Shitennoji Temple

Shitennoji, founded in 593 AD by Prince Shotoku in Tennoji Ward, is counted among the oldest officially administered Buddhist temples in Japan and one of the earliest built after Buddhism's introduction to the country. The temple complex preserves the Shitennoji-style garan layout, a straight-line north-south arrangement of the central gate, five-story pagoda, main hall, and lecture hall that reflects Asuka-period temple design largely unchanged in plan since the 6th and 7th centuries, though the wooden structures themselves have been rebuilt after fire and wartime damage over the centuries. The pagoda, painted in the temple's characteristic orange and white, can be climbed for a view over the grounds, and the adjoining Gokuraku-jodo Garden recreates a Buddhist paradise landscape with a pond and teahouse. A visit to the main grounds takes one to two hours, longer if including the garden and pagoda climb. Early morning is quietest, and the temple holds a well-known flea market on the 21st and 22nd of each month, when the grounds fill with vendors and shoppers and the atmosphere shifts from contemplative to bustling.