Best Shrines around Tokyo and Surroundings Spot List

This is a historical shrine built as so-chinju (the general Shinto deity of an area) of Edo, present-day Tokyo. It is crowded with visitors wishing for the prosperity of business, family happiness, and good matchmaking.

This shrine has a long history, going back to the time when Yugawara was developed by Shigeyuki Kaganosuke Futami and others. It is said that when Yoritomo Minamoto raised an army in Izu, Sanehira Jiro Doi, the head of the powerful local clan, prayed for his master Yoritomo's victory and offered the sword he carried at his waist to the shrine. The Myojin-no-kusunoki camphor tree spreads its branches by the side of the prefectural road. This tree is estimated to be over 800 years old and has a root circumference of 15.6 meters. An inner section of the trunk has decayed and been reinforced with concrete, which has been used to house a guardian deity. Access: From Yugawara Station, take the bus headed to Okuyugawara or Fudo-Taki for about 5 minutes The shrine is next to the Gosho Jinja bus stop

Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun of the Tokugawa family in the Edo period, established Sanjusangen-do for the peace in the country, national security, and tempering martial arts. The hall built after the manner of ones in Kyoto became the beginning of Yasaki-inari. The name Yasaki also came from ”yumi” (a bow) and ”ya” (an arrow). Fukurokuju (god of happiness, wealth, and long life) of the seven deities is placed at the right side of the worship hall in front of the main building.

Tenshozan Shrine was founded in 1931. It honors the Japanese gods Ameterasu, Sarutahiko, and Taisei, and people from all over Japan come for the festival held each year on May 22, briefly creating a lively atmosphere. Located deep within the forest, the shrine comes alive in each season with flowers and foliage. Access: From Yugawara Station, take the bus headed to Motohakone for about 40 minutes The shrine is a 30-minute walk from the Shitodo-no-Iwaya Iriguchi bus stop