Power Spots

 

“Power spots” are places believed to endow visitors with refreshing or healing energy. In Japan, the concept generally centers around feng shui principles and sites where the Earth’s energy is said to well up—meaning many power spots are tied to ancient shrines, creation myths and Shugendo mountain worship.

 

> Meiji Jingu

Meiji Shrine, located in Shibuya, Tokyo, is the Shinto shrine that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. The shrine does not contain the emperor’s grave, which is located at Fushimi-momoyama, south of Kyoto.

 

> Mount Asahidake

Mount Asahi is a mountain located in the town of Higashikawa, Hokkaido and the tallest mountain in the Japanese island of Hokkaido. It is part of the Daisetsuzan Volcanic Group of the Ishikari Mountains, it is located in the northern part of the Daisetsuzan National Park.

 

> Nikkō Tōshō-gū

Nikkō Tōshō-gū is a Tōshō-gū Shinto shrine located in Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Together with Futarasan Shrine and Rinnō-ji, it forms the Shrines and Temples of Nikkō UNESCO World Heritage Site, with 42 structures of the shrine included in the nomination.

 

> Yakushima

Yakushima is an island in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, known for its wildlife and cedar forests. In the northwest is Nagata Inaka-hama, a beach with seasonal loggerhead turtle nesting grounds. The central Mt. Miyanoura is marked by the Arakawa trail and the ancient Jōmon Sugi tree. In the east, Yakusugi Museum has exhibits about the region’s cedar forests. The western shore is home to towering Ōko-no-taki waterfall.

 

> Mount Aso

Mount Aso is the largest active volcano in Japan, and is among the largest in the world. It stands in Aso Kujū National Park in Kumamoto Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu. Its peak is 1,592 metres above sea level.

 

> Kumano Nachi Taisha

Kumano Nachi Taisha is a Shinto shrine and part of the UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range of Japan. The Kumano Kodō route connects it to other sites under the same classification, which are primarily located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.

 

> Lake Biwa

Lake Biwa is a large freshwater lake in Shiga Prefecture, northeast of Kyoto. It’s known for its abundant fish population, migratory water birds and wetland regions. Its shoreline is home to resorts and beaches like Ōmi-Maiko. Around the lake are historic sites including the 17th-century Hikone castle and the 8th-century Buddhist temple complex Enryaku-ji. Lake Biwa Museum has cultural and natural history exhibits.

 

> Three Mountains of Dewa

The Three Mountains of Dewa refer to the three sacred mountains of Mount Haguro, Mount Gassan and Mount Yudono, which are clustered together in the ancient province of Dewa.

 

> Atsuta Jingu

Atsuta Shrine is a Shinto shrine traditionally believed to have been established during the reign of Emperor Keikō located in Atsuta-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture in Japan. The shrine is familiarly known as Atsuta-Sama or simply as Miya.

 

> Mount Hiei

Mount Hiei is a mountain to the northeast of Kyoto, lying on the border between the Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, Japan. The temple of Enryaku-ji, the first outpost of the Japanese Tendai sect of Buddhism, was founded atop Mount Hiei by Saichō in 788.

 

> Okunoin Cemetery

Okunoin (奥の院) is located in the Mount Koya (高野山・Koyasan) region of Wakayama Prefecture. This is the site of a vast religious community founded by the priest Kukai, posthumously known as Kobo Daishi, who lived from the eighth to ninth centuries. Kukai was the founder of the Shingon Buddhist sect, and Okunoin is his mausoleum, where is he is believed to be not dead, but in a state of eternal meditation.

 

> Mount Osore

Mount Osore is the name of a Buddhist temple and folk religion pilgrimage destination in the center of remote Shimokita Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of northern Japan.

 

> Kurama-dera

Kurama-dera is a temple in the far north of Kyoto, Japan which houses some National Treasures of Japan. It was a member of the Tendai sect and subordinate to Shōren-in from the 12th century until 1949 when it founded its own religious body. The object of worship is esoteric and unique to the temple.

 

> Suwa Taisha

Suwa Grand Shrine, historically also known as Suwa Shrine or Suwa Daimyōjin, is a group of Shinto shrines in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The shrine complex is considered to be one of the oldest shrines in existence, being implied by the Nihon Shoki to already stand in the late 7th century.

 

> Mount Fuji

Japan’s Mt. Fuji is an active volcano about 100 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. Commonly called “Fuji-san,” it’s the country’s tallest peak, at 3,776 meters. A pilgrimage site for centuries, it’s considered one of Japan’s 3 sacred mountains, and summit hikes remain a popular activity. Its iconic profile is the subject of numerous works of art, notably Edo Period prints by Hokusai and Hiroshige.

 

> Ise Jingu

The Ise Grand Shrine, located in the city of Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. Officially known simply as Jingū, Ise Jingū is a shrine complex composed of a large number of Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, Naikū and Gekū.

 

> Togakushi Shrine

The Togakushi Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Togakushi, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The shrine is at the base of Mount Togakushi in Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park. Togakushi Shrine consists of five shrines, known as the lower, middle, and upper shrine area, each area about 2 km apart.

 

> Izumo Taisha

Izumo-taisha, officially Izumo Ōyashiro, is one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in Japan. No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals.

 

> Amanoiwato Shrine

Amanoiwato-jinja (天岩戸神社) is a Shinto shrine located in Takachiho, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. It is dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu and sits above the gorge containing Ama-no-Iwato, the cave where, according to Japanese legend, the goddess hid after battle with her brother, plunging the world into darkness until lured out by the spirit of merriment Ame-no-Uzume.

 

> Kirishima Jingu

Kirishima-Jingū, also called Takachiho-no-mine-jina is a Shinto shrine located in Kirishima, Kagoshima prefecture, Japan. It is dedicated to Konohanasakuya-hime, Hoori, Toyotama-hime, Ugayafukiaezu, Tamayori-bime and Ninigi-no-Mikoto.

 

> Takachiho Gorge

Takachiho Gorge (高千穂峡, Takachiho-kyō) is a narrow chasm cut through the rock by the Gokase River. The nearly sheer cliffs lining the gorge are made of slow forming volcanic basalt columns which resemble the scales of a dragon where the stone twisted and flowed as it formed.

 

> Lake Akan

Lake Akan is a lake in Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is located in Akan National Park and is a Ramsar Site.

 

> Mount Tate

Mount Tate, commonly referred to as simply Tateyama, is a mountain located in the southeastern area of Toyama Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the tallest mountains in the Hida Mountains at 3,015 m and, along with Mount Fuji and Mount Haku, it is one of Japan’s “Three Holy Mountains”.

 

> Mount Kurama

Mount Kurama is a mountain to the north-west of the city of Kyoto. It is the birthplace of the Reiki practice, and is said to be the home of Sōjōbō, King of the Tengu. It was supposedly the Tengu who taught swordsmanship to Minamoto no Yoshitsune.

 

> Akiyoshido Cave

Akiyoshidai Kokutei Kōen (秋吉台国定公園) is a Quasi-National Park in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It was founded on 1 November 1955 and has an area of 45.02 km².

 

> Samukawa Shrine

Samukawa Shrine is a Shinto shrine in the town of Samukawa in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. This shrine is one of the most famous shrines around Tokyo, where about 2 million people visit each year.

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Wikipedia

Source: Top 20 Power Spots in Japan