Shrine or temple? How to tell the difference
Japan has both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, often close together and sometimes sharing a site. A few visual cues make them easy to tell apart.
Quick visual cues
A torii gate — two uprights and two crossbars — marks the entrance to a shrine. A temple usually has a roofed gate (sanmon) instead.
Shrines are often guarded by a pair of komainu (lion-dogs) or, at Inari shrines, foxes. Temples often have muscular Nio guardian figures in the gate.
A large incense burner in front of the main hall points to a temple. A rope with a bell above the offering box points to a shrine.
A pagoda or a graveyard on the site means a temple. Shrines do not normally have graves.
How you pray is different
At a shrine, people commonly bow twice, clap twice, pray, and bow once more.
At a temple, people put their palms together quietly and bow. Clapping is not done.
If you are unsure which you are at, putting your palms together quietly and bowing is respectful anywhere.
Reading the names
Shrine names usually end in -jinja (神社), -jingu (神宮), -taisha (大社), -gu (宮) or -sha (社).
Temple names usually end in -ji (寺), -dera (寺), -in (院) or -do (堂).
In English, names are often written as Yasaka Shrine or Kiyomizu-dera Temple, which makes the type explicit.
Why they sit side by side
Shinto and Buddhism coexisted in Japan for centuries and were often practised together at the same site, so it is common to find a small shrine inside temple grounds or vice versa. Visiting both on the same day is completely ordinary.
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