Chingodō-Ji

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  • Address
    2-3-1 Asakusa, Taitō-ku
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  • Transport
    underground rail: Ginza & Toei Asakusa lines to Asakusa (exits 1 & A5)

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Lonely Planet review

This odd, peaceful little shrine on the banks of Dembō-in pays tribute to tanuki (raccoon dogs who figure in Japanese myth as mystical shape-shifters and merry pranksters). Tanuki are normally depicted with enormous testicles on which they can fly. Since (needless to say) they make for great subject matter, they frequently pop up in Japanese wood-cuts like Utagawa Kuniyoshi's The Seven Wonders of the Clowning Raccoon, in which the tanuki is shown cheerily dancing his way round a geisha house.