Tokyo is full of temples and shrines. Actually, the entire country of the Rising Sun is littered with thousands of places of worship. Many, if not all, are worth visiting, but as time is always against us, we have to pick and choose.
If you like stories about Medieval Japan, the samurai and their entrenched spirit of honour, I recommend you visit the cemetery of the 47 Loyal Retainers. Their story is known worldwide as that of the 47 ronin who, in the 18th century, avenged the death and honour of their master and then committed seppuku, a ritual suicide which evolves self-disembowelment using the samurai’s short sword.
The cemetery is located within the grounds of Sengakuji Temple in Tokyo, just a short walk from Sengakuji Station on Toei Asakusa Subway line.
And here’s the trailer of 47 Ronin (2013), a fantasy action movie starring Keanu Reeves and loosely based on this story:
