Feb 23, 2016 - 1 min read

Dogen-ji Temple, Akasaka

A centuries-old temple in modern Tokyo

By Peter Sidell

Community writer

A more recently arrived resident

Ark Hills towers over the temple

The Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy

One of many ancient statues

Who knows how long these have been here?

The pagoda and the flyover

More ancient Buddhist figures

In the temple grounds

She stands close to the gate

A cluster of weather-worn figures by the gate

These carved disciples are also near the gate

In among the graves

In the temple compound

The gate from the street

If you want to find a place where the contrast between ancient and modern Japan is at its clearest, then Dogen-ji temple is it. In the shadow of the sleek ARK Mori Building, part of the Akasaka ARK Hills complex, it feels pressed in by the shiny new buildings around it, but still retains its historical atmosphere. Some of the statues and grave markers have been here for hundreds of years, and are worn down from weather and time, but it's interesting to try to imagine what the area must have been like when they were first placed here, when Edo was still just a simple village.

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Peter Sidell

By Peter Sidell

Community writer

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