Tokyo Walk: Temples & shrines of Asakusa (Part 2)
Continuing the visit to the temples and shrines of Asakusa. First, Imado Shrine, which claims to be the birthplace of the maneki neko (beckoning cat).
walk
Tokyo Walk: Temples & shrines of Asakusa (Part 1)
Asakusa has a large number of shrines and temples in easy walking distance from each other. There is even a pilgrimage of the 7 Lucky Gods, where you can go through a few of those shrines and collect stamps along the way. For myself, I did my own pilgrimage last April. Starting in Uguisudani, the least used station of the JR Yamanote line and finishing at Senso-ji, I visited:
- Onoterusaki Shrine
- Otori Shrine
- Benten Pond
- Yoshiwara Shrine
- Tobi Fudoson Temple
- Ishihama Shrine
- Hashiba Fudoson Temple
Lake Kawaguchi in spring & Fuji Omuro Sengen Shrine
After the boat ride, I walked on the north bank of Lake Kawaguchi until I reached the Fuji Omuro Sengen Shrine, Mount Fuji’s oldest shrine. I then took a bus to the train station.
Kanmangafuchi Abyss path in Nikko
After Mount Toyama, I headed towards Kanmangafuchi Abyss (憾満ヶ淵), a short riverside trail in a gorge not far from the World Heritage sites. It is also known for its 70 Jizo stone statues.
Tokyo Walk: Kameido / Sarue Onshi Park / Yokojukkengawa Water Park / Kiba Park
After visiting Kameido Shrine, I went on a walk along the Yokojukken Canal until I reached Kiba Park.
Kyoto walk: Imperial Park / Kamo River / Higashiyama
On my last day in Kyoto, I went on a random walk: I passed through the Imperial Park, walked along the Kamo River and visited the Higashiyama neighbourhood.
Kyoto
I finally visited Kyoto (as well as Osaka and Nara) this week.
I took the Shinkansen in Tokyo on Monday morning and arrived a bit more than 2 hours later in Kyoto. I walked from the train station to Sanjusangendo Temple and its 1000 statues of Kannon. Then I continued to Kiyomizudera Temple. Part of it is currently undergoing renovation so I could not visit all the buildings. I walked for a bit in the area (known as Higashiyama) and visited the Ryozen Kannon war memorial as well as the Kodai-ji Temple and its zen garden. I then made my way to the Yasaka Shrine and then on to the huge Heian Shrine. After that, I took the bus to Ginkaku-ji Temple (“Temple of the Silver Pavilion”). Not having reached temple overload yet, I ended the day at Kinkaku-ji Temple (“Temple of the Golden Pavilion”). Contrary to the Silver Pavilion (not actually covered in silver), this one is indeed plated with gold leaf. I then went back to my hotel, near Kyoto train station.
Tokyo walk: Asakusa / Oyokogawa Shinsui Park / Kinshicho / Kiba / Toyosu
After visiting Senso-ji, I went for a walk in the area of Tokyo east of the Sumida River.
Rainbow Bridge: Crossing Tokyo Bay on foot
The Rainbow Bridge is a 798-meter long bridge crossing Tokyo Bay between Shibaura and Odaiba. It is accessible to pedestrians and can be used to cross the Bay on foot, all the way to Odaiba.
The Great Buddha of Mount Nokogiri
Last week, I went on a day trip to Mount Nokogiri (Nogiriyama). It is a small mountain (329m) on the south of the Boso Pensinsula in Chiba Prefecture. It hosts the Buddhist Nihon-ji temple, famous for its 31m stone-carved Daibutsu (Great Buddha), as well as a 100-foot Kannon relief image and 1500 hand-carved arhat sculptures. There are also observatories with a great view of the surrounding mountains and Tokyo Bay (although the heat made the scenery a bit hazy).