Kan’ei-ji

With a five story pagoda that encapsulates the idea of eternal bliss, the Kan’ei-ji temple was built in the 17th century by the Buddhist priest Tenkai Sojo. While it then served as the family temple of the Tokugawas, the temple is now home to the graves of six of these shoguns. Interestingly, it was a prayer hall to protect the Demon’s Gate of the Edo Castle before it belonged to the Tokugawas. A part of the Ueno Park near the Tokyo National Museum, Kanei ji is the centre of worship of the Tendai Sect, and used to be one of the largest Buddhist shrine during its heydays, especially because it contained a massive Buddha which was unfortunately destroyed during a 1923 earthquake. Additionally, owing to the ravaging Second World War, all that stands of the temple complex at present is the main building and the aforementioned pagoda. Some 36 m tall, each of the five tiers of this majestic pagoda has three rooms, and you will have to go through the Ueno Zoo in order to see this structure. Visit during the cherry blossom season for an experience like no other.
Kanei ji is open daily from 9:30 am till 4:30 pm, and the admission to its premises is absolutely free. You could take a train along the JR Line and get off at the JR Uguisu-dani Station, which is a 5 minute walk from the temple complex.