Naritasan Shinshō-ji
成田山新勝寺
A thousand-year-old Shingon Buddhist temple near Narita Airport, with a main hall, a three-story pagoda and an eel-rice street on the approach. It is the most convenient place to visit during a layover or before leaving Japan.
Naritasan Shinshō-ji was founded in 940 and is the head temple of the Chisan branch of Shingon Buddhism. It enshrines Fudo Myoo, and is known as “Narita Fudo-son.” More than 10 million people visit each year. From JR or Keisei Narita Station, it is a 10-plus-minute walk along the roughly 800-meter Omotesando approach, lined with long-established eel-rice restaurants and shops selling yokan and senbei rice crackers. Highlights inside the temple include the Main Hall, the brightly colored three-story pagoda (an Important Cultural Property), the Shaka-do Hall, and the Komyo-do Hall, as well as the spacious Narita-san Park behind the temple, with plum blossoms, autumn foliage and ponds. Goma fire-ritual ceremonies are held several times a day, and visitors may watch. Admission to the temple is free. From Narita Airport, it is about 10 minutes by train, so a round trip is possible during a layover of 4 to 5 hours or more. From Ueno in Tokyo, it is about 1 hour by Keisei Line.
Opening hours
Temple open all day; halls about 08:00–16:00
Nearby sights
- Tokyo Disney Resort
- Mount Tsukuba
- Tokyo Skytree
- Senso-ji Temple
- teamLab Planets TOKYO
- Tokyo National Museum
- Ameya-Yokochō (Ameyoko)
- Ueno Park