Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Yanaka Cemetery
One of Tokyo's first public graveyards, Yanaka Cemetery is an elegiac yet
awe-inspiring evocation of Tokyo's past. Its consecrated grounds, interspersed
with mossy tombstones, leafy walks, wrought-iron gates, time-worn lanterns,
and stone statuary, are almost Gothic in character. An oasis of calm frozen
in time, Yanaka Cemetery is a far cry from Tokyo's glittering metropolis. It is
also the final resting place of the city's luminaries, including literati, actors,
and statesmen, as well as the notorious and the long-forgotten.
Top 10 Features
1 Tenno-ji Temple
2 Grave of Kazuo Hasegawa
3 Site of Former
Five-Tiered Pagoda
4 Bodhisattva, Kannon,
and Jizo Stones
5 Train Spotting
6 Shogun Yoshinobu's Grave
7 Resting Place of a Murderess
8 Five-Tiered Tombs
9 Two Women Writers
0 Cherry Blossom Viewing
Stone lanterns, Yanaka
Cemetery
Ask at the police box
for a copy of the
Chomeijin Bochi
Annai-zu
(
Guide to
Famous Graves
). It is
in Japanese, but the
officer on duty will
be happy to mark
the graves you wish
to see.
Retire to nearby
Yanaka Ginza, a
narrow street of craft
shops, small restau-
rants, and cafés. At
the entrance, Chaho
Kanekichi-en is an
old-fashioned tea
shop. Try their Yanaka
Midori, a refreshing
mix of roasted tea
stems and
omatcha
(powdered green tea).
@
Grave of Kazuo
Hasegawa
Kazuo Hasegawa (1908-
84) was a legendary
Japanese actor. Those
about to undertake roles
played by him visit the
grave to petition his
spirit for support.
$
Bodhisattva,
!
Tenno-ji Temple
This 1274 temple
(above)
is centered around a large
seated Buddha statue. The
spacious compound is
full of colorful hydran-
geas, azalea, and
magnolia trees.
• Map F1
Kannon, and
Jizo Stones
The cemetery
is a fine gallery of
religious statuary.
There are carvings
of bodhisattvas
(left)
; Kannon, the
Goddess of Mercy;
and Jizo, guardian
of unborn children
and travelers.
#
Site of
Former Five-
Tiered Pagoda
In 1957, two
distressed lovers
decided to commit
suicide here, setting
the pagoda on fire.
Only traces of the
1644 pagoda remain.
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