On the ninth day of my journey, my teacher shared that we would have a trip fully dedicated to exploring shrines and temples. As someone who enjoys learning about multi-cultural history, I felt very excited. Following our usual routine, we walked, rode the train, and walked some more until we reached the Minato prefecture of Tokyo. Here we found and visited several shrines and temples.
I learned the differences between shrines and temples that day and the many traditions associated with each. Shrines are devoted to prayer and the religion of Shintoism, while temples are devoted to enlightenment and Buddhism. The buildings may sometimes appear similar, but they can often be distinguished by their style of entrances.
A shrine has a giant gate at its front called a torii gate. This gate often leads to a tall set of stairs guiding the visitor towards the shrine. Temples also have gates called sanmon (gate) or daimon (big gate), which are often single level entrances that resemble a large wall. Before entering these places, you have to adhere to a process called purification. This is done so that the shrines and temples remain pure and maintain positive energy.
The level of complication of the purification process depends on the individual shrine or temple.
