Shrines and temples are free to walk into, cheap to enter properly, and full of small procedures nobody explains. The phrases here cover tickets, opening hours, and the two questions that stop a visit going wrong: may I photograph this, and may I go in.

Photography is the usual mistake. Grounds are almost always fine; main halls, statues and treasure houses often are not, and the sign saying so may be only in Japanese. Asking shashin wa daijoubu desu ka takes two seconds and is never taken badly.