How to Spend a Perfect Day in Naritasan Shinsho-ji with Travel Map

Naritasan Shinsho-ji
Check Point
・Temple that can be reached in just one station from Narita Airport

・Head temple of Acala

・Enjoy the famous eel

Naritasan Shinshoji Temple is a historic temple with over 1,000 years of history located next to Narita Airport. It is visited by as many as 10 million worshippers every year, and has a deep connection with the kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjuro. Next to it is a vast park the size of 3.5 Tokyo Domes. It can be explored in just a few hours, so you can go there during your layovers at Narita Airport.

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 3 h 30

 0 yen

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Itinerary Map

Navigation

【Start】
①JR Narita Station ②Keisei-Narita Station

★Route time required:5 min
With your back to the station building in the square in front of the station, go straight down the street in front of you. You will then enter a paved street with a sidewalk.

③Omotesando Street

★Route time required:20 min
If you walk along Omotesando, you will see a gate on your left.

④Main Gate

★Route time required:a few minutes
Go through the gate, go straight and go up the stairs and you will see the next gate.

⑤Niomon Gate

★Route time required:a few minutes
Once you pass through the Niomon Gate, you will arrive at the main hall.

⑥Main Hall

⑦Three-story Pagoda

★Route time required:5 min
Turn left at the main hall and you will see a staircase leading up to your left. At the top of the stairs, there is a small shrine on your right.

⑧Shusse Inari Daimyojin

★Route time required:a few minutes
Go down the stairs you came up and go to the hall on your left.

⑨Shakado Hall

★Route time required:5 min
If you go up the stairs to the right of the Shakado Hall, you will come to another temple grounds. Pay attention to the building on the left.

⑩Gaku-do Hall

★Route time required:a few minutes
Continue through the grounds and head to the main hall.

⑪Komyo-do Hall

★Route time required:5 min
If you follow the road that continues next to Komyodo, you will see a red tower.

⑫Great Pagoda of Peace

★Route time required:a few minutes
Go down the stairs in front of the tower to enter the park.

⑬Naritasan Park

★Route time required:30 min
Once you leave the park you will return to the main hall, so exit the main gate and take the same path back to the station.

【Goal】
JR Narita Station・Keisei-Narita Station


Click the square mark on the top left of the map to see a list of tourist spots. If you open the enlarge button on the top right corner on your smartphone, this model course will be displayed on Google Maps along with its location information. You can also quickly return to this map from the table of contents in the sidebar (if using a smartphone, select “Go to table of contents” from the menu at the bottom of the screen).


①JR Narita Station ②Keisei-Narita Station

If you are going from Narita Airport, there are two ways to get there: JR or Keisei Electric Railway. Both are only one stop away from Narita Airport, and both end up at the same ticket gate, so it doesn’t matter which one you use.


★Route time required:5 min

With your back to the station building in the square in front of the station, go straight down the street in front of you. You will then enter a paved street with a sidewalk.


③Omotesando Street

Omotesando Street

As you get closer to the street leading to Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, the number of restaurants and souvenir shops increases.


Let’s try the famous eel!!

the famous eel!!

Eel is a specialty of Naritasan. You can try eel dishes at many of the restaurants. Narita and eels have a long history together, and they were commonly eaten before they became popular through aquaculture. Originally, inns offered eel as one of their river fish dishes to visitors to Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, but as eel became popular in Edo, it began to be served as a summer specialty. Even today, many restaurants promote eel dishes in the summer when they hold eel fairs.


★Route time required:20 min

If you walk along Omotesando, you will see a gate on your left.


④Main Gate

Naritasan Shinsho-ji Main gate

Time required : 5 min

Admission fee:0 yen

Opening hour:8 am – 4 pm

Close:No

This is the entrance gate to Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. This massive gate, which stands at 15m in height, was built in 2008 by carpenters from Kongo Gumi, said to be the oldest company in the world.


★Route time required:a few minutes

Go through the gate, go straight and go up the stairs and you will see the next gate.


⑤Niomon Gate

Niomon Gate

Time required : 5 min

Admission fee:0 yen

Opening hour:8 am – 4 pm

Close:No

The gate was built in 1831 and features two Nio statues on either side. A giant lantern bears the word “Uogashi,” meaning the riverbank where the fish market is located, and was donated by the people of Tsukiji Fish Market.


