Japan guide

Shrines & temples

Visiting a shrine

Shinto shrines are open to everyone, and nobody expects a visitor to be perfect. A few small moves — a nod at the gate, rinsing your hands, a coin, then the bows and claps — are enough to pray the way locals do.

14 steps · 10 common mistakes· Show in Japanese (1)
A red torii gate at the top of stone steps, with the shrine beyond it among green trees.

Photo: Asanagi / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

Shrine or temple?

Shrines (jinja) are Shinto; temples (tera) are Buddhist. The way you pray is different, so it helps to know which one you're at.

  • Shrine: a torii gate, a thick twisted straw rope (shimenawa), and a name ending in ‑jinja, ‑jingū, ‑taisha or ‑gū.
  • Temple: a large wooden gate, often with guardian statues, an incense burner and Buddha statues, and a name ending in ‑ji, ‑in or ‑dera.
  • Some places have a shrine and a temple side by side — follow the signs at each hall.

Common mistakes

  • Clapping at a temple because it looks like a shrine.

At the torii gate

A visitor stops in front of a red torii gate and gives a small bow before walking along the side of the path.

The torii marks where the shrine grounds begin. Locals pause for a moment before walking through.

Step by step

  1. Stop just before the gate and give a small bow.

  2. Walk along the side of the path. The middle is traditionally left for the deity.

  3. When you leave, turn back at the gate and bow once more.

Common mistakes

  • Walking straight down the centre of the path while everyone else keeps to the side.
  • Eating or smoking as you walk through the grounds.

Rinsing at the water basin (temizuya)

  1. Left hand
  2. Right hand
  3. Mouth
  4. Handle
Four steps at the water basin, seen from the front: pour water over the left hand with the ladle in the right hand; switch and pour over the right hand; rinse the mouth from the cupped left hand; hold the ladle upright so the last water runs down the handle.

Near the entrance there is a stone basin with water, often with bamboo ladles. You rinse your hands and mouth before praying.

Step by step

  1. Take a ladle in your right hand, fill it, and pour a little over your left hand.

  2. Switch hands and rinse your right hand.

  3. Pour a little water into your cupped left hand and rinse your mouth with it, then spit it out quietly beside the basin, not into it.

  4. Rinse your left hand again, then tip the ladle upright so the last water runs down the handle, and put it back.

Common mistakes

  • Drinking straight from the ladle or touching it with your lips.
  • Pouring used water back into the basin.
  • Using a whole ladle for each step — one scoop is meant to last all four.

Good to know: Many basins now have running water and no ladles. Then just hold your hands under the flow in the same order.

At the hall: coin and bell

In front of a shrine hall, a visitor shakes the bell rope; a coin drops into the wooden offering box.

In front of the main hall there is a wooden offering box (saisen-bako) and often a thick rope with a bell.

Step by step

  1. Wait your turn, then step up to the box.

  2. Drop a coin in gently. Any amount is fine; there is no set price.

  3. If there is a bell, shake the rope a couple of times to ring it.

Common mistakes

  • Throwing coins from a distance so they bounce around.
  • Staying in front of the box to pray for a long time while a queue forms behind you.

Two bows, two claps, one bow

  1. Two bows
  2. Two claps
  3. One bow
Three steps at a shrine: two deep bows; two claps with the palms together in front of the chest; one deep bow.

This is the standard way to pray at most shrines (nirei, nihakushu, ichirei).

Step by step

  1. Bow deeply twice.

  2. Bring your hands together at chest height and clap twice.

  3. Keep your hands together and make your wish or say thank you silently.

  4. Lower your hands and bow deeply once more, then step aside.

Common mistakes

  • Clapping at a Buddhist temple — clapping is for shrines only.
  • Taking photos of the inside of the hall while you are up at the front.

When a shrine does it differently

A visitor praying in front of a shrine’s hall, seen through autumn leaves.Photo: Wiki Central Office / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

A few shrines have their own way. Izumo Taisha, for example, uses four claps instead of two. A sign near the hall usually shows the order.

Good to know: If you're unsure, watch the person in front of you, or show the line below to someone at the shrine office.

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Sources

Sources (checked 2026-11-04). Facts, numbers and prices on this page come from these official pages.

  1. Local governmentEtiquette at shrines and temples (Yamanashi Tourism)(opens in a new tab)Yamanashi Tourism: etiquette at shrines and temples
  2. Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)Japanese Customs and Etiquette (Responsible Travel Guide)(opens in a new tab)JNTO: Japanese customs and etiquette for responsible travel
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