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The Naritasan is a beautiful and big temple complex near Narita Station that's definitely worth seeing, but you'll want to choose the timing of your visit carefully. Since the Naritasan is one of Japan's most popular temples, the complex gets pretty crowded over the New Year days or big Japanese holidays. When you're able to avoid the crowds the temple grounds are perfect for a peaceful stroll!…
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Date of experience: January 2021
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The Temple was big and very nice the monks were very helpful. Beautiful architecture and the grounds were very well maintained.
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Date of experience: August 2020
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My impression is that Narita is seen by many people simply as somewhere that’s close to the airport or at most as somewhere to spend some time if you have a layover before your flight. I’d recommend seeing it as a destination in itself though and worthy of a visit. On our trip to Japan I knew we would be leaving from Narita Airport so when I planned our itinerary I added Narita as our last destination for a full day there. It gave us a relaxing day with plenty to see without the bustle of Tokyo that we’d already experienced anyway and with a very easy 10 minute trip to the airport the following day. The Naritasan Shinshoji Temple and its surrounding buildings and parkland would receive far more visitors in my opinion if it was almost anywhere else on Japan’s main islands and loses out simply because so many people are simply ‘passing through’ Narita yet it’s only a short journey from Tokyo and we simply had to stay on the train for the airport as it went on to Narita station. The religious history of the area goes back to 940 but many of the buildings were erected from the 17th century onwards. Most prominent is the impressive and more recent Great Main Hall (1968) and nearby the three-storey pagoda that was built in 1712 while beyond these are the halls of Shaka-do (1858), smaller Gaku-do (1861) and Komyo-do (1701) all of which make for an interesting and very photogenic complex. If you want a short walk though and more photo opportunities just keep going and you will come to the very impressive Great Peace Pagoda that was only dedicated in 1984. Though a modern structure its position overlooking an open garden area and fountain below set within some of the largest landscaped grounds in the islands makes it a great place to take out your camera before taking a long stroll around the lakes and woodlands. If you are interested in Japanese culture and writing this is also the location the Narita Calligraphy Museum just beyond the Great Peace Pagoda on the same side of the lake though we didn’t go in. To sum up I think this is a great place to relax and enjoy some additional history and architecture only 10 minutes’ walk from the centre of Narita and down a picturesque street that itself offers a lot if you are looking for a late souvenir or something interesting for lunch or a snack. If you want to make life easy for yourself before leaving Japan or want a toe dip at the start of your visit I think Narita is a good location to start and especially to end your trip and the temple complex with its nearby landscaped grounds will help to fill another card in your camera.…
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Date of experience: May 2019
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Check the schedule for ogoma prayers. I was late and just standing and listening outside, still it was a calming experience. There's a big park with ponds, falls and flowering trees. Walk along for a relaxing and peaceful time.
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Date of experience: March 2020
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We had one night stay in Narita before flying home and this popped up as a worthwhile place to visit. We were a bit tired from travelling and it was late afternoon so almost decided to turn back to the hotel at the end of Omotesando St (the old shopping street) but, on impulse, decided to give the temple a look. We were so glad we did. By the time we got there the sun was low and the soft light illuminated all of the gorgeous buildings with a warm glow. There were very few others there which also helped give relaxing ambience to the complex. We could only spend an hour there as the light was fading but could easily have spent twice that time just on the building - let alone the adjacent park. If you are in Narita then this a must visit place.…
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Date of experience: February 2020
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