Zojo-ji Temple

Zojo-ji Temple is a beautiful and peaceful place right in the heart of Tokyo. The contrast between the traditional temple architecture and Tokyo Tower in the background is truly unique and makes this spot very special. The grounds are well maintained, calm, and perfect for a quiet walk away from the city noise. It’s an excellent place to experience Japanese culture and history, and also a great location for photography. Highly recommended for visitors who want a mix of tradition and modern Tokyo.

A beautiful and emotional experience- having lost our precious daughter a few months ago- Zozo-ji Temple granted us a space to pray and grieve our daughter. They have a dedicated Mizuko Jizo- a Buddhist monk who postponed his enlightenment to care for all the lost water babies, such as our sweet girl. There is a Garden of Unborn Children as well, dedicated to other families who have lost heir babies too soon. Thank you for honouring what we have lost. I will hold this visit forever in my heart.

Zojo-ji Temple offers a peaceful and meaningful escape in the heart of Tokyo, beautifully blending history with the modern city around it. The temple grounds feel calm and spiritual, making it a perfect place to slow down and reflect. What makes the experience even more special is the contrast between the traditional architecture of Zojo-ji and the nearby Tokyo Tower rising behind it. In front of the temple, the small shopping and food area adds a pleasant local touch, offering snacks, souvenirs, and a chance to rest after exploring the grounds. This combination of culture, scenery, and everyday life makes Zojo-ji a truly memorable stop in Tokyo.

Zojo-ji Temple is such a beautiful and peaceful spot right in the middle of Tokyo. You can actually see Tokyo Tower rising behind the temple—it’s such a stunning view and makes for the perfect photo moment. The temple grounds are quiet and well-kept, and there’s this lovely mix of history and calm that makes you want to slow down and just take it all in. We got our goshuin here and even picked up a goshuincho belt, which was such a nice surprise! Definitely worth a visit if you’re exploring the area—it’s a perfect blend of culture, history, and those iconic Tokyo vibes.

This is a really cool temple in the middle of the Tokyo metropolis. The juxtaposition between modern and traditional is fascinating and beautiful. I was lucky to witness a local family participating in a religious ceremony for their children at the temple, and it was very beautiful. If you are in the area, this is a great way to spend your time in this neighborhood.

Important temple for Tokyo (Edo), very close to Tokyo Tower (NB - not Skytree). Peaceful, a great place for meditation (at least early in the morning, at 9-10 am, as not many visitors were around when I went there). The famous Tokugawa family had their cemetery here (not Tokugawa Ieyasu, but 6 other shoguns)

A beautiful temple that was not busy at all when we went. Had amazing views of the Tokyo Tower (which was about a five minute walk away). The statues were very cute, even though it was a sad reason for having them. highly recommend this temple that is not crowded!

Zozoji is a significant Buddhist temple located very near Tokyo Tower. The temple has a graveyard where many of the Tokugawa family are buried. The temple was established by the family. You would also notice many Jizu statues, representing protectors of children who died before their parents including miscarried babies. The temple is complex is quite big and is usually one of the more visited temples in the area.

On the days when my family wanted to shop during our trip to Tokyo in Dec 2023, I used my free time for sightseeing and made my way over to Zozoji Temple (ZT), a Buddhist temple that is next to Tokyo Tower in Minato Ward. I'm making up for lost time during my years living in Japan where I never really took the opportunity to explore Tokyo. Back them my trips to Tokyo were primarily for business and when done, I hopped on a train and immediately headed back to Fukui. There are many places I had bookmarked in Tokyo and ZT was one of them. It was easy to get here from my hotel in Ikebukuro by catching the JR Yamanote Line. It was a clear and chilly morning with blue skies on the day I came here and pleased that it wasn't overly crowded as some tourist spots in Tokyo. I appreciated the large Shiba Park that's around the temple as you could take in the freshness of Mother Nature. However, for me I really loved the Jizo statues, or known as the Guardians of Children. There were many, many rows of these cute statues where people would come to pray for their children and grandchildren, including those unborn, aborted, miscarried and stillborn babies. Most of them were dressed and decorated with red hats, colorful bibs, and ornaments/toys next to them. Some people may not appreciate such places like ZT but for me, I find inner peace when visiting temples. I am immediately brought back to my younger days where my paternal grandmother would hold my hand and take me along to Buddhist temples in Hawaii. Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines both hold a special place in my heart. It was difficult to take a bad photo here on a clear day. You can easily capture moments of ZT with Tokyo Tower included. I was very fortunate for the excellent morning the day I came here with such beautiful blue skies. Overall, this was a great first visit to ZT where I was able to check off another place bookmarked. I was able to walk over to Tokyo Tower after visiting ZT. The trip to ZT is worthy of a visit in my books.

Zoujoji temple belongs Joudoshu and is the one of their head temples. And, this is a very famous tourist spot in Tokyo. It is near Tokyo tower which is a famous landmark. So, we can see both of them from in front of Zoujoji temple. Its scene is splendid and really cool. They have a huge precincts and there are many historical buildings. I recommend to visit here strongly. And they have a treasures gallery, too. It's under the main temple and the staircase of the entrance of it is the front right side of the main temple. We can access here by walking from Daimon station and it takes about 10 minutes. Daimon station is on Oedo line or Asakusa line. We can get "Goshuin" (handwritten sign and stamp of temples and shrines) at here. If you want it, you should visit Goshuin window inside Ankokuden temple as the auxiliary temple on the right side by the main temple. At there, they offer some versions of Goshuin. But, in case of you don't order especially, they offer Goshuin of the main principal image of Buddha. Another version is Goshuin of Edo celebrated 33 Kannon temples pilgrimage. This temple belongs the 21st place of it. If you want this version, then you have to tell to want it to a staff. They charge 300 yen per one. And more, we can get Namuamidabutsu version when we make a handwritten copy of a short sutra. This version charges 500 yen. In addition, they have an original Goshuin book of the temple and it charges 1200 yen. When you buy the collecting book at here, then you can start to collect Goshuin from here. Details about Goshuin is below. http://60ee3107.starfree.jp/goshuin.html By the way, this temple belongs the one of the place of Keihin 4 Head temples pilgrimage and the 16th place of Gofunai Enkodaishi pilgrimage, also. If you want to know about these pilgrimage, you would click the link below. http://60ee3107.starfree.jp/goshuin/index.html As a notice, we can get another Goshuin at inside the treasures gallery. The yelp's page of Zoujoji treasures gallery is below. https://www.yelp.co.jp/biz/GcsetFqgPcbU22aRPxYNwQ?uid=FPip2_RPK0iDS00IFHfYUA&utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct) 東京の観光地として有名な増上寺です。 増上寺は浄土宗の大本山です。 東京タワーのすぐ近くにあり、増上寺の本堂と東京タワーが一緒に眺められる絶景スポットです。 また、増上寺の前は箱根駅伝のコースになっていて、お正月には箱根駅伝のランナーと増上寺を一緒に眺める事も出来ます。 境内はとても広く、たくさんの歴史的建造物があります。 本堂の地下には宝物展示室もあります。 宝物展示室の入口への階段は本堂右手前にあります。 まわって歩くだけでも楽しめますのでぜひ一度は訪れてみて下さい。 なお、増上寺へは大江戸線、浅草線の大門駅から歩いて10分くらいで辿り着けます。 御朱印は本堂右側にある安国殿の中で頂戴出来ます。 御朱印所がありますので、そちらで申し出て下さい。 特に何も言わない場合は御本尊である黒本尊の御朱印を授与して下さいます。 なお、増上寺は江戸三十三観音霊場の第二十一番札所になっていますので、その霊場の御朱印も申し出れば頂戴する事が出来ます。 志納金は各300円です。 さらに、一筆写経をする事で南無阿弥陀佛の御朱印も受け取る事が出来ます。 そちらは書き置きでの授与になりますが、せっかくですので一筆写経をしてみるのも良いかと思います。 一筆写経と御朱印代合わせて500円になります。 また、増上寺オリジナル御朱印帳も販売されています。 御朱印代としての志納金は300円、御朱印帳は1200円でした。 なお、増上寺は京浜四大本山巡りの巡礼所になっています。 さらに、御府内円光大師二十五ヶ所霊場の第十六番札所にもなっています。 これらの巡礼については、下のリンク先にまとめてありますので、そちらをご覧下さい。 http://60ee3107.starfree.jp/goshuin/index.html ちなみに、増上寺宝物展示室に入るとさらに別の御朱印を頂く事が出来ます。 興味のある方は下記のリンク先ページをご覧下さい。 https://www.yelp.co.jp/biz/GcsetFqgPcbU22aRPxYNwQ?uid=FPip2_RPK0iDS00IFHfYUA&utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct) 御朱印については下記のリンク先にまとめてあります。 http://60ee3107.starfree.jp/goshuin.html

Over 600 years of history here, this place has strong tie with Tokugawa shogun and edo period, a good place to come for those who enjoy Edo period history and also a good place to take pictures. I came here before work while in town and wished if I could be late for my meeting. Photogenic place when and temple and the tower get together but made it more photogenic when added cheery blossoms. Short walk from both JR Hamamatsu cho station and Metro Oedo line Daimon station (I walked from Shiodomeas I didn't want to ride a crowded train), come and enjoy the edo history and the view.

This temple is called ZOJOJI TEMPLE, not Zojo Temple. I hope Yelp makes the correction because this temple should be called by it's proper name. I see some Yelpers calling this temple "Zojo" after seeing how the name is spelled here and it's perpetuating the erroneous; this place deserves more respect with its 626 year history - Zojoji Temple was founded in 1393 but relocated to this area in 1590. It's amazing to learn that after 429 years of fires, natural disasters and WW II, the only original structure is the Sangedatsu Gate; the temples and mausoleums have been rebuilt. On the temple grounds are the Ojizou-san or Ojizo-sama statues of little figures wearing red hats and red bibs. These are all symbols of protection for the unborn/stillborn babies who died before coming to this world. Each statue is a real memorial, and the child's name is written on it so they should not be handled or touched unless by family or the groundskeepers. The grounds are a photographer and history buff's dream, and you can spend all day here enjoying the street food, the views, the plants, the temples and Tokyo Tower in the distance (easy walking distance, it's right across the street). Admission was completely free as we walked around the grounds and did not enter into any of the temples.

If you are heading to Tokyo Tower, right across the street is the Zojoji Temple. The Buddhist temple is located in the Shiba neighborhood of Minato, Tokyo and it is the Great Main Temple of the Chinzei branch of Jodo-shu Buddhism. Back in 1393, the Zojoji temple was founded as an orthodox and fundamental nembutsu seminary for Jodo shu. The temple was relocated to its present site in 1598 after Ieyasu Tokugawa, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, entered Edo (which is now known as Tokyo) in 1590 to establish the provincial government. The temple served as the family temple of the Tokugawa family but as many temples in Japan were destroyed by air raids during World War II, Zojoji has been rebuilt and serves as the main temple of Jodo shu and the central nembutsu seminary for priests and novices. The only structure left from the Edo Period is the Sangedatsumon (Main Gate) which was built in 1622. Six of the 15 Tokugawa shoguns are buried at Zozo-ji and there is a garden with stone statues of children which represent unborn children, including miscarried, aborted and stillborn children.  Parents can choose a statue and dress them up in small clothing and toys and often come with a gift for Jizo, the guardian of unborn children, to ensure they are brought to the afterlife.

!Wow wow woW! I know many travelers around here go to Tokyo tower but they should check out this historical temple. Admission: Free. Location: Between Tokyo tower and Daimon station.

My first review of 2015! Hatsumode at Zojoji Temple. Where to go for my "hatsumode" (first prayer of the year)? I was still undecided on whether to go to a Shinto Shrine or Buddhist Temple. Now, hold on. Isn't that funny? Do people in other countries as they are leaving their home to pray decide on the religion on the fly? Does anyone say "Boy, should I pray at a mosque, Catholic Church, or Buddhist temple today?" Well, this is common for many Japanese people. Not all, but pretty common. Many choose the place to pray without knowing the teachings of that temple or shrine. I decided on Zojoji for the follow reasons: 1) Close to home 2) Not as crowded as Meiji Jingu or Asakusa 3) The view with Tokyo Tower as the backdrop is nice. In the morning of January 1, there was absolutely no wait. No security with loud speakers doing crowd control. Very peaceful, yet, festive. A monkey performer was making her monkey perform tricks. A bunch of food stalls were out, selling Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki, grilled corn, etc. Perfect. Before leaving home: Don't forget to bring last year's good luck charms. Yes, they expire. You cannot just dump it in a garbage can, so you bring it to the temple to get is burned. What to do: Go to the incense pod, and lure smoke on your head. It's a ritual. Head up the stairs to the main building where you can see the statue of Buddha. Throw in a coin. I pitched 100 Yen. Bow, Pray, bow. Buy a new good luck charm. Leave the old expired charm with the guy collecting them. I simplified things, but that's about it. AS A TOURIST: Zojoji is usually in Tomo's Tokyo tour for foreigners. I take them here after visiting Tokyo Tower. It is one of the best temples to take pictures. During sakura cherry blossom season, this place is super pretty. As you are facing the temple, go to the right side. This is the north side of the temple. Here, you will see a hundreds of mini-sized stone statues. It is worth taking a picture here. HISTORIANS: Temple was founded in 1393, but at a different location. It was moved to the current location in 1598. The best place to visit for history fans is the grave of 6 Tokugawa Shoguns (Note that 1st generation Tokugawa Ieyasu's grave is in Nikko and not here). Graves are in the back of the temple. You need to pay 500 Yen to enter. CONCLUSION: The best time to visit is during the cherry blossom season in April. I highly recommend it.

We visited about 500 shrines on our visit to Japan, but this was our first. Like most of the shrines there is a lot of beauty to behold, but mind your manners as this isn't a place to be rowdy and disrespectful. You're observing people who value things most of us will never be able to truly appreciate. It's a beautiful location and it's right next to the Tokyo Tower so you can get both done rather easily. It's an amazing shrine, but almost every single one in Tokyo is. Spend your time here and don't rush it. It's a beauty.

What a beautiful temple with the famous Tokyo tower in the back drop. Hard to believe something so old and quiet can be surrounded by so much concrete and commotion. Zojoji is a must see for anyone visiting Tokyo! Plus it's so close to Tokyo Tower you can easily squeeze that in as well. Easiest route is to take the Oedo line to Daimon or Akabanebashi station and walk the 5 or so minutes to the park. If you get lost just look for Tokyo Tower in the skyline and head in that direction.

I came here in the evening and it was still beautiful. Statues next to the temple and a nice big court yard. Some statues near the gate and of course the gate itself! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am a fan of religious monuments and this was a must. Picture perfect with Tokyo Tower in the background.

Zojo is pretty huge temple in Tokyo. Located a short walk from Tokyo Tower. Not as epic and lively as Senso was. It also could have been because it was pouring rain when I came. The architecture of the building seemed pretty standard to the other temples throughout Japan. Would totally recommend coming if you are going to see Tokyo Tower.

Nice temple to stop by right around the corner from Tokyo Tower. It's peaceful to walk around, nice and quiet and beautiful. Off to the side, rows and rows of small child shrines all decorated with little winter hats and pinwheels. Worth checking out and recommended.

Zojo-ji Temple consists of the Sangedatsu Gate (the only structure that survived the war) and the Great Hall. It's not huge, but you can see the Tokyo Tower right behind the Great Hall. It sure makes for good photo ops! When we were leaving, we saw the Unborn Children Garden. It consists of rows and rows of stone statues that represents the unborn children of Japan. This included babies that were miscarried, aborted, and stillborns. Besides dressing up the statue and leaving a small toy, parents also leave a gift for the guardian of unborn children Jizo. This offering is to ensure these children are brought to the afterlife.

