Antique & Flea Markets at Temple Grounds
Free: All time There are definitely no shortage of antique and flea markets in Tokyo. Many of these are held on the weekend on temple or shrine grounds. Technically not “free” if you plan to buy things, visiting these flea markets itself doesn’t cost you anything. Get a glimpse of Tokyo of the past through...
Rinshi No Mori Park
Free: All time What is formerly a forest nursery and research station, Rinshi No Mori Park boasts a handsome crop of trees. The shades provided by the trees here makes the park the perfect place to hide out during Tokyo’s unbearably humid summer. With the hundred-year-old trees, Rinshi No Mori Park is lush, cool and...
Yushima Seido
Free: All time Yushima temple is most notable for its unique impact on Japanese education history. When the structure was moved in its current location, it became a private school that studied the teachings of the Confucianism. After merging with other educational institutes, the establishment evolved into Tokyo University. Inside the Yushima Seido’s compound is...
Koganei Park
Free: All time Opened in 1954, Koganei Park is the second largest park in the Tokyo metropolitan area. It features a number of attractions including its spacious grass area, surrounding forests, cherry trees, children’s playground, an archery, a steam locomotive display, and 16 tennis courts. There’s also a 17-degree artificial slope where locals are often...
Nogawa Park
Free: All time Located in the western part of the outskirt of Tokyo, Nogawa Park is one of the place places in town to find natural green spaces. The park is divided into two grounds by a highway. On one side, it is rustic and scenic, with the natural spring of Nogawa River running through...
Sumo Stables’ Training Sessions
Free: All time To learn about sumo, it is possible to attend a training session, or an “asageiko,” in one of the many sumo stables, or a “beya” in Tokyo. Many companies charge tourist a fee for the opportunity to visit a sumo stable, but it can in fact be done for free. It is...
Yoyogi Park
Free: All time Yoyogi Park is one of the largest parks in Tokyo, located adjacent to the Meiji Shrine in Shibuya. It’s one of the free parks in town. A lot other parks charge admission fee. Before becoming a city park, the site was an army ground with military barracks for U.S. officers during Allied...
Kanda Myojin
Free: All time Where do the tech geeks of Tokyo’s Akihabara go to pray? Kanda Myojin shrine. Somehow, this ancient shrine (dating back as early as 730AD), has become the place in town for the tech crowd to connect with their spiritual side. To keep up with and attract the young generation, Kanda Myojin modernized...
Imado Jinja Shrine
Free: All time Imado Jinja is competing with Daijingu Shrine as the top love shrine in Tokyo. However, Imado Jinja has something else it’s popular for: as the origin of the “Maneki Neko” or the “Beckoning Lucky Cat”. The story goes that an old woman who lived in Imado (Asakusa) was forced to sell her...
Tokyo Daijingu Shrine
Free: All time Out of love and out of luck? If you’re in Tokyo, pay a visit to Tokyo Daijingu Shrine – the city’s most powerful shrine when it comes to matters of the heart. Many Japanese, especially young females, frequent the Daijingu to pray for successful love lives. On weekends, find an epic queue...
Sengakuji Temple
Free: All time Sengakuji Temple is a temple mainly famous for its graveyard where the “47 Ronins” are buried. One of the most popular historical stories in Japan, the tale took place at the start of the 18th century. It is about a group of ronin (masterless samurai) who avenged the death of their lord,...
Atago Shrine
Free: All time The Atago Shrine was built in 1603 under the order of the Tokugawa family. The shrine is located on Atago Hill, which is 26 meters above sea level. The most famous part of the shrine is undoubtedly its steep stairs leading to the shrine. The hill itself is named “Otoko Zaka” literally...
