Best Architecture around Tokyo and Surroundings Spot List

A guardian shinto shrine in northern Shinagawa-shuku. Best known for its portable shrines during the annual Shinagawa Shrine Festival in June.

Known as the shinto shrine related to Yoshida Shoin, a samurai clan member of the Choshu Domain who had enormous influence on the movement to topple the Edo Shogunate during the mid-19th century. Now deified, he has become popular as a god of academic success.

Yushima-tenjin enshrines Amenotajikarao-no-mikoto, the god of better fortune and sports, and Michizane Sugawara, the god of learning and study. A number of famed scholars and writers visit this shrine.

The Nikko Tamozawa Imperial Villa is one of the largest of all wooden imperial villas to be erected during the Meiji Era. Today, guests can tour the inside of the villa as well as its yard.

This shrine is the object of strong faith as the local deity of Haneda. The Haneda Fuji, which was created due to the people's admiration for Mt. Fuji, is another highlight of the shrine's grounds.

This temple is the daihonzan (head temple) of the Kencho-ji Temple school of the Rinzai sect and ranks first among the Kamakura Gozan (Kamakura's Five Great Zen Temples). It has a number of national treasures, cultural assets, and historical structures. The Sanmon (three gates) are a must-see.

Built in 1926, this was the residence of a silk yarn trader. You can have tea there while feeling the season.

Zojo-ji is one of the seven Daihonzan (head temples) of Jodo-shu Buddhism and contains many designated Cultural Properties. It is also where the souls of the Tokugawa clan are mourned.

The gateway to Mt. Fuji, this shrine lets you purify body and mind in an atmosphere both solemn and cooling (you might even get a chance to see Shinto ceremonies like festivals, benedictions, or weddings!)

The National Diet Building is the center of law-making in Japan. Visitors can tour the building and observe the creativity and originality that were poured into the design of the building, including its stained glass windows and ceilings.

Famous since the Edo period (1603–1868) for its god of business prosperity. Site of the largest Tori no Ichi open-air market in Japan.

It is a large-scale conference and exhibition facility in Chiba Prefecture. The facility is bustling with big events in culture, arts, and sports.

Akasaka Palace, or the State Guest House, is a neo baroque-style building with a stately, gorgeous look. It welcomes state and official guests from all over the world.

A stock exchange that offers tours. It is a symbol of Japanese economy where an estimated 61,000 people visit annually.

A house built in late Taisho era, after the Great Kanto Earthquake, as a residence for foreigners.

A shrine that has a beautiful vermilion-lacquered shrine pavilion from the Edo period. It is also called Sanja Gongen (in honor of three men who founded the temple), and the Sanja Matsuri held in May is one of the Three Great Festivals of Edo (now Tokyo).

A significant cultural property with the feel of Edo/Tokyo. Richly decorated with gold foils, the magnificent main building also known as the ”shrine of gold” is astounding.

A Nichiren Buddhist temple housing Kishimojin (Hariti), the deity of easy childbirth. Steeped in nature, Kishimojin-do has been a popular site for viewing cherry blossoms since the Edo period (1603-1868).

Classical Zen Buddhist temple with gardens designed by Muso Kokushi. Enjoy the maple trees and seasonal flowers.

The temple is the oldest one in Kamakura, founded by a high priest called Gyoki. Its principal image of worship is the three figures of eleven-faced Kan'non, and the temple ground is covered with various flowers throughout the seasons.