Tokyo · Updated: 2026-10-01
There are 17 walking spots around Nezu Station (根津駅), ranging from temples to a museum. The closest, Tengenji Temple, is a 3-minute walk from Nezu Station, and the farthest, Rengeji Temple, is 8 minutes on foot; the list is made up of 16 temples plus the Daimyo Clock Museum, a collection of Japanese clocks. It is a district where you can follow slopes and narrow lanes from one temple gate to the next, across Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi.
This guide covers 17 walking spots; 17 of them are an average 6-minute walk from the nearest station (3–8 min).
Counted from zorozoro listings when this page was generated. Walking minutes are estimates: straight-line distance to the nearest station × 1.3, at 80 m per minute.
Leaving Nezu Station, start with Tengenji Temple (a 3-minute walk) and Honjuji Temple (4 minutes on foot). From there climb the slope to Gyokurin-ji Temple and Rinkoji Temple (a 5-minute walk each), then Joshoji Temple and Myojoji Temple (6 minutes), and make the Daimyo Clock Museum, a 7-minute walk away, your turning point since it keeps set opening hours. On the way back, pick up the cluster of temples 7 minutes from the station and Rengeji Temple, the farthest at 8 minutes, before returning to the station.
Tengenji Temple is a 3-minute walk from Nezu Station, one of the many temples and shrines left in the area known as Yanesen. It sits slightly off the busier streets, so it suits the start of a walk when you want a quiet moment.
Honjuji Temple is a 4-minute walk from the station. Temples and shrines remain densely packed between Nezu and Yanaka, and a gate or a wall appears at almost every turn of a lane. It is part of the townscape rather than a destination, so simply pause at the gate as you pass.
Gyokurin-ji Temple stands up the slope toward Yanaka, a 5-minute walk from Nezu Station. Temples line up on all sides here, with narrow lanes and stone walls running between them. The grounds are wrapped in trees and make a good place to settle for a while.
Rinkoji Temple is a 5-minute walk, along the road from Nezu Station toward Yanaka. It sits at the edge of the high ground that leads up to Ueno hill, in one corner of the temple district. Looking into the grounds from the gate, you can feel the slow, quiet pace of the old downtown.
Joshoji Temple is a 6-minute walk from Nezu Station. Other temples are scattered nearby, so visiting them in turn makes a small temple-hopping walk. Once through the gate the noise outside recedes, and the trees change their look with the seasons.
Myojoji Temple is a 6-minute walk away. Following the rows of houses, you come upon its wall and gate unexpectedly. The air inside the gate differs from the street outside, and the trees and stone paving are worth a look.
Daimyo Clock Museum is a small museum of Japanese clocks, a 7-minute walk from Nezu Station up the slope toward Yanaka. Clocks made for daimyo households in the Edo period follow a distinctive mechanism suited to the variable-hour system, in which the length of an hour changed with the season. The pieces gathered by the collector Guro Ueguchi can be viewed slowly in the quiet of a residential area. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–16:00.
Gokokuin Temple is a 7-minute walk from the station, in one corner of Ueno hill. Founded in the early Edo period as a sub-temple of Kan'ei-ji, it enshrines Daikokuten of the Yanaka Seven Lucky Gods. At New Year, people making the Seven Lucky Gods circuit come here.
Chounji Temple is a 7-minute walk from Nezu Station. Narrow lanes and slopes run through the surrounding blocks, with temple walls and gates showing between them. Walking without a map, you may come out in front of the gate by surprise.
Sokenji Temple is a 7-minute walk away. From Yanaka through Nezu to Sendagi, war damage was comparatively light, so old rows of houses and sloping streets remain as they were. Stop in front of the gate and time seems to move differently, just one street over.
Enjuji Temple is a 7-minute walk from the station, where slopes and lanes tangle and temples stand next door to houses. Voices fade as soon as you step in from the main road, which makes it a good pause to break up a walk.
Honkoji Temple is a 7-minute walk away. Between Nezu and Yanaka, temple gates line the slopes and lanes one after another. The bustle of the main street cuts off here, so it works well as the turning point of a walk.
Kakushoji Temple is a 7-minute walk from Nezu Station. Following a narrow lane, you run into the gate without warning, and the quiet grounds invite you to sit down for a while. It shows the look this neighbourhood is known for, with temples woven into daily life.
Toenji Temple is a 7-minute walk away, in the area known as Yanesen. Old buildings, temples and shrines are dotted along the narrow lanes and slopes, so it suits passing through the gate for a breather before returning to the back streets.
Busshinji Temple is a 7-minute walk from the station. The land is full of slopes, and you reach the gate after a series of climbs and descents. The grounds are a step quieter than the street and make a good place to rest tired legs.
Myogyoji Temple is a 7-minute walk away. In this temple-filled quarter a wall or a gate appears at every turn, and stepping just slightly off your usual route brings you to a corner where the city's noise drops away.
Rengeji Temple is an 8-minute walk from Nezu Station, the farthest of these 17 spots. Narrow roads and slopes continue through the area, and as you walk the roof of the main hall comes into view over hedges and walls. At the gate, the sense of the street fades a little.
The temple grounds are places of worship, so keep quiet and avoid getting in the way of those praying. Fit the Daimyo Clock Museum (Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–16:00) into your plan first and arrange the temples, all 3 to 8 minutes on foot, around it.