Zuishi-mon: Gate of the Warrior Guardian Spirit at Kanda Shrine, Tokyo’s Shrine for the Stars

AKB48’s 2014 Coming Of Age Ceremony was here, one of down-town Tokyo’s most famous shrines… Kanda Shrine「神田明神/Kanda-myōjin」near Akihabara, a shrine where Tokugawa Ieyasu himself came to pray, a shrine with over 1000 years of history within Japan. A place where Tokugawa started the Kanda Matsuri「神田祭」honouring three major Shinto kami after an historic early Edo Period battle.

After a morning of seeing the sights in Akihabara, I strolled slightly further afield to see what the outskirts of “Electric Town” looked like. I was surprised to stumble upon a decorative tower gate, that of Kanda Shrine「Kanda-myōjin」built in the East Asian irimoya style. Famous Japan stars and high profile business people pay homage at the shrine.

Kanda Shrine at
Akihabara, Tokyo

The Zuishi-mon「随身門」is a great gate that houses 2 protective warrior spirits. The shrine is compact but features many interesting buildings and is especially scenic in the Japanese spring.

View this location – Map coordinates: 35.702,139.768.