My wife likes temples, especially old Buddhist temples. In China that means clouds of incense smoke that do bad things to my allergies, are we likely to run into this in Japan, also?

Yes. Perhaps not as intense but definitely present.

Hi,

I like the incense smell but at the major temples in tokyo found it more pungent at weekends and during festival periods ( after New Year for example) but abmj-jr said it will be around.

Regards

TBS

If you react to the incense in Japan, you might try wearing a hay-fever mask when visiting temples. They're fairly inexpensive and available at convenience stores and drug stores - It makes sense to spend a few cents for a no nonsense way to stop sensing the incense.

Drum roll! jib71 will be here all week, don't forget to tip the waitress.

Ba-dum-tisss!

I think you mean a few "sens", no?

Most temples have a switch at main entrance (門) where you can turn the incense smoke off.

When you're visiting a temple, you may hear something that sounds like a crow. It is, in fact, the sound of the senior monks demonstrating to the junior monks how to place the incense: お香をこう置こう

It's the gift that keeps on giving! Boy is on a roll!

I feel guilty for derailing the thread. Back to serious advice -
- At some temples you'll see a large incense burner in the temple grounds (exterior) - with people pulling smoke over themselves as a purification ritual. It will have clouds of incense around it but you can usually get past without going too close, and there isn't so much incense inside.
- Not all temples are alike. Some are like parks with clean air (e.g. Kinkakuji in Kyoto) and others like crowded bazaars with competing smells from all sides (e.g. Sensoji in Tokyo). Little neighborhood temples can be very tranquil spaces with not much going on.
- When funerals and other rites are being performed, quite a lot of incense is burned, so you might want to avoid entering rooms where you see people participating in a ceremony.
- Buy a face mask and some antihistamines. Wearing a mask is not seen as eccentric in Japan.
- Carry a spare jacket or sweater, so that you can change your outer layer after leaving a smoky place.

Even if they don't have a reaction to incense, many tourists find that they quickly tire of visiting temples. Fortunately, there are many other sites to visit, and for the most part, Japanese people do not use strong scents in buildings or on themselves.

I went to Kiyomizudera a couple years ago on a really busy day (mind you, it's always sort of busy there). That main deck there was extremely smokey with incense, far more than I'm ever used to. My jacket smelled for days, more like charcoal than insense. Like jib said, not all temples are alike. But if you go to a really busy one and smell trouble, just stay away from the smoke.

Technically I do not think it is "allergies to incense" that are bothering you.
Incense is like smoke - not a real allergic reaction; an irritant reaction
I am not sure how much an antihistamine will help you.
I would wear a mask - if you really want protection get the N-95 type - more expensive but worth it
Get a plastic poncho that you can put over your clothes and take it down when you are done with the visit. bring a bag to place it in a bag and seal it.
When you get back to the hotel, in addition to a shower (including shampoo hair) before you go to sleep, do regular nose washes with saline/bicarb combo (available in little packets easy to carry)

I don't know how I missed that there were replies. I did a search to see what happened and find I have 13 answers!

As for masks--the ones that actually stick to your face would work, but they're utterly single use--once you unstick them (even to take a drink) they don't stick very well. The regular ones let too much past them, they're useless. Antihistamines are also completely useless for me, whatever is going on isn't a true allergy.

And it's not the smoke per se, it's the smell. Walking past the scented candles section in a store can mess me up for an hour or two--and those are simply sitting there in their packages.