Historic sites in Tokyo

Guides to 5 historic places in Tokyo — what they are, how to reach them, and what happened there. Written by the team behind the KATARIBE audio guide app.

Castle Ruins · Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens 皇居東御苑（江戸城跡）

The inner wards of the shogun's castle, now a free garden around an empty keep base.

Shrine · Tokyo Meiji Jingū 明治神宮

A 1920 shrine inside a 70-hectare forest that volunteers planted on bare farmland.

Temple · Tokyo Sengaku-ji 泉岳寺

The Zen temple where the forty-seven rōnin buried their lord, then joined him.

Temple · Tokyo Sensō-ji 浅草寺

Tokyo's oldest temple, built around a statue of Kannon that nobody is allowed to see.

Temple · Tokyo Zōjō-ji 増上寺

The Tokugawa family temple beneath Tokyo Tower, guarded by the oldest wooden building in the city.

Hear these stories on the spot KATARIBE narrates over 10,000 historic sites across Japan as you walk past them, in English.