Visit Nara

Reaching this Shinto shrine requires some stamina to climb the many stairs, but the cherry blossoms in spring and the colored leaves in autumn make the trek worthwhile. Just off the main approach to Hasedera Temple, this shrine is usually quiet and calm. Sugawara no Michizane, a poet and scholar from the Heian period, revered as the guardian deity of learning, is enshrined here, making it a popular pilgrimage spot for students preparing for exams.