Apr 6, 2016 - 1 min read

Shugen-ji temple, Ueno

An interesting, unusual temple near Ueno station

By Peter Sidell

Community writer

The entrance from the street

A statue by the cemetery

The Korean-style architecture of the gatehouse

A lion's face watching from above

Statues inside the gatehouse

Looking up to the bell at the top of the columbarium

More statues in the gatehouse

More Buddhist figures

A statue in the nokotsudo (columbarium, a hall for storing cremation urns)

The columbarium from outside

The temple grounds

A lantern near the main hall

The temple's small carp pond

Cherry-blossoms framing the main hall

A lantern under the eaves of the main hall

In the streets around Asakusa-dori east of Ueno station, it seems like there's a temple around every corner, and one that's worth visiting is Shugen-ji. As well as the peaceful atmosphere typical of Buddhist temples, it has a couple of interesting, unusual features: a Korean-style gatehouse which you can climb inside to see the statues under the roof, and a tall columbarium (a building for storing funeral urns).

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Peter Sidell

By Peter Sidell

Community writer

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