Nishiki Tenmangū Shrine

Nishiki Tenmangū Shrine was founded in 1003. It was originally located at the birthplace of Sugawara no Michizane—a 9th-century aristocrat who posthumously became a deity in the Japanese pantheon, the much-revered (and feared) god of academia known as Tenjin. It was later relocated in the 16th century to the eastern edge of Kyoto’s bustling Nishiki Market, earning its prefix.

The shrine is notable for its ill-positioned torii arch. At first, it merely served as the shrineÆs entrance. Then, when the street was constructed, the upper edges of the arch had to be incorporated into the surrounding buildings, because the arch was sacred and couldn't be altered. If you look closely at the buildings’ upper-floor windows, you may notice that the edges of the torii are stuck right inside their walls, an easily-missed but bizarre detail.

That's not the only unusual attraction that Nishiki-Tenmangu has to offer. There are a few glass cases containing fortune-telling robot lions, which start dancing to kagura music when they sense someone approaching. When you insert a coin in the machine, you can choose from six options including general fortune, romantic fortune, for children, or in English. The robot lion will then bring you a piece of paper with your fortune written on it. There is also a kamishibai robot that tells the history of the shrine using a series of illustrated cards.