★Route time required:a few minutes

Once you pass through the Niomon Gate, you will arrive at the main hall.


⑥Main Hall

Main Hall

Time required : 15 min

Admission fee:0 yen

Opening hour:8 am – 4 pm

Close:No

This temple enshrines a statue of Acala, carved by Kobo Daishi, also known as Kukai, the founder of Shingon Buddhism. Acala is another form of Dainichi Nyorai, the supreme deity of Shingon Buddhism. During the Taira no Masakado Rebellion, a disciple of Kukai placed a statue of Acala here at the command of the emperor, burned a goma fire and prayed for peace, which led to an end to the rebellion and peace, and the temple is beloved as the head temple of Shingon Buddhism. More than 1,000 years have passed since then, and prayers in which goma sticks are placed in the fire and a wish is made are still performed every day without fail, and visitors are welcome to join in.


⑦Three-story Pagoda 

Three-story Pagoda

Time required : 5 min

Admission fee:0 yen

Opening hour:8 am – 4 pm

Close:No

This tower next to the main hall is characterized by its brightly colored, gaudy decorations. It is 25m high and its appearance remains the same as when it was built in 1712 (it was renovated in 2008). The rafters that support the underside of the roof are unique and made from a single piece of wood, unlike the rest of the building.


★Route time required:5 min

Turn left at the main hall and you will see a staircase leading up to your left. At the top of the stairs, there is a small shrine on your right.


⑧Shusse Inari Daimyojin

Shusse Inari Daimyojin

Time required : 10 min

Admission fee:0 yen

Opening hour:8 am – 4 pm

Close:No

As its name suggests, this is a shrine that grants blessings for career advancement, and it is a popular power spot where people are said to be blessed with prosperity in business, good fortune, and fire prevention. If you go around to the back of the hall, you will find many foxes enshrined. At the entrance, you can buy fried tofu and other items associated with foxes.

many foxes enshrined


★Route time required:a few minutes

Go down the stairs you came up and go to the hall on your left.


⑨Shakado Hall

Shakado Hall

Time required : 10 min

Admission fee:0 yen

Opening hour:8 am – 4 pm

Close:No

This was the main hall until the Great Main Hall was built. It was built in 1858 and moved to this location in 1964. It is also a place where purification rituals are performed to ward off evil spirits.


★Route time required:5 min

If you go up the stairs to the right of the Shakado Hall, you will come to another temple grounds. Pay attention to the building on the left.


⑩Gaku-do Hall

Gaku-do Hall

Time required : 5 min

Admission fee:0 yen

Opening hour:8 am – 4 pm

Close:No

The building, which displays plaques and votive plaques donated by believers, was built in 1861 and renovated in 1986. The current building is the second in its kind, and still houses a bronze statue of Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjuro, who had a deep connection with the first temple.


★Route time required:a few minutes

Continue through the grounds and head to the main hall.


⑪Komyo-do Hall

Komyo-do Hall

Time required : 10 min

Admission fee:0 yen

Opening hour:8 am – 4 pm

Close:No

This was the main hall in front of the Shakado Hall. It was built in 1701 and is popular as a power spot for love and matchmaking, as Aizen Myoo is enshrined here.


★Route time required:5 min

If you follow the road that continues next to Komyodo, you will see a red tower.


⑫Great Pagoda of Peace

Great Pagoda of Peace

Time required : 15 min

Admission fee:0 yen

Opening hour:8 am – 4 pm

Close:No

The 58m tall tower was built in 1984, making it a relatively new structure. It has five floors, but visitors can usually only visit up to the second floor. Historical materials are on display on the first floor, and you can offer prayers at the Myo-o Hall on the second floor. It also contains a time capsule containing messages for peace from the prime ministers of various countries, which is scheduled to be opened in 2434.


★Route time required:a few minutes

Go down the stairs in front of the tower to enter the park.


⑬Naritasan Park

Naritasan Park

Time required : 40 min

Admission fee:0 yen

Opening hour:8 am – 4 pm

Close:No

From here, we will walk through Naritasan Park. It is a vast park covering an area of ​​165,000㎡, where you can see different flowers depending on the season. As you walk, you can enjoy the beautiful nature, including the beautifully symmetrical Western garden in front of the tower and the three ponds.

Naritasan Park
Naritasan Park


★Route time required:30 min

Once you leave the park you will return to the main hall, so exit the main gate and take the same path back to the station.



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