Dongguksa, founded in 1909, is the only surviving Japanese-style Buddhist temple in Korea today. Set beside a traditional Korean temple, the contrast is immediately obvious — none of the vividly painted dancheong ornamentation typical of Korean temple architecture, low and gently sloping eaves, and an unusually large number of windows. That's because the building faithfully follows Japanese temple architectural conventions rather than Korean ones.
During the colonial period, various sects of Japanese Buddhism established mission temples across Korea, but most of these were demolished or repurposed after liberation. That Dongguksa survives intact today is, if anything, the exception rather than the rule. It now functions as an active temple under Korea's Jogye Order of Buddhism — meaning the building's exterior is Japanese, while the religious practice happening inside it is Korean Buddhism, a layered, slightly contradictory scene. It's also the quietest stop on the Time Travel Village walking route, a good place to slow down for a moment amid the crowds of visitors elsewhere in the neighborhood.