Kasuga Taisha — 3,000 Stone and Bronze Lanterns

Kasuga Taisha (春日大社) is Nara's most important Shinto shrine, established in 768 AD as the tutelary shrine of the powerful Fujiwara clan. The shrine is famous for its 3,000 donated lanterns — 2,000 stone lanterns lining the approach path and 1,000 bronze lanterns hanging under the vermillion corridors. The lanterns are lit only twice annually during Mantoro festivals (February and August), transforming the shrine into a sea of flickering flames that creates a mystical, otherworldly atmosphere.

The shrine's vermillion-lacquered buildings are set against the primeval forest of Mt. Kasuga, a sacred mountain where tree cutting has been prohibited for 1,200 years. Wisteria is the shrine's sacred flower — ancient wisteria vines cascade from trellises in the courtyard each April–May. The shrine is connected to Nara's sacred deer legend: the deity Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto is said to have arrived in Nara riding a white deer, establishing deer as divine messengers. The shrine's art treasures include ancient swords, armor, and ceremonial masks displayed in the on-site museum.