If for some reason you find yourself in Tokyo's Uguisudani, a faintly sleazy area just north of Ueno, then there are a number of small, pleasant Buddhist temples you can nose around, taking in the peaceful atmosphere.
One of these is Eishou-ji, a few minutes' walk from the station, which has a number of interesting features, some of them traditional, one or two of them less so.
Near the entrance gate there are a couple of large marker stones, which is not uncommon at temples and shrines; but here, one of the stones features an engraving of a large pair of scissors, another has a cute statue of a rabbit at its base.
Walk past a statue of a Buddhist pilgrim and you come to the worship halls, where you can admire some beautiful, detailed wooden carvings of birds in flight, coiled dragons, and airborne guardian lions. Unfortunately, these didn't photograph well on the gloomy day that I visited, but take my word for it, they're really nice.
Then in the graveyard at the rear of the hall, there's an uncommon family grave, an imposing blocky structure with a Buddhist statue mounted on top.
