3 Best Sights in Shibamata, Tokyo

This several-hundred-meter shopping street between Shibamata Station and Taishakuten Temple has retained an old-Tokyo vibe, its wooden buildings having escaped the heavy bombing that flattened much of Tokyo at the end of World War II and the subsequent post-war redevelopment. Although the street developed as the approach to Taishakuten, its connection to the temple takes a back seat for most visits to the street snacks sold here. The Sando is lined with small, family-run stores selling traditional snacks, such as savory senbei (rice crackers), dorayaki (sweet pancakes), kuzu-mochi (sticky rice cakes), and the Shibamata classic that is kusa-dango (sticky rice dumplings on skewers that appear a deep green because they include mugwort in the mix). For the latter, stop by Monzen Toraya.

Established in 1629, then rebuilt after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, Taishakuten Temple is entered through a towering wooden gateway at the end of Taishakuten Sando shopping street. While stepping inside the grounds is free, it’s best to pay the additional fee to enter the inner sanctuary and garden, the former of which is adorned with intricate wood carvings depicting the life and teachings of buddha.

Once the home of businessman Einosuke Yamamoto, Yamamoto-tei is a lovely example of how Japanese and Western styles merged in the homes of some wealthy Tokyoites in the early 1900s. The two-story residence has mostly classic tatami mat rooms with sliding screen doors, but it also incorporates a British-inspired drawing room with marquetry flooring, white plaster ceiling, stained-glass windows, and a marble mantelpiece. Arguably the most striking highlight is the shoin-style garden, whose lush greenery, pond, and waterfall are designed to be viewed from the comfort of the tatami rooms; something visitors can do while enjoying green tea and sweets or coffee.