Ready to go temple hoppin? Temples in Asia are places where local culture, religion, family, and art meet and are on display, hence we travelers are so attracted to them. I’ve planned entire trips around temples I want to visit (or stay in), so follow along as I share what I’ve found!
This article was written by Sarah Hodge, prolific writer and lover of spiritual & cultural sights in Japan. A convenient one-hour trip from Central Tokyo via the JR line, Kamakura is a history and nature lover’s paradise. Doing a Kamakura day trip is not only easy but also a great way to immerse yourself in …
When I was planning my most recent trip to South Korea, the thing I was most excited about was visiting Busan’s incredible array of temples. The tough thing was deciding when to go. Visiting for the Buddha’s birthday was an obvious choice. The event is a major national holiday in South Korea. At that time, …
Temple lovers, hiking fans, and anyone looking to get a little off-the-beaten-path in Busan, you have to add Seokbulsa Temple (Seokbul Temple, more correctly, since “–sa” means “temple”) to your Busan bucket list. This is no ordinary Korean temple; Seokbulsa is built into the sides of sandstone cliffs on Geumjeongsan (Mt. Geumjeong), the highest mountain …
Haedong Yonggunsa, or Haedong Yonggung Temple, is one of the most impressive Buddhist temples in South Korea. It is without a doubt one of Busan’s top temples and makes my list of top 50 things to do in Busan. Haedong Yonggungsa is famous for its picturesque seaside location. Busan’s “Temple on the Coast” is also …
South Korea’s second city and largest port, Busan, is home to a surprisingly impressive array of breathtaking temples. Busan’s temples are a varied lot, from sea-facing temple complexes to ancient mountain retreats with Buddhas carved into cliff walls, and everything in between. For this reason, temples are surely one of the things South Korea is …
Dadaocheng (大稻埕) is undoubtedly one of Taipei’s most compelling neighborhoods and best places to explore on foot. While Wanhua, the historical Old City to the south, is a magnet for tourists, serious history, food & culture fans can’t miss Dadaocheng. Twatutia, as Dadaocheng is pronounced in the Hokkien (Taiwanese) language, was once the second largest …
I’ve been living in Taiwan since 2008, and I’ve always loved exploring and photographing the incredible array breathtaking temples in Taipei. In recent years, I’ve traveled to several neighboring countries to visit and write about their temples (for example, see my articles on the most beautiful temples in Southeast Asia, Busan, Chiang Mai, and Myanmar). …
Tainan is the original capital city of Taiwan, before it was moved to Taipei. Today, it is known for its historical sights and night markets – it is even considered by many to be the country’s food capital. Tainan’s temples feature prominently on my list of things to do in Tainan. In fact, the city has …
Fo Guang Shan (佛光山 or Foguangshan) is one of the four large Buddhist organizations in Taiwan. The order’s headquarters, Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Kaohsiung, Southern Taiwan, is one of Taiwan’s top attractions and most popular places to visit in Kaohsiung. The enormous, sprawling Fo Guang Shan Temple complex more than doubled in size with …
One of the most enticing draws of Southeast Asia is the abundance of mesmerizingly gorgeous temples dotting the landscape. Shimmering with gold, dominating cityscapes, beckoning the masses to devotion – Southeast Asian temples are testaments the region’s rich colonial history, cultural diversity, religious syncretism, and piousness of its people. In this article I have …
