Shibamata Taishakuten Audio Guide

Welcome to Shibamata Taishakuten

Welcome to Shibamata. On the eastern edge of Tokyo, right beside the Edogawa River, this is a small temple town. It feels a world apart from the high-rises of the city center, known as a place where the streetscape of old-town Showa-era Japan remains almost perfectly intact. Along the approach from the station, shops selling the local specialty — kusa-dango rice dumplings and rice crackers — stand shoulder to shoulder, their fragrant aromas and the leisurely calls of the shopkeepers drifting by. At the town's heart stands Taishakuten, a temple that has drawn people's faith since long ago. To spend time before its gate, wrapped in old-fashioned human warmth, is somehow nostalgic, gently loosening the heart. Shibamata is also a town beloved across Japan as the setting of a much-loved national film series. For locals, it is a place of unchanging daily life. For travelers, it is a special corner where the good old charm of a vanishing Japan still breathes. For the next little while, let's trace the story of this town. Let's begin with why Shibamata has been loved by so many — with its story.