- Exploring Jindai-ji – Tokyo’s Step Back in Time - 14 May 2026
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Tokyo is famous for bright lights and busyness – stations so huge you get lost, crossings that thousands of people traverse in one go, etc. It’s sensory overload – but if you know where to look, there are also pockets of peace just a short train journey away – like Jindai-ji.
Article by Helen Foster. Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
In hindsight, the first day of the full cherry blossom bloom in Tokyo was not the best day to visit Jindai-ji in search of deserted Tokyo. The temple area is also home to the Jindai Botanical Gardens, one of the city’s premier cherry blossom displays, and so, when I arrived in the area at around 11 am – even though it was a normal Friday and most poeple should be at work, I was surprised to see a lot people milling around.
Still, crowds are not something I’m unused to in Japan, so undaunted, I stuck to my plan, hitting the highlights I had marked on my map and seeing what else I found on the way. Cue a morning of Edo-era vibes, delicious food and a little cry – all before about 2 pm.
I Started at Fudo Fall
My first stop was Fudo Fall, where a stream from the hills falls through two ornate dragon heads. Well, in theory anyway. On the day I arrived, it was decidedly dry – but, just in case they’ve turned the tap back on when you are there, imagine this with water!
Wander the Cobbled Street to the Shrine
From here, it’s a short walk up to the main complex of Jindai-ji, but take your time as you’ll wander past numerous soba restaurants, mochi sellers and even the Musashino Kiln, a pottery studio in which you can paint some pottery of your own – and take it home with you as it only takes about 20 minutes to dry.
The day I was here, there were queues for a lot of the restaurants, and I was dodging people on the road, but on a normal weekday, this would be a peaceful slice of old Tokyo.
This is what it should look like – thanks to the miracle of stock photography!
I had a few more people in the way!
Moments like this were why I decided that cherry blossom season wasn’t my favourite time to visit Japan. But more on that in an upcoming post.
Exploring Jindai-ji
Jindai-ji is one of Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temples. First built in 733 AD, only Senso-ji in Asakusa is older, but like Senso-ji, Jindai-ji has been destroyed by fire more than once, so the buildings you see today are a little more modern than the original temple.
Ironically, given its history with flames, and that you can still see scorch marks on the incense burner in the middle of the shrine, one of the must-sees here is the Goma Fire ritual, which takes place twice a day on weekdays and three times at weekends.
If you haven’t seen one of these ceremonies, try to catch it during your visit, as the hypnotic mix of chanting, drumming, and flames is captivating. The ceremony at Jindai-ji takes place at 11 am and 2 pm daily, with an extra ceremony at 1 pm on Saturday and Sunday – no photographs are allowed.
Also, while you are here, look carefully at the large Daruma outside the shrine building.
As you may know, Daruma are small wooden dolls used to ‘grant’ wishes in Japan – normally you colour in one eye with a dot when you ask it for help, then colour in the second eye when you achieve your goal.
At Jindai-ji, though, the Daruma eye is filled in with the Sanskrit character for beginning. Once your goal is completed, you can bring the daruma back, and the monks will fill it in with the character for completion.
Related Read: If you love Daruma, don’t miss Katsuo-ji near Osaka.
Sadly, the thing I most wanted to see, the painting of the dragon on the roof of one of the buildings, wasn’t available for viewing! It seems they were spending their maintenance budget at Jindai-ji when I visited and it’s being restored! But, keep an eye out for that when you visit – I had to settle for looking at the photograph of it above!
The most sacred object at Jindai-ji is also off limits. It’s a 2-metre high statue of the priest Ganzandaishi, the largest statue of a sitting monk in Japan. This is only shown to the public every 25 years and will next go on show in 2034.
Grab Some Soba
I wasn’t too disappointed with missing things at the shrine, though, as the main thing I wanted to do at Jindai-ji was eat!
The temple area is surrounded by many natural springs, and as pure water is very important for making soba, Jindai-ji is famous for its soba noodles. There are at least 10 soba restaurants to pick from in and around the temple grounds.
I chose Tamanoya – mostly because it didn’t have a huge queue. They welcomed me with open arms – and an English menu!
I admit, I do not order as much soba as I maybe should when I’m in Japan – mainly because the names confuse me… I don’t always remember the difference between kare soba, goma soba, tororo soba, etc. But I’m on a learning curve! Today I picked tempura soba as I was pretty hungry.
The set consisted of cold soba noodles, a dipping sauce and some pieces of tempura vegetable and prawn, on the side.
There is no delicate way to eat dipping noodles as a Westerner not used to doing it, but I battled through, and it was delicious. Filling, but light at the same time.
Toward the end of my meal, the wait staff brought me over a small red teapot. Thankfully, I had read the instructions on what to do here, so I wasn’t surprised.
What to Do Now?
The teapot contains what’s known as soba yu. It’s the starchy water that soba is cooked in, and it’s served at the end of your meal as a way to dilute the dipping sauce you have been using. You then drink this.
