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Temple tour, gift exchange with Japanese leader highlight day 2 of Lee's visit to Japan

Published: 14 Jan. 2026, 18:03 Updated: 14 Jan. 2026, 19:40

Korean President Lee Jae Myung, right, and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pose for a commemorative photo on Jan. 14 at Horyuji Temple, a prominent cultural heritage site in Nara Prefecture, Japan, on Jan. 14. [YONHAP]

NARA, Japan — President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visited Horyuji Temple in Nara, Japan, on Wednesday, continuing their diplomatic outreach with a symbolic tour of one of Japan’s oldest religious sites.

Lee, on the second day of his state visit to Japan, arrived at the temple’s south gate at around 9:05 a.m., where Takaichi greeted him with a warm smile. After shaking hands, Lee remarked with a laugh, “Your hands are cold.”

Accompanied by the temple’s head monk, the two leaders toured the Kondo main hall, Japan’s oldest five-story wooden pagoda and the Kudara Kannon statue, which bears testament to ancient cultural exchanges between the two countries during Korea’s Baekje Kingdom (18 B.C. to A.D. 660).

Founded in 607, Horyuji's main hall is recognized as the world’s oldest wooden structure and the temple was designated Japan’s first Unesco World Heritage site in 1993. The temple retains strong influences of Baekje-era Buddhism and stands as a symbol of 1,500 years of Korea-Japan exchange.

In a gesture underscoring the importance of the visit, Japan opened a usually restricted storage chamber containing original wall paintings from the Kondo, which are under strict preservation management due to fire damage.

Following a summit the previous day that emphasized expanded bilateral cooperation, the leaders appeared relaxed and amicable on the second day.

“Do you come here often? I heard you even went on school trips here as a child,” Lee said to Takaichi. The prime minister, noting Lee’s sneakers, replied, “You wore those yesterday, too, didn’t you?”

After their tour, the two exchanged gifts. Lee presented the drum aficionado Takaichi — who played in a rock band during high school — with a set of Korean drums and sticks by local brand Markers Drum, along with red ginseng and powdered fermented soybean supplements. The custom drumsticks featured mother-of-pearl lacquerwork by a Korean master craftsperson.

Gifts prepared by Korean President Lee Jae Myung for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her husband include, from left: a drum, mother-of-pearl inlaid drumsticks, a traditional lacquered brassware dining set and a stone plate. [BLUE HOUSE]

The two leaders had bonded on Tuesday over a brief jam session, drumming along to “Golden,” an original song from the Netflix hit film “KPop Demon Hunters” (2025) and BTS’s “Dynamite” (2020). After the session, Lee said, “Even if our tempos differ, our hearts are in sync. Just like that, we’ll build a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship together.”

For Takaichi’s husband, Taku Yamamoto — a former lawmaker recovering from a stroke — Lee gifted a traditional Korean brassware dining set and a Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. According to the Blue House, the gifts were inspired by a well-known anecdote in which Yamamoto proposed to Takaichi by promising to cook for her for the rest of their lives.

“The gift reflects hopes for his full recovery and for many peaceful meals together again,” the Blue House said.

Takaichi, in return, gave Lee a Casio wristwatch with solar charging and navigation features, in recognition of his love for hiking. First lady Kim Hea Kyung received a set of traditional makeup brushes and a pouch made by Akashiya, a brush-maker based in Nara.

Japan also welcomed the Korean delegation with a hospitality kit at their accommodation, featuring monaka (Japanese dessert with bean paste sandwiched between thin wafers) from the 170-year-old Shiratamaya Eiju confectionery shop, with some made with persimmons, a specialty of Nara. The kit also featured a traditional dessert originally offered to the gods at Nara’s Kasuga-taisha shrine in the 8th century.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY OH HYUN-SEOK [[email protected]]