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Famous Japanese Temples Quiz
From the gold-covered pavilion of Kyoto to a tiny hall thrown into a cliff by legend, Japan's temples hold its oldest wooden buildings and its most famous views. This quiz gathers 20 of the best known, each drawn as a classic Edo-style ukiyo-e woodblock print. Browse the gallery first, then see how many you can name — every answer shows you the real place, its reading and its story.
Tap a print to see the temple's Japanese name, reading and story. Ready? Switch to Quiz.
Advanced — the deeper cuts
The prints are original ukiyo-e woodblock interpretations in the classic Edo landscape style — each temple's shape and signature features are drawn true to the real place. The photo in each answer is an AI-generated photographic impression of the temple, not an actual photograph. Founding dates follow each temple's own tradition.
Can you read the site names?
Every name above is written in kanji with its reading. Our kanji course teaches you to read them for real — mnemonics included.
More landmarks? Meet 20 famous castles in the Japanese Castles quiz →
FAQ
What is the most famous temple in Japan?
By visitor numbers, Sensō-ji in Tokyo and Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto lead the field, while Kinkaku-ji — the Golden Pavilion — is probably the most photographed. All three are in this quiz, along with 17 more of Japan's best-known temples.
What is the oldest temple in Japan?
Hōryū-ji near Nara preserves the world's oldest surviving wooden buildings, rebuilt in the late 7th century. Sensō-ji in Tokyo claims the oldest founding legend in the capital, dating to 628 — though its present halls are postwar reconstructions.
What is the difference between a temple and a shrine?
Temples (tera, 寺) are Buddhist — statues of Buddhas, incense, pagodas, and names often ending in -ji or -dera. Shrines (jinja, 神社) are Shinto — torii gates, guardian foxes or lion-dogs, and enshrined kami. This quiz covers temples only; many famous red-gate landmarks like Fushimi Inari are shrines.
Which Japanese temples are World Heritage sites?
Thirteen temples in this quiz belong to World Heritage listings: Hōryū-ji (Japan's first, 1993), six Kyoto temples plus Enryaku-ji from the Ancient Kyoto listing, three Nara temples, Chūson-ji at Hiraizumi, and Kongōbu-ji on Mount Kōya.
Why did the Golden Pavilion burn down?
In 1950 a young temple acolyte set fire to the 550-year-old pavilion, destroying it completely — a shock retold in Yukio Mishima's novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion. The rebuilt hall of 1955 follows the original design, its gold leaf renewed even more brilliantly in 1987.
Are the quiz images real photos?
The quiz shows original woodblock-print interpretations in the classic Edo meisho-e style, drawn true to each real temple. Every answer then adds an AI-generated photographic impression of the actual place.