I wasn’t sure at first, as the sauce was quite salty, but diluting it did make a difference to the taste, and I downed the lot – although I admit, I am glad that I have normal blood pressure!
Note – Tamanoya, and many of the other restaurants up here, are cash only, so make sure you have changed up some yen if you are coming here. Do not believe the hype about no longer needing cash in Japan – the first three meals I ate on this trip were all cash only.
Related Read: Your guide to the different types of soba in Japan
Time for the Sad Bit
Fuelled and ready, I decided to check out a stop I wasn’t sure about.
Jindai-ji is home to a pet cemetery, but I wasn’t sure if it was respectful to visit it. I walked toward it, willing to turn back if I felt it wasn’t appropriate, but there were plenty of people in there, and so I went in.
Inside are the interred remains of people’s beloved pets – but they also have ‘headstones’ with pictures of their pets and dedications from their humans – I was in tears in about three minutes.
Coming out sniffing, a Japanese man entering with his dog kind of looked at me, probably because I was a red, snotty mess. Thankfully, I know enough Japanese to explain that I thought it was very sad – and ask if I could pet his very cute, and not needing the cemetery any time soon, teenage retriever. The fluffball was very happy for some attention and cheered me right up.
So, I think it’s okay to visit, but do remember that this is a cemetery, just like a human one, and some people in there are visiting the graves of their pets, so be quiet and respectful. Also, I wouldn’t go inside if an actual funeral is taking place.
Jindai Botanical Gardens
I didn’t go in here on my visit as it was very busy and I was running a little bit late, but if you are here in cherry blossom season and want to see the trees, or just want to admire the other floral displays, which include Tokyo’s biggest rose garden, at any other time of year, the garden is open 9.30 am to 5 pm six days a week. It is closed on Monday.
Entry costs 500 yen for adults, over 65s pay 250 yen, it costs 200 yen for children of Junior High School age. Those under go in for free.
Annoyingly, I later discovered that my friend, author Jonelle Patrick, was in the gardens that day. Can you imagine? I travel all the way across Tokyo to somewhere, supposedly, quiet and deserted and bump into one of the few people I know there!
Admiring Fukotosan
There are a number of small shrines and religious statues dotted around the grounds as you walk from Jindai-ji back to the main street, so keep your eye out – but this one grabbed my attention the most.
It contains statues of Daikokuten and Ebisu, two of Japan’s seven lucky gods, who are then flanked by some elaborate carvings of a dragon and tiger.
It’s pretty cool to see and definitely stands out in an area that’s generally pretty understated.
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Photograph the Water Wheel
From here, head back to the main road and turn right. You’ll soon come to one of the most famous sights near Jindai-ji – the water wheel.
Originally used for rice polishing, the wheel is now purely decorative, but it does make for a pretty picture. The building now contains a small museum.
If you haven’t eaten yet, you’ll find more soba restaurants east of the water wheel.
I then walked back toward the bus stop, taking me to my final stop for the day, Kichijoji – and the Petit Mura Cat Cafe. Which it turns out, was a mistake!
The Mizuki Shigura Teahouse
Because I was focused on catching my bus, I missed something I had actually come to Jindai-ji to see; the teahouse and shop dedicated to manga artist Mizuki Shigura.
I’d actually spent the first part of my morning visiting statues and shops dedicated to his characters, and I can’t believe I managed to miss this iconic shop in Jindai-ji.
In my defence, it’s not clearly marked on the map, and because I took the side route up to Jindai-ji from Fudo Falls, I missed just walking past it – I just assumed I had got confused and it was actually the shop I’d seen earlier that day. But no! The one I wanted was about 50 metres away from the bus stop!
If you want to visit this very cute building, do not head straight for the bus at this point. Keep walking past the bus stop and the Tourist Information Centre and turn left as if you were walking back up toward the shrine through the main gate. The shop is just around this corner.
Maybe I should have scanned the barcode offering the audio guide to the area on the sign below!!!
How to Get to Jindai-ji
This area around Jindai-ji doesn’t have a nearby station, so your options to get here are to catch the train to nearby Chofu and walk about 30 minutes (the way I chose to arrive), or catch the bus to/from nearby Kichijoji.
This is the way I chose to go back. Three buses run back to Kichijoji Station from Jindai-ji, but they all depart from different stops, so check which one is best to catch at your departure time.
It is a flat-fare bus, so you get on the front and tap your IC card as you board.
All three buses also go right past the entry to the Ghibli Museum, making Jindai the perfect stop before or after your visit – if you were lucky enough to get tickets.
It spent a little over two hours in Jindai-ji, which was enough to explore and eat my soba. If you visit the Botanic Gardens, step into the shops, or want to do some pottery painting, you’ll need a little longer.
Who Writes This Blog?
My name is Helen Foster, and I’m a journalist and author. My travel articles have appeared in publications including The Australian, Escape, RAC Horizons, Jetstar Magazine, Sainsbury’s Magazine, and more.
I’ve traveled to Japan eight times before – solo and with my partner and visited over 25 towns and cities. My last visit was November 2024 so, everything here is pretty up to date.