Hon-Komagome Walking Guide — Five Temples on Quiet Backstreets

Around Hon-Komagome Station there are five registered walking spots, from Renkoji to Kogenji Temple, and every single one of them is a temple. All five list Hon-Komagome as their nearest station, and none of them has a budget figure on record, so this is a walk you can take without worrying about your wallet. It is a corner of central Tokyo where the calm of an old temple district still lingers.

A suggested order

Starting from Hon-Komagome Station, the simplest route is [Renkoji](/en/spot/3bf2aab1-4e65-4014-ba8c-8b18b34f2ade) → [Seirinji Temple](/en/spot/27f18006-0401-4bb9-bdda-c527e3b4e0ec) → [Kogenji Temple](/en/spot/733822d0-81fa-46f3-8dff-b0303cdf3c44) → [Kaizo-ji Temple](/en/spot/5a6a975a-ea29-4981-9210-5a3611c07026) → [Senzaiji Temple](/en/spot/d12c4115-8d3a-4465-8d7f-ff814d8a5d9c). Because all five share the same nearest station, you can cover the whole set in a single outing.

Renkoji

[Renkoji](/en/spot/3bf2aab1-4e65-4014-ba8c-8b18b34f2ade) is a fitting place to begin. It is one of the temples with Hon-Komagome as its nearest station, close enough that you feel the mood of the streets shift almost as soon as you leave the platform. Pause at the gate, take one breath, then carry on. There is no budget listed here — the quiet of the grounds is the attraction.

Seirinji Temple

[Seirinji Temple](/en/spot/27f18006-0401-4bb9-bdda-c527e3b4e0ec) is one of the five spots registered around Hon-Komagome Station. The character for "grove" in its name suits the settled, unhurried feel of a temple neighbourhood. Rather than passing straight by, slow down enough to let your eye travel from the gate into the grounds.

Kogenji Temple

[Kogenji Temple](/en/spot/733822d0-81fa-46f3-8dff-b0303cdf3c44) belongs in the middle of this route. It is another temple with Hon-Komagome as its nearest station, and a natural place to stop halfway through a five-temple circuit. Take in the surrounding lanes as much as the temple itself.

Kaizo-ji Temple

[Kaizo-ji Temple](/en/spot/5a6a975a-ea29-4981-9210-5a3611c07026) is also nearest to Hon-Komagome Station. By the fourth temple you start to notice how differently each gate and each courtyard reads, even within the same category. If you are taking photographs, this later half of the walk — where comparison becomes possible — is the interesting part.

Senzaiji Temple

Close the walk at [Senzaiji Temple](/en/spot/d12c4115-8d3a-4465-8d7f-ff814d8a5d9c), the last of the five spots registered around Hon-Komagome Station. It is a good place to look back on the ground you have covered. Retrace your steps and you arrive back at Hon-Komagome Station.

One last tip

All five Hon-Komagome spots are temples, and none carries a budget figure. What the walk asks of you is time and a willingness to look quietly. If you have some to spare, reverse the order and go around once more.