Daigo-ji, Japan

In Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan, there is a Shingon Buddhist temple called Daigo-ji. Yakushi is its primary devotion, or honzon. Daigo, which means literally "ghee", is used metaphorically to denote the "crème de la crème" of Buddhist ideas. Daigo-ji, a Shingon Buddhist temple and UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located just southeast of Kyoto. Come during the fall to witness the brilliant red foliage lighting up Benten Pond. A five-story pagoda from the 9th century is hidden behind the blazing vegetation. It perfectly embodies Kyoto's old-world charm.

The kond and the five-story pagoda are two examples of the many buildings that qualify as national treasures of Japan. The temple is home to several dozen significant cultural treasures, including the structures and other works that make up the 18 specially declared national treasures. Academic study of the temple's wall murals resulted in the Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy in 1960. It is included as a World Heritage Site because it is one of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto." The oldest structure in Kyoto is the five-story pagoda of the Daigoji temple, which dates back to 951. One of the few structures to survive the Onin War in the fifteenth century was this one.

Location: Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan