Toyokawa Inari Temple

Toyokawa Inari Temple in Akasaka Mitsuke is Tokyo branch of Toyokawa Inari in Aichi prefecture.
Toyokawa Dakini Shinten, a guardian god is defied here. He rides on a white fox.

Usually Inari is shrine, but this Toyokawa Inari is temple.
They have guard foxes instead of guard dogs.

Also, they have many fox statues in the area.
Believers of Toyokawa Inari are feudal loads in the age of war period and it becomes popular among common people in Edo era.

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<The Nearest Station>

Akasaka Mitsuke station on Marunouchi Line / Ginza Line
(M13/G05/Tokyo Metro)

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Sengen Shrine

Hakusan Shrine has many shrines in its area.
Sengen Shrine is one of them and it's a little mountain with hydrangea flowers.
It's also called Fujizuka since it copies Mount Fuji.

There's a small path leading you to the top of the mountain, where a tiny shrine is.

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<The Nearest Station>

Hakusan station on Mita Line (I13/Toei Subway)

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Hakusan Shrine

Hakusan Shrine was established in Mid 10th century in the current location.
But it was moved to the place in Koishikawa Botanical Garden in early 17th century by the order of the second Shogun Hidetada.
It's moved again to the original place in 1655 for new house of the fifth Shogun Tsunayoshi.

This shrine is famous for hydrangea.
They have hydrangea festival in June.

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<The Nearest Station>

Hakusan station on Mita Line (I13/Toei Subway)

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St. Ignatius Church

Kojimachi Catholic Church is known as St. Ignatius Church.
Christianity was first introduced to Japan in 1549 by St. Francis Xavier who had been sent by St. Ignatius.

This church has a high bell tower and main chapel has a pipe organ.
Stained glasses on the stairways to the underground are beautiful.

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<The Nearest Station>

JR Yotsuya station on Chuo Line
Yotsuya station on Marunouchi Line and Namboku LIne
(M12/N28/Tokyo Metro)

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Shinjuku Historical Museum

This museum exhibits history from ancient age through modern age in Shinjuku area.
Shinjuku was developed as a last post town from Shinano on Koshu Kaido Road, one of 5 main roads in Edo era.

In other words, it's the first post town from Edo and this town became popular with whorehouses as well as hotels and markets.

Exhibitions include an old store building, materials related to novelists who lived in Shinjuku and a street car.

This museum has a sunken garden, too.

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<The Nearest Station>

Yotsuya Sanchome station on Marunouchi Line (M11/Tokyo Metro)

<Admission>

300 yen

9:30-17:30       Closed on the second and forth Mondays (Next day if it's holiday)
                     Dec.29 through Jan. 3

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Oiwa Inari Younji Temple

On the other side of the road of Oiwa Inari Tamiya Shrine, you can find a temple related to Oiwa.
But this temple has no relationship with the shrine.

This temple was built while shrine was missing after the fire.
This temple seems to have many items related to Oiwa but I'm not sure if these items are real.

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<The Nearest Station>

Yotsuya Sanchome station of Marunouchi Line (M11/Tokyo Metro)

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Oiwa Inari Tamiya Shrine

Oiwa is a name of a woman who lived in early Edo era. (Early 1600's)
She became famous because of a ghost story which was published 200 years after her death.

It's a horror story about Oiwa who were poisoned and killed by her husband.
She became a ghost to kill her husband.

But real Oiwa had lived happily as wife of Iemon Tamiya.
Somehow, horror fiction made after her death became so famous as a play in Kabuki.

This shrine was transferred to Shinkawa in Chuo City in 1879 when this shrine suffered a fire.
New shrine in Shinkawa burnt down by bombing in World War II.

The new shrine in Shinkawa was rebuilt in 1952 and this one here was also rebuilt as a original shrine a year later.

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<The Nearest Station>

Yotsuya Sanchome station of Marunouchi Line (M11/Tokyo Metro)

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Suga Shrine

Suga Shrine is a shrine to cover Yotsuya area since early Edo era.
Original shrine was located in Shimizudani in Akasaka, then moved here in 1634 since outer Edo castle was re-developed.

This shrine has 36 pictures of famous poets in history.
Each picture has a poem. Replicas of them are exhibited on the board.

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<The Nearest Station>

Yotsuya Sanchome station of Marunouchi Line (M11/Tokyo Metro)

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