Chrám