Higashi betsuin temple and handmade Morning Market

25/12/2025

When visiting temples or shrines in Japan, please remember that these are sacred places. Any behavior that shows disrespect — such as touching sacred objects, entering restricted areas, or making noise — can be seen as both culturally offensive and legally punishable under Japanese law (Article 188 of the Penal Code).

This shrine is part of our Nagoya Shrines and Temples Guide, which introduces the most important religious sites in Nagoya.

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Higashi betsuin, big temple close to Sakae

Higashibetsuin is a temple of the Jodo Shinshu sect called the “Shinshu Otani”. This temple’s headquarter is Higashi Honganji temple in Kyoto which is well preserved and attracting many tourists. On the other hand, Higashi Betsuin in Nagoya, which was originally constructed in 1790 was destroyed by US air raid in 1944 and reconstructed in 1962. Unfortunately the reconstruction is not good, it is not made of wood and there is no historical atmosphere. Only thing which could avoid the air raids was the East gate of temple shown below picture.

東別院東門 — Only construction, which avoided air raid in Higashibetuin Temple

Handmade Morning Market

Jodo Shinshu is the largest Buddhist sect in Japan. This Jodo Shinshu sect is divided into the Shinshu Otani-ha and the Honganji-ha. The Higashi Betsuin belongs to the Shinshu Otani-ha. Interestingly, the Nishi Betsuin, which belongs to the Honganji-ha is located closed to Higashi Betsuin. I’ve detailed the history of the split in the following article, so if you’re interested, please take a look.

Nishibetsuin temple’s tower bell which could avoid air raids.

The Higashi Betsuin holds a market on the 8th, 18th, and 28th of every month. It’s open to the public, regardless of religion. Most visitors are locals, but there’s no problem if people from overseas want to attend.

I visited the market in May, and there were more people than I expected. There were many food trucks lined up, offering a variety of dishes to enjoy.

In addition to food, there were also crafts and vegetables grown by local farmers for sale.

Our map

I’ve compiled a list of Nagoya’s places that I’ve personally visited. Is Nagoya boring? Not at all! While it has developed as an industrial city, it also hides interesting places full of history and culture. Use this guide to explore Nagoya and discover its hidden gems.