Nezu Shrine

Nezu-jinja sits in the Yanaka old-town pocket between Ueno Park and the Imperial University — an Edo-era Shinto shrine that survived WWII bombing and the post-war redevelopment that reshaped most of the city. The grounds hold a small senbon-torii (100-gate tunnel), a wooden main hall from 1706, and an azalea garden that explodes in the last week of April.

What to Expect

Enter through the south gate, walk past the carp pond and the main hall (the woodwork still has its original red lacquer), then take the path uphill to the senbon-torii — a smaller, quieter Tokyo cousin of Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari, 100m of vermilion gates descending the hillside. The azalea garden behind it (¥300) holds 3,000 plants of 100 varieties; peak bloom is the last week of April through Golden Week.

Allow 45 minutes for the shrine, 30 more if azaleas are open. Combine with a Yanaka neighbourhood walk for a half-day of old-Tokyo atmosphere.

How to Get There

Tips

• Late-April azalea festival. Tsutsuji Matsuri, last week of April → Golden Week. Crowded by Tokyo standards but still nothing like Meiji-jingu.
• Walk down to Yanaka Ginza. 15 minutes south, an Edo-period shopping street with old-school food stalls and cats in residence.
• Combine with Tokyo University Hongo campus. 10 min west; the 1925 Yasuda Auditorium is one of the prettiest pre-war buildings in Tokyo.
• Photograph the senbon-torii at sunrise. Empty 06:00–08:00; light filters through the vermilion gates.

FAQ