Just down the road from Tokyo's historical Asakusa district, Kayadera is a small but charming Buddhist temple, definitely worth a quick visit if you're in the area. It's named after a thousand-year-old tree in its compact grounds, which also feature a small but carefully arranged garden.
You'll also find the grave of a classical scholar and poet, and a range of interesting statues, some of them cute and cheery, some of them serene and restrained. Among them is a historical image of the bodhisattva Kannon, an important Buddhist deity, and there are more Buddhist figures in the temple's small graveyard. You can find a good amount of information in English on signs around the temple, as well as an image of a woodblock print of the temple produced by Hokusai, one of the most famous artists of the genre.
The temple is immediately next to Kuramae station on the Toei Oedo subway line, and close to the station of the same name on the Toei Asakusa line.
Peter Sidell @peter.sidell
I came to Japan from Manchester, England in 2003, and have travelled a lot since then, around Japan and in Asia. When I'm not working, I write satire and perform stand-up comedy in and around Tokyo. Check YouTube for a taste.
