Japan's Power Spot Shrines

What Makes a Power Spot?

The concept of pawā supotto gained widespread popularity in Japan during the 2000s, but its roots go far deeper. In Shinto tradition, ke (気) — spiritual energy — is concentrated in certain natural features: unusual rock formations, ancient trees, mountain peaks, waterfalls, and confluences of rivers. Shrines were often built precisely because such energy was already present.

The shrines featured here are Japan's most significant — places where the sense of ke or divine presence has been recognized for centuries. They range from Japan's oldest myths (Izumo, Ise) to UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Itsukushima, Nikkō) to wild mountain shrines accessible only by arduous pilgrimage trails.