Namiyoke-jinja, Torii gate at the entrance to the shrine, Ginza & Tsukiji.

©Rebecca Milner/Lonely Planet

Namiyoke-jinja

Ginza & Tsukiji


When Tsukiji's shrine was first built in the mid-1600s it was on the edge of the water – that's how much land reclamation has happened since. The name, aptly, means 'protection from the waves'. Today it's patronised by local market merchants.

Giant lion masks used in the area's annual festival (held in June) flank the entrance. Also look for the dragon-shaped taps over the purification basins.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ginza & Tsukiji attractions

1. Tsukiji Market

0.11 MILES

Tokyo's main wholesale market may have moved to Toyosu, but there are many reasons to visit its old home. The tightly packed rows of vendors (which once…

2. Kachidoki-bashi

0.2 MILES

Built in 1940, this is the only drawbridge over the Sumida-gawa, but it hasn't been raised since 1970.

3. Tsukiji Hongwan-ji

0.23 MILES

When this impressive branch of the mother temple in Kyoto fell victim to the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923, it was rebuilt in a classical Indian style,…

4. Asahi Shimbun

0.27 MILES

Get an insight into how newspapers are produced on a free tour of the Tokyo headquarters of this national newspaper. Reserve two days in advance; English…

5. Kabukiza Gallery

0.46 MILES

If you have a ticket to see a show at the Kabukiza theatre, you get a ¥100 discount on entry to this small gallery displaying stage props, scenery and…

6. Hama-rikyū Onshi-teien

0.48 MILES

This beautiful garden, one of Tokyo’s finest, is all that remains of a shogunate summer villa next to Tokyo Bay. There's a large pond with an island,…

7. Advertising Museum Tokyo

0.51 MILES

If you see advertising as art, this museum is a spectacle. Run by Dentsu, Japan’s largest advertising agency, this fine collection runs from woodblock…

8. Shiseido Gallery

0.62 MILES

The cosmetics company Shiseido runs its experimental art space out of the basement of its Shiseido Parlour complex of cafes and restaurants. An ever…