The term "temple", when used in reference to structures in Japan, is associated with structures belonging to Buddhism. Buddhism was introduced to Japan through trade contacts with China and Korea in the sixth century and in comparison to other waves of faith in the world, it was taken in fairly easily. Well, of course there were disputes, but there wasn’t a massive war or religious cleansing which can be found in other parts of world history. Buddhas and Bodhisattva can be passed off as another embodiment of Shinto deities, a fun fact which can be found often if there is a shrine to local deities with a temple nearby.
A common understanding of Japanese culture states that the Japanese "are born by Shinto and die by Buddhism". This is actually correct. Ceremonies regarding birth and marriage in Japan take place at Shinto shrines, but according to Shinto, death is an unholy thing and is not something which is allowed to be interacted with by the living. For this reason, until Buddhism was introduced, there was no singular location or palace for the King of Japan; there are many many sites in the Kansai plain where these ancient mansions are found. With Buddhism, death is a natural part of life and a cleansing ritual is all that is needed to help the spirit of the dead find enlightenment while removing the physical area left behind of any blights. To this affect, to pray for the dead, one prays at a Buddhist temple.
Buddhist temples are often very easy to identify both by name and by architecture. By name, they will end with "-ji" or with "dera", both of which are readings of the character 寺. Occasionally one might find a place that ends with "-in", but those are often found when referring to a hall within a temple complex. However, any temple which ends with the “-in” title, was once a building serving another perpose, likely the home of a lord or emperor before being converted into a temple. By architecture, temples usually adorn the roofs with tiles and the wood used to construct the complex is stained for longevity. Also, if you see a rock garden or a pagoda: temple.
There are many souveniers which can be purchased at temples across Japan. First and foremost are souvenirs which mainly consist of good luck charms and the like. These items are often very affordable and are unique to the temple where it was purchased. If the temple has a specific deity which it is known for, images and such of that deity are available for any and all private forms of worship at home. Another souvenir which is highly recommended is the goshuinchô, an item which I have added a page about for greater detail.
Many temples will have incense pits in front of the main hall. These incense pits are large metal containers usually already filled with piles of ash from years of contributions from visitors. Visitors can purchase a roll of incense usually for 100 yen, which is then lit and added to the pit. Be careful not to blow on the incense since breath is considered tainted or unholy and will be seen as bad luck rather than good. The smoke from incense is supposed to bring good luck and health, so visitors waft the smoke over their heads and to areas that they would like healed. Just be careful of wind direction, otherwise you'll be like me on my first try and be wafting smoke to your eyes to get healed following the burning sensation we all love from smoke.
Also, a warning. Western visitors will probably get a bit of culture shock when they see the number of swastikas all around Japan. DO NOT PANIC!!!!!! It is understandable that many might view this symbol as a symbol of hate and violence at the hands of the Nazi party in Germany. Though Japan was allied with Germany in WWII, this symbol is not analogous. In Japan, this symbol is called a Manji and is almost the exact opposite in meaning of the German swastika. The manji is essentially the wheel of life with the two vertical arms representing the connection between heaven and earth while the horizontal arms connect light and dark. This symbol is of Hindu origin and embodies how life flows on while keeping everything connected. Visitors will find this symbol on maps to represent the location of a temple, they may be present on souvenirs from temple shops, and they will be on objects around and in the temple. If as a visitor you cannot stand the site of this symbol, it would be best to stick to tourists sites of popular culture rather than historical and spiritual culture in Japan. It is good to know what the swastika means in a Western society, but the manji is far older than Westen culture and is benign in Buddhist society.
