Kameido Tenjin Shrine (Shitamachi-no Tenjin-sama -Tenjin shrine of downtown Tokyo) is a place really worth seeing. Surrounded by houses and blocks of flats, hidden from the main street, this place surprises with it’s beautiful garden. There’s a pond and some bridges as well as some animals.

The pond- front side

The pond- left side seen from the back

The pond and wisteria's trellis

 It’s also a great spot to see wisterias. Around the shrine there are has many trellises and each year there’s a festival, called Fuji Matsuri (wisteria Festival) that last since late April to the beginning of May.

Wisteria's in Kameids Tenjin Shrine

Wisteria is the the main attraction of the shrine. Each year many people come to visit this place and see the flowers when they bloom. They were planted during the Edo period, and visited by many historical characters and became an inspiration for many works of art.

Wisteria during Festival (unfortunately I went the last day, so they were not bloomin so much anymore)

Photos of wisteria made during festval were displayed near the temple (this one is from 30th of April)

Another thing worth mentioning about the shrine and it’s garden is that right there, in the middle of Tokyo, you can see lots of animals- mostly turtles but also some birds.

Turtles in the pond

A bird (sorry, that's how far my ornitology knowlege goes)

But, the garden and wisteria are not the only things worth seeing- there’s also a lot of really nice pieces of architecture, starting with the shrine itself.

Kameido Tenjin Shrine

People waiting in a queue to pray in the temple during Fuji Matsuri

There are also many statues and altar-like buildings around the temple, some of them well hidden in the garden.

Solar clock

A cow statue, that for some reason was touched by everyone around. I guess it brings luck.

Ema's hanging outside the shrine

Paper cranes

Paper prayers

Another part of the festival is food and special attractions. It’s such a broad subject, that there will be another post about it soon, so stay tuned!