Gokoku-ji Temple
Gokoku-ji is one of my favorite temples, because it’s home to the best graveyard, the best cats, and two of the strangest shrines in Tokyo. First, let’s go see the … Continue reading Gokoku-ji Temple
Category: Shrines & temples
Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple
This magnificent temple sacred to the Buddhist teacher Nichiren is most famous for its Oeshiki Ikegami parade (the Festival of 10,000 Lanterns) in October, but it’s also impressive at other … Continue reading Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple
Nezu Shrine
Yanaka is one of the best, undiscovered, Old Tokyo neighborhoods in town, filled with traditional shops and excellent shrines and temples. The Nezu Shrine is my favorite shrine in Tokyo. … Continue reading Nezu Shrine
Nanzo-in Temple: Home of the Shibarare Jizo
This gem of a temple is home to one of the more unusual Buddhist saints – the Shibarare (pronounced she-bah-rah-ray) Jizo. Legend has it that this saint has a gift for … Continue reading Nanzo-in Temple: Home of the Shibarare Jizo
Fukugawa Fudo-san Temple (Narita-san)
If you’d like to see a fire ceremony, make a wish at the dragon fountain, and say a prayer in the hall of the glow-in-the-dark saints, this is the temple for … Continue reading Fukugawa Fudo-san Temple (Narita-san)
The best shrines & temples in Tokyo
Everyone thinks you have to go to Kyoto to see beautiful shrines and temples, but Tokyo boasts some incredibly amazing ones if you know where to look. These are my … Continue reading The best shrines & temples in Tokyo
Gotoku-ji Temple
The lucky cat temple with a magnificent wooden pagoda, Gotoku-ji is a serene and uncrowded temple seldom visited by tourists. It’s a great place to see plum blossoms (Feb) and autumn leaves … Continue reading Gotoku-ji Temple
Kamakura Day Trip
Let’s get out of Tokyo for a day, and see some of the most entertaining shrines and temples in Japan. First, let’s go to the Zeni-Arai Benten Shrine and double our money. … Continue reading Kamakura Day Trip
Kamiya-cho Area
Kamiya-cho? Why would anyone want to get off the train at Kamiya-cho? Actually, from Kamiya-cho Station, we can walk to that incongruously orange replica of the EiffelTower and a temple … Continue reading Kamiya-cho Area
Kanda Myōjin Shrine
Sure, Kanda Myōjin is a gorgeous red and gold shrine, but the best part is that this is the place where comic book artists and anime auteurs come to pray … Continue reading Kanda Myōjin Shrine
Meiji Shrine
The Meiji Shrine has the most spectacular weddings, coming-of-age ceremonies, festivals and traditional events in town. Many people find it more beautiful than all the brightly lacquered shrines put together. This … Continue reading Meiji Shrine
Nishiarai-Daishi Temple
This off-the-beaten-path temple is famous for its peony gardens (April) and its wart-curing shrine, but it’s also a great place for seasonal festivals and markets that are not at all … Continue reading Nishiarai-Daishi Temple
Sasuke Inari Shrine
Tiny, moss-covered, fox villages make this shrine extra-magical. Walk through the shadowy tunnel of orange torii gates, and you’ll find yourself in another world. The shrine seems to grow out of the … Continue reading Sasuke Inari Shrine
Sengaku-ji Temple
You know the story of the 47 ronin? The samurai who avenged their lord, then were all ordered to commit ritual suicide? Well, this is the temple where they’re actually … Continue reading Sengaku-ji Temple
Yasukuni Shrine
This is a gorgeous, lively, maddeningly nationalistic, must-see Imperial shrine. If you follow Japanese news at all, every year you’ll hear about the Yasukuni Shrine. It’s the place where … Continue reading Yasukuni Shrine
Yushima Shrine
I love the Yushima shrine because it’s beautiful, and hosts some of the most stunning seasonal festivals in all of Tokyo. If you’re in Tokyo in March of November, the plum blossom … Continue reading Yushima Shrine
Zojo-ji Temple
I never get tired of visiting the avenues of Zojo-ji’s lovely, colorful Jizo figures with their spinning pinwheels. Zojo-ji Temple is also the site of seven shoguns’ graves and a fine place to … Continue reading Zojo-ji Temple
Tokyo beyond the guidebooks 