since we were already at tokyo tower, we decided to pay homage to the zojoji temple, since it was just a couple of blocks away. this temple was originally built in 1393, but 200 years later, it became the tokugawa family temple after tokugawa ieyasu, founder of the tokugawa dynasty, relocated the temple to its present day location in minato-ku. we had to time our visit properly since this temple closes at sundown...good thing we arrived a solid hour before dusk. admission is free, and we had access to the main temple, a couple of the smaller temples, the gardens, and general grounds inside the tori/main gate. we allocated about 30 minutes for this site, which was enough time to see everything this shrine had to offer. as with most of the temples we visited in japan, there is a place to cleanse yourself, hands/mouth, before approaching the main temple and offering your prayers. there was also a well, where you could make monetary donations. the rear gardens weren't very big, but had some interesting statues to look at. the main area in front of the temple had more interesting artifacts, including a himalayan cedar tree that was presented as a gift by former president ulysses s. grant, when he visited tokyo. accessible via the onarimon, shibakoen, or daimon subway stations

Out of all the places I went to in Tokyo, this one has one of the most amazing views around. I found it by accident while trying to make my way to Tokyo Tower. Apparently there is a way to get to Tokyo Tower just outside of Zojo Temple, but after spending some time at Zojo, I didn't even feel a need to go to Tokyo Tower itself. The photos I got of the tower from Zojo were already more than I could have hoped for. The temple itself is a large, old temple. It's well maintained. There was almost no one else there when I was there, which was great. It's also free to go into, which is even better. It's so great here because you can get a view that combines modern Japan with its ancient roots. On one half of the photo is an old temple, Zojo, and in the other half is Tokyo Tower in all its splendor.

I strongly recommend that you try to get to services. When I was there, there were services at 6 a.m., which was friendly for the jet-lagged business traveler. The services included prayer, chanting, bell-ringing and a brief sermon (in Japanese). It was an easy way to begin my day for work with a moment of profound reverence.

This is the place to see cherry blossoms beautiful views. A great stop before visiting Tokyo tower. If you come in April this is a must see.

Interesting place to spend an hour or so and it was free to walk around. For those into history, a quick google search will provide you with plenty of information about the site and the temple. We had visited on a Sunday afternoon and it was not very busy. Overall it was clean, enjoyable, and worth stopping by.

Neighborhood temple where I come every season to acquire spiritual charge.

This is very close to Tokyo Tower. So you can see it from here. On the way from Hamamatucho Station to Tokyo tower, you can find this. And you can go through this temple to the tower, so you'd better drop in here desperately. I heard in the movie "Wolverine Samurai" this temple was used. This is very calm. Though there are tall buildings near here and this is in business district, but the calmness here is a kind of oasis. You can feel refreshed here.

Temple located right by Tokyo Tower. It's a nice and calming walk through the tree lined street and in the area. Nice place to drop by after doing some sight seeing. Quite a spectacular view to have the traditional serene temple back dropped with the blazing red Tokyo Tower. Tip: head to Le Pain Quotidien located nearby for a croissant or cafe and enjoy it around the temple.

Sobering at the temple dedicated to the dead children, but beautiful nonetheless ....and some very good photo opportunities with the temple and the Tokyo Tower in the background (old meets new etc.). If it's a sunny day, it's well worth a visit...

There are other larger and more magnificent temples than Zojoji Temple. I wouldn't go out of the way just to see it if you're not going to the Tokyo Tower. Even if you were going to the tower, if you don't have time, don't sweat not seeing Zojoji Temple. You can make up for it by going to Senjoji Temple in Asakusa or going to Kyoto.

When I lived in Japan I would often go to this temple on weekend afternoons. There are rows and rows of statues representing the souls of babies who were miscarried or aborted. Families of such a child can adopt a statue and it represents taking care of the child. If the family does not take care of the child then according to Japanese legends, they will spend eternity trying to create stacks of blocks but the blocks will always be knocked down by monsters. Next to each statue you can see a placard with the name of the family who has adopted the statue. You can see a few non-Japanese names written in English. Some people are creeped out by the idea of the statues representing the souls of aborted babies. I think having rows and rows of the statues next to each other creates an interesting visual effect. There is also an interesting temple hall with lots of golden Japanese Buddhist statues. Unfortunately, they know have a street performer with a baboon performing tricks in the center of the temple grounds most days. It really ruins the entire experience. Still good though; just ignore the baboon.

Temple near a park with a view of Tokyo Tower. A short buddhist experience with little effort.