If you search Yanaka Ginza on the web, you will likely also encounter the word “Yanesen.” It is an amalgam of the first letters of Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi, three neighboring Tokyo districts. The three are grouped together because they bring a “shitamachi,” or downtown vibe.

Since I was already in Yanaka Ginza, a visit to the other two sister districts was easy to do. Nezu Shrine was a short 15-minute walk from the shopping street’s west end.

According to its website, the shrine boasts over 1,900 years of history and is believed to have been established by Yamato Takereu, a legendary figure who helped the Yamato Court expand its territory in archaic Japan between the mid-4th and mid-7th centuries.

Before the Meiji Era (1868 – 1912), this shrine was called Nezu Gongensha, indicating that it was a location for Buddhism as well as Shintoism.

Before 1706, Nezu Shrine was actually in Sendagi District, but was moved under the reign of Shogun Tsunayoshi Tokugawa. This new location was the birthplace of his nephew, Ienobu Tokugawa, whom Tsunayoshi named his heir.

Many of the shrine’s gates, fences and main buildings remain as they were built more than 300 years ago and are thus designated important cultural properties.

Coming from the west end of Yanaka Ginza Shopping Street, we approached the shrine via its North Gate at the opposite end of the main gate. Taking a street that circled around the main buildings, we headed toward the main gate.

Nezu Shrine is known for many photogenic spots, such as Senbon Torii, which we visited first. These torii gates are lined up on a slope, just like the ones you can see at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto.

According to a report by Asahi Shimbun, there are roughly 200 gates at Nezu Shrine, much fewer than the around 900 gates that the shrine in Kyoto has. At the Nezu Shrine gates, we enjoyed looking at the fox statues in different sections of the torii gate-lined path. Foxes are thought to be messengers of the rice god Inari, which was enshrined in a cave nearby.

As we left behind the last of the small gates, Karamon (gate), a big gate that led to the main building, came into sight. I was ready to go through it, but a fence line called “Sukibei (transparent fence)” that runs around the gate caught my attention.

Adorned with diagonal grids, this fence not only allowed visitors to see the main building from outside, as its name suggests, but also created an intriguing and flamboyant look, which felt like belonging to a palace rather than a shrine.

If time allowed, I could have looked at other features of the shrine, such as an azalea garden and a house where Ogai Mori, a prestigious Japanese writer, authored his novel “Maihime (The Dancing Girl).” After walking for over three hours, I could hear my stomach growling. So, we decided to cut the visit short and go grab lunch.

– Shoji Kudaka

I was expecting to see some pretty standard shrine features but didn’t expect to see dozens of turtles sunbathing at the shrine pond.

While they may not be named after masters of art, they formed part of the shrine’s tranquil scenery. These noble residents seemed to be enjoying themselves in harmony with the koi they share the pond with. The shrine has a history of over 100 years, so I’d imagine they’ve seen some stuff and been here a while.

According to local media, turtles are an unofficial symbol of the neighborhood around the shrine, and many locals own their own turtles, and you’ll find turtle motifs on street signs and flyers in the area.

As someone who grew up with many pet turtles in my Texas backyard, I loved seeing relatives of my old friends enjoying the sun tucked away in the middle of Tokyo.

– Denisse Rauda

Japan has thousands of shrines, but Nezu Shrine stands out for 250 reasons. That’s the number of red torII gates lined up in the grounds that visitors can walk through. A great photo op!

For its size, Nezu Shrine’s grounds were very scenic and featured a beautiful koi pond that is also home to countless turtles. Yes, another fabulous photo op!

Less crowded compared to other nearby tourist areas, the shrine was more peaceful to just roam around and admire the surroundings, especially the torii gates.

I enjoyed the morning stroll under the iconic red gates. I managed to bump my head a few times, which gave me a small confidence boost as a short person.

So, if you are looking for a peaceful, serene area that gives off a little bit of a Kyoto vibe in the heart of Tokyo, visit Nezu Shrine. But just remember to watch your head!

• Instagram

– Luis Samayoa

Things to know

• GPS Coordinates: 35.720145, 139.760770

• Website

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