Tokyo 2017: Zojoji Temple (増上寺)

In the shadow of Tokyo Tower is Zojoji Temple, which for whatever reason doesn’t seem to get much attention from the tourist horde. This relative lack of popularity means that you probably won’t have to deal with crowds should you decide to pay Zojoji a visit, which is something I’d recommend if you’ve got some spare time while in Tokyo. Zojoji was first built in 1393 and got moved to its current location in 1598 where it was made the official family temple of the ruling Tokugawa family. Unlike many other temples, Zojoji’s main hall was open to the public when I visited. It was nice to be able to get a few photos while inside a temple, though I tried to be discreet so as not to bother the people who appeared to be praying. In the back of Zojoji you can find the graves of several former shoguns and along the north side are several rows of small statues that are meant to honor miscarried and stillborn children. Visiting Zojoji was a surprising highlight of my first time in Tokyo and I made a point to return there when I was back in the city at the end of my trip.