleven-Faced Kannon nearly 10 meters tall. Particularly popular in spring, when the 700 peony trees are in bloom, and in fall, when the maples turn red.
大神神社
One of Japan's oldest shrines, dedicated to Mount Miwa, which it stands directly in front of. The shrine has a long connection to sake rice wine and sake dealers across Japan often hang a wooden cedar ball made at Ōmiwa Shrine as a talisman. The 32-meter torii gate in front of the shrine is the 2nd largest in Japan.
Sakurai station is the terminus of the JR Sakurai Line from Nara, about 40 minutes away. It can also be reached from Osaka's Namba station on the Kintetsu Osaka Line in about 1 hour.
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Osaka · International · ITM
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