Tokyo in five places From fishing village to imperial capital, Japan’s biggest city has been repeatedly reimagined. CHRISTOPHER HARDINGpicks his must-visit sights
1 Meiji-jinguPaean to the new capital
For two and a half centuries from 1603, the city then known as Edo was the power base of the ruling Tokugawa shogun (military dictator) who effectively ruled Japan. But it was with the so-called Meiji Restoration of 1868 – and the resumption of direct imperial rule – that the seeds of modern Tokyo were sown. The Shinto Meiji-jingu (Meiji Shrine), completed in 1920, was built with Japanese cypress and copper in traditional nagare-zukuri style to honour the Meiji emperor who was the figurehead of that watershed moment.
The shrine was destroyed in the Second World War and subsequently rebuilt, and now comprises a beautiful compound; the Inner Garden contains the shrine of the emperor, who died in 1912, and his empress Shoken’s iris garden. Tokyo can feel quite overwhelming at first, just because of the sheer urban mass and intensity, so the Meiji Shrine, which sits in a serene forest, provides space for quiet reflection, as well as insights into the city’s Shinto heritage.
2 Senso-jiFirst temple
Vast swathes of central Tokyo were incinerated by US firebombing raids in March 1945, obliterating a host of historic sites along with enormous numbers of other buildings. An estimated 100,000 people lost their lives, and 10 times that number lost their homes. Many were subsequently rebuilt, though, and one essential monument to visit – a testament to Japan’s mixed religious and philosophical traditions – is the temple Senso-ji, also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple.
It’s the city’s oldest Buddhist temple, first built in the seventh century to house a tiny golden image of Kannon, goddess of mercy, reputedly caught in fishermen’s nets. Enter through the massive Kaminari-mon (Thunder Gate), guarded by fierce-looking deities and with a huge red lantern hanging in the centre. Incense swirls around the central hall, and it’s surrounded by little shops, stalls and traditional restaurants; there are also Shinto shrines in the temple grounds, as is common in many Buddhist temples. It’s a lovely, bustling place that gives a palpable sense of Tokyo’s Buddhist heritage.
