Temple Town of Yanaka

Yanaka, located to the north of Ueno, is a district where more than 60 small Buddhist temples are situated around Yanaka Cemetery. There are many other temple towns in Tokyo, but none are of this size and at the same time were able to escape being destroyed in the Second World War, though most of the buildings in Yanaka don't date back to the feudal times since this district became a battle field during the civil war of 1868.

Kyu-Yoshida Saketen

Kyu-Yoshida Saketen, now used as a house museum (下町風俗資料館付設展示場), was the shop building of a sake seller constructed in 1910.

Ueno Sakuragi Atari

Here at Ueno Sakuragi Atari, three former houses constructed in 1938 are converted into shops and a community space.

Ichijoji Temple

Ichijoji Temple (一乗寺) is a Nichiren Buddhist temple. Its complex is pretty large for a temple of this size.

SCAI THE BATHHOUSE

SCAI THE BATHHOUSE is an art gallery which converted a former bathhouse completed in 1951.

Zuirinji Temple

Zuirinji (瑞輪寺) is a Nichiren Buddhist temple. Substantial part of Buddhist temples in Yanaka belong to the Nichiren sect, and Zuirinji assumes the central role among these Nichiren Buddhist temples.

Enjuji Temple

Enjuji (延寿寺) is a Nichiren Buddhist temple. You can take a look inside Nichikado, where a monk of the 14th century called Nichika is enshrined as a deity which is said to protect worshippers' sound walking. Inside, a lot of ema with traditional shoes are hung on the wall.

Rengeji Temple

Rengeji (蓮華寺) is a Nichiren Buddhist temple across the street from Enjuji Temple.

Ishin'in Temple

Ishin'in (頤神院) is a Rinzai Zen temple with relatively fine buildings.

Chokyuin Temple

Chokyuin (長久院) is a Shingon Buddhist temple with relatively neat precincts.

Daienji Temple

Daienji (大円寺) is a small Nichiren Buddhist temple. Its main hall has two entrances in the front since it enshrines two deities.

Myoenji Temple

Myoenji (妙円寺) is a Nichiren Buddhist temple with relatively large grounds for a temple in this area.

Kannonji Temple

Kannonji (観音寺) is a Shingon Buddhist temple. Its tsuijibei wall is a land mark of Yanaka.

Ryusenji Temple

Ryusenji (竜泉寺) is a Nichiren Buddhist temple.

Yanaka Cemetery

Yanaka Reien (谷中霊園) is a public cemetery. It's a little famous for its cherry blossoms in spring. There are also large tombs of feudal lords left in the middle of it.
For details, see the article on Yanaka Reien Cemetery.

Tennoji Temple

Tennoji (天王寺) is a Tendai Buddhist temple. Though it's not a large temple now, the most part of the modern-day Yanaka Cemetery used to be part of its precincts until the end of the Edo Period.
It was initially founded in 1274 as a Nichiren Buddhist temple, but it belonged to a school which declared it would neither receive from nor offer to nonbelievers even those in power. As a result, this school was declared, along with Christianity, anti-regime and illegal by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1669. Thus, the monk of this temple was marooned and the temple itself was forced to convert their religion in 1698.

Asakura Museum of Sculpture

Asakura Museum of Sculpture (朝倉彫塑館) used to be the residence and studio of sculptor Asakura Fumio. The studio is in Western-style and the residence is in Japanese style. There're small but beautiful gardens, also.
For detailes, see the article on Asakura Museum of Sculpture.

Kyooji Temple

Kyooji (経王寺) is a Nichiren Buddhist temple with well-maintained precincts.

Enmeiin Temple

Enmeiin (延命院) is a Nichiren Buddhist temple with a fine building.

Yofukuji Temple

Yofukuji Temple is a Shingon Buddhist temple. It's the only temple in the district to conserve a Niomon, a type of gate which houses a pair of statues of guardian divinities Nio.

Suwa Shrine

Suwa Jinja (諏方神社), situated almost next to JR Nishi-Nippori Station, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the spiritual guardian of the Yanaka and Nippori district.

Other photos

Below are photos taken along the blue-lined route shown on the map at the bottom of this page. This blue line is the route I recommend.