Kiyosumi-shirakawa Walking Guide — 20 Spots Linking the Temple Town and Kiyosumi Gardens

Around Kiyosumi-shirakawa Station there are 20 walking spots, from a Meiji-era landscape garden to Edo-era temples and small neighborhood Inari shrines. The breakdown is 17 temples, 2 Inari shrines and 1 garden — traces of the Fukagawa "temple town" where temples were gathered during the Edo period. Kiyosumi-shirakawa is known today for coffee, but one street off the main road the quiet temple precincts take over.

Suggested walking order

Start slowly at Kiyosumi Gardens, stop at Fukagawa Inari Shrine, then thread into the temple town from Chosenji and Entsu-ji, following the temples one after another and finishing at Yukinari Inari Shrine in the residential backstreets.

[Kiyosumi Gardens](/en/spot/9c0e7ecb-204e-4cff-b597-a41c8f4912d8)

A strolling landscape garden created by Iwasaki Yataro in the Meiji era, a few minutes' walk from the station. Famous stones gathered from across Japan line the pond, and you can circle the water, the artificial hills and the dry landscape through the seasons. It is a designated scenic spot of Tokyo.

[Fukagawa Inari Shrine](/en/spot/8e368475-b7a0-4e31-bbb4-adc39363ca68)

An Inari shrine near the station, with a compact precinct where the vermilion torii catches the eye. It has long been the local guardian deity rooted in Fukagawa's downtown, and is easy to drop into on the way to the cafes or the gardens.

[Chosenji Temple](/en/spot/328aa505-6d9f-4465-b1c3-6962bd6119ff)

One of the temples in the district where temples were gathered during the Edo period, within walking distance of the station. Kiyosumi-shirakawa draws attention as a coffee town, but one alley in you meet a historic streetscape of quiet temples.

[Entsu-ji Temple](/en/spot/19b23f29-3027-4991-890f-39c5b62199af)

A temple in the densest part of the temple district, easy to fold into a walking route through the neighborhood. The calm downtown atmosphere invites you to slow down.

[Shogaku-in Temple](/en/spot/971be5f8-9966-4d6d-b817-45bf52bfc3a5)

Set in Fukagawa's temple town and reachable on foot from the station. Temples large and small are scattered nearby, so walking the temple-lined street slowly is the best way to see it.

[Saiseiin Temple](/en/spot/44fc323c-7640-4791-9e1d-2de53ab4e1e5)

A temple in a block that still keeps the character of the Edo-period temple town. Visiting the small temples one by one makes for a quiet walk away from the everyday bustle.

[Shogyoin Temple](/en/spot/fce4a7fd-0804-472a-a69f-8d3885574195)

Standing within the quiet downtown streetscape of an area dense with temples. Stop in casually mid-walk and take in the settled mood of the precinct.

[Eizenji Temple](/en/spot/745b27df-b6e8-4c9b-ba0d-202afca2758c)

A quiet precinct in one corner of the many temples dotted across Fukagawa. Combined with nearby highlights such as Kiyosumi Gardens, it rounds out a satisfying walking course.

[Enryū-in](/en/spot/f4f893dd-b0f4-458e-ad1a-67da422a5068)

Located in an area where many temples cluster, with the gentle atmosphere typical of a temple town. If you pass nearby on your walk, it is worth glancing into the quiet grounds.

[Ryuko-in Temple](/en/spot/496db8ad-a1c1-4968-9f36-c4e1c466c4d2)

One of the many temples that gathered in Fukagawa during the Edo period, standing quietly today. A place to put your hands together while walking the downtown alleys.

[Chokouin Temple](/en/spot/e651643c-f7bb-4040-a5da-696ecb232508)

The name "Shioe" hints at a memory of the water's edge — this area's temples were gathered on land opened by reclamation. Its stillness offers a breather partway through a downtown walk.

[Shorin-in Temple](/en/spot/801ba891-be99-4596-8433-386d6b796037)

In a corner of the Fukagawa temple town formed as many temples relocated and clustered here in the Edo period. Small temples stand side by side nearby, and pausing to look up at the gate is a pleasure.

[Honryuin Temple](/en/spot/fefefb85-76c7-4538-a56e-1d16d4cb7918)

One of the temples scattered through an area that retains the feel of a temple town. You can pray quietly in the calm downtown air, and it slots easily into a walking route.

[Giunji Temple](/en/spot/d63beda0-fc75-470b-aa7f-0dfec815d426)

A temple that still conveys the history of temples being gathered across Fukagawa. Kiyosumi-shirakawa is popular for cafe-hopping, but visiting the quiet temples left in the alleys is another good way to walk it.

[Zentokuji Temple](/en/spot/146f3c1f-5727-4006-8808-ac0e090443ad)

A temple in a quiet downtown corner. You can feel the historical weight of a district where many temples have survived since the Edo period, and take a break away from the busier streets.

[Shokoin Temple](/en/spot/91692623-17cf-45a2-a8d6-c508d9860dcc)

One of the temples carrying Edo's downtown culture into the present. Its hushed precinct stands in contrast to the streets lined with cafes and coffee roasters.

[Zen'ō-in Temple](/en/spot/bc3c0cb9-852b-492c-a7dc-c4e6577fdc7f)

A temple set among residential streets, keeping the traces of a temple town that dates to the Edo period. The secluded grounds quietly welcome a mid-walk visit.

[Hossho-ji Temple](/en/spot/8a81aa28-de07-4709-992d-6e2221ab5de0)

Standing quietly in a corner where many temples gather. Kiyosumi-shirakawa is loved as a cafe town, yet one step into the alleys shows an area made for walking, with the temple town's mood intact.

[Shōgakuji Temple](/en/spot/e4650517-696e-4841-8646-37ff88293f21)

One of the many temples in Fukagawa that have continued since the Edo period, standing quietly today. Stop mid-walk and take in the composed atmosphere of the precinct.

[Yukinari Inari Shrine](/en/spot/79e2d40b-cd38-4a5f-aac0-5db4763fc4ae)

An Inari shrine tucked into a residential neighborhood near the station, kept as a place of everyday local faith. Even as cafes and cultural facilities have increased, small shrines like this remain throughout the area, revealing its historical layers.

Nineteen of the 20 spots are temples or shrines, most of them within residential streets and alleys. These are places people live around, so walk quietly and follow basic etiquette in the precincts. The alley walking that links the garden to the temple town is the real highlight of Kiyosumi-shirakawa.