The Monzen-Nakacho area isn’t mentioned on many must-go lists because most visitors don’t know about the neighborhood’s highly entertaining temple, the shrine that’s the birthplace of sumo wrestling, and (in late March to early April) one of the best hidden cherry blossom spots in Tokyo.
This is a true undiscovered gem of an Old Tokyo neighborhood. It’s got a very entertaining temple, a shrine that’s the birthplace of sumo wrestling, and one of the best secret cherry blossom walks in Tokyo.
Let’s start with at the Narita-san Fukagawa Fudo temple!
See the giant sandal to the right of the stairs? This temple has been a pilgrimage destination for centuries, and those tiny sandals tied to the big one are offerings made by those who have traveled from afar to pay homage to Fudō-san (the big scary-looking figure with the flames).
Fire ceremonies are held in the traditional copper-roofed temple building to the right; and the hall of 10,000 Fudo figures is in the modern building to the left.
They used to welcome everyone to attend the fire ceremonies, but because of disrespectful behavior by tourists, access for foreign visitors is now limited to those with approved tour guides. Here’s the fire ceremony that’s happening inside that building, in case you you’d like to book a tour.
Lucky for us, we can still go into other parts of the temple!
Inside the big modern cube next door to the main temple building—the one with the Fudō sutra written all over the outside in giant Sanskrit characters—is a fantastic winding corridor lined floor to ceiling with 10,000 crystal figures of Fudo-san. See the 108 giant round beads on the wall? It’s a huge Buddhist rosary, and the devout can pray as they walk along, beneath the gaze of the many Fudo-sans.
The ten thousand tiny statues are carved from the same 700-year-old cedar as the giant Fudo figure at the entrance. Each of these crystal figures can be sponsored as a memorial for a departed loved one.
Now let’s detour upstairs and see the room with the glow-in-the-dark saints
Back outside, let’s not leave before we make a wish at the dragon fountain! The three Shenzen dragons are said to grant wishes written on special paper you can buy for ¥100, if they dissolve completely in the fountain. See the ones floating on top of the water, near the end?
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And if we happen to be in Monzen Nakacho at the right time of year…
Late March to early April
Let’s walk to the bridges crossing the canal by the station to see one of the best (and least crowded) displays of cherry blossoms in all of Tokyo.
Here’s how they look during the day…
But this lovely walk along the canal becomes even lovelier…
as the lanterns strung in the trees are lit at dusk…
and shine on into the night until 21:00.
Next, let’s head down the street to the Tomioka Shrine, which is a big red and gold one, with imposing torii gates to mark the entrances.
This shrine was actually the birthplace of sumo wrestling in 1684. This is the “Yokozuna Stone” where they perform the ceremony to grant a winning wrestler the highest level of sumo status.
On the path leading to this small sub-shrine, I discovered a particularly beautiful kind of late-blooming cherry
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And here are the other places I take my friends when they come to town
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 