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This temple next to Sensō-ji, to which it belongs, has a spectacular Japanese garden. While generally closed to the public, it opens for exhibitions most years from roughly mid-March to early May. Other than the small garden, which is best in the cherry blossom (sakura) season, the exhibition also features some of the temple's cultural treasures. The entrance is close to the five-story pagoda (Gojūnotō) of the Sensō-ji temple (see above).
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鎮護堂
If you turn left before the Hōzōmon gate and head west for a few hundred meters, this quiet shrine is on your left. The shrine is dedicated to the Japanese raccoon god tanuki, notably primarily for its big flask of sake and gigantic testicles (at least when depicted as a statue).
五重塔, 5-Story Pagoda
It reputedly contains some of the ashes of the Buddha. Rebuilt 1973.
宝蔵門
At the end of the arcade, it is the main gate, notable for a giant straw sandal (waraji) hung up on one side. This gate too is guarded by ferocious guardian gods. Rebuilt 1964.
観音堂, Kannon Hall
Behind the gate, the main hall of the temple is perennially busy with a steady stream of worshippers wafting incense over themselves and trooping up the steps to pray and donate. According to legend, the hall was first built in 628 to house a statue of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, fished out of the Sumida River by two brothers. Rebuilt 1951–58.
雷門, Thunder Gate
Up first, it features a much-photographed giant lantern and statues of guardian gods Raijin (god of thunder) and Fūjin (god of wind). First built in 942, the gate has been destroyed numerous times and the current incarnation dates to 1960. The Nakamise shopping arcade leading up to the temple starts after the gate (see Buy).
花やしき
The oldest amusement park in Japan. Next to the Sensō-ji temple grounds is this small and somewhat lackluster carnival complex with rides, booths, and games. The neighborhood theatre specializes in showing classic Japanese films, as many of the tourists are elderly Japanese.