“There are people out there who want a temple, even a mountain temple ... Owning a temple, shrine or church recognized as a religious corporation in Japan can confer sizeable tax benefits.

There are religions that put their believers' faith to the test with harsh trials. On a mountain in Japan, that test is not ...

While Spain's headline trail now attracts up to half a million pilgrims a year, its twin is often uncrowded and offers a peaceful route through forests and mountain scenery ...

With Japan’s promulgation of a law strictly ... atop Mount Daitoku (Mount Gongen), the peak to the rear of the shrine. At the base of the mountain is a combined hall built as a point of easy ...

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The ...

Perched on a wooded hillside in southern Kyoto, Fushimi Inari is a 1,300-year-old temple dedicated to Inari, the Shinto deity of rice and sake (Japanese rice wine). The shrine complex dates back ...