Tour the gods of music and entertainment! Recommended shrines, temples, and power spots
Japan is home to countless shrines and temples, each said to offer various blessings.
Among them are many places believed to bestow benefits related to music and the performing arts.
In particular, shrines and temples that enshrine deities such as Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto—known from the legend of Ama-no-Iwato—Benzaiten, the goddess of music, and Gigeiten, who grants blessings for artistic pursuits, are especially popular for their supposed benefits in music and entertainment.
In this article, we’ll introduce not only famous shrines like Kurumazaki Shrine in Kyoto and Yoyogi Hachimangu in Tokyo, but also a wide range of shrines and temples across Japan connected to music and the performing arts.
We’ll also highlight music-related power spots such as musicians’ graves, monuments with song inscriptions, and memorial museums.
If any of these places catch your interest, be sure to pay them a visit.
- Tour the gods of music and entertainment! Recommended shrines, temples, and power spots
- Masterpiece and popular songs by 88Kasyo Junrei
- [2026] A Collection of Classic and Popular J-Pop Songs About God [Japanese Music]
- [Japan] A collection of J-pop with a traditional Japanese (wa) vibe and Japanese-style taste
- April Music Festivals [2026]: A roundup of spring festivals, outdoor rock fests, and other music events
- Oni Out, Fortune In: A roundup of J-pop you’ll want to listen to during Setsubun
- [Japanese Music] A Collection of Cool Band Names [Naming]
- What does “taite,” a term you often hear at live shows and festivals, mean?
- A collection of cool songs that sound great when sung by women, originally male songs
- Traditional Japanese Music: Famous Pieces of Gagaku and Kagura. Recommended Traditional Japanese Music
- Only famous artists! Anime songs that energize the Reiwa era
- [Rice Songs] A selection of tracks where food appears in the lyrics!
- [Moon Songs Special] Famous songs about the moon. Songs you’ll want to listen to under a full moon or in the moonlight.
shrine
Yutoku Inari Shrine
Yutoku Inari Shrine, counted among Japan’s three great Inari shrines, welcomes over three million worshippers each year. Enshrined there are three deities: Ukanomitama, Ōmiyanome, and Sarutahiko. Among them, Ōmiyanome-no-Ōkami is revered as the deity of mastery in the arts and of prosperity and harmony. The shrine also engages in new, contemporary initiatives such as selling amulets and other items online and operating an official YouTube channel.
| Name | Yutoku Inari Shrine |
| Address | 1855, Oe-otsu, Kashima City, Saga Prefecture |
| Website | https://www.yutokusan.jp/ |
Shiwa Inari Shrine
Shiwa Inari Shrine is a shrine located in Shiwa Town, Shiwa District, Iwate Prefecture, founded in 1057. Affectionately known as “Shiwa no Oinari-san,” it draws many worshippers from across Japan each year for car purification rites, warding off misfortune, and prayers for exam success. The enshrined deity, Oomiyanome-no-Okami, is said to have performed a dance to comfort Amaterasu Ōmikami when she hid herself in the Heavenly Rock Cave. Regarded as the progenitor of kagura dance, this deity is worshipped as a patron of mastery in the performing arts and of blessings bringing good fortune and harmony.
| Name | Shiwa Inari Shrine |
| Address | 17-1, Maehira, Masusawa, Shiwa Town, Shiwa District, Iwate Prefecture |
| Website | https://www.shiwa-oinarisan.jp/ |
Sague Shrine (Sagué Jinja)
In the Edo period it was also called Doso Shrine; this is Sabe-no Jinja in Miyagi Prefecture, which appears in the Nihon Shoki. The shrine enshrines the married deities Sarutahiko-no-Kami and Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto—the latter a goddess of the performing arts and said to be Japan’s oldest dancer—and is known for visits by people in the entertainment world seeking improvement in music and performing skills. It is also famous for a variety of divine blessings beyond the arts, including opening paths in life and livelihood, traffic safety, matchmaking, abundant harvests, business prosperity, and household fortune. If you are in the area, be sure to stop by.
| Name | Sague Shrine (Sagué Jinja) |
| Address | 1-4 Nishidai, Kasajima Aza, Aijima, Natori-shi, Miyagi-ken, Japan |
| Website | https://www.kankou.natori.miyagi.jp/kankou/314 |
Yoshiwara Shrine
Yoshiwara Shrine is closely connected to the Yoshiwara red-light district, the only licensed pleasure quarter sanctioned by the Edo shogunate. It was founded in 1881 (Meiji 14) by enshrining together five shrines that had been worshiped within the quarter along with the adjacent Yoshiwara Benzaiten. Although it was destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake and again in the air raids on Tokyo, it was rebuilt in 1968 (Showa 43) and stands today. The enshrined deity is Ichikishimahime-no-Mikoto, believed to bestow blessings such as good fortune, prosperity, and mastery in the performing arts. Revered as Benzaiten, she was once devoutly worshiped by the courtesans of Yoshiwara, and is still regarded as a powerful ally for women.
| Name | Yoshiwara Shrine |
| Address | 3-20-2 Senzoku, Taito City, Tokyo, Japan |
| Website | http://yoshiwarajinja.tokyo-jinjacho.or.jp/syoukai00.html |
Ota Shrine (within Ushi-Tenjin Kitano Shrine) (Ota Jinja)
This shrine is located within Ushi-Tenjin Kitano Shrine, where Sugawara no Michizane—known for his fondness for cattle—is enshrined. At Ota Shrine, Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto and Sarutahiko-no-Mikoto are worshipped, and it is said to bring blessings for improvement in the performing arts. Ushi-Tenjin Kitano Shrine, which houses Ota Shrine, also has a “nade-ishi,” a rubbing stone said to grant wishes when you stroke it. When you visit Ota Shrine, be sure to touch the nade-ishi and make a wish.
| Name | Ota Shrine (within Ushi-Tenjin Kitano Shrine) (Ota Jinja) |
| Address | 1-5-2 Kasuga, Bunkyo City, Tokyo |
| Website | http://ushitenjin.jp/keidai/ |
Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betsuin (Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Branch Temple)
Next to the main hall of Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betsuin stands a shrine dedicated to Benzaiten, one of the Seven Lucky Gods. Affectionately known as Benten-sama, Benzaiten is said to preside over music, making this spot a recommended place for musicians to make their first shrine visit of the New Year. The remaining six of the Seven Lucky Gods are also enshrined at Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betsuin, which is why it is well known as a place where you can complete a Seven Lucky Gods pilgrimage.
| Name | Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betsuin (Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Branch Temple) |
| Address | Moto-Akasaka, Minato City, Tokyo |
| Website | http://www.toyokawainari-tokyo.jp/ |
Akagi Shrine (Akagi Jinja)
The deities enshrined at Akagi Shrine are Iwatsutsuo-no-Mikoto and Akagihime-no-Mikoto, and Iwatsutsuo-no-Mikoto is said to be a god of learning and the arts. Among the votive tablets (ema) on the grounds are ones inscribed with prayers for a film to be a hit or for a new song to be a success, and people in the entertainment industry often visit. Supervised by the world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma, Akagi Shrine features an attached cafe and is a very stylish shrine.
| Name | Akagi Shrine (Akagi Jinja) |
| Address | 1-10 Akagimotomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo |
| Website | http://www.akagi-jinja.jp/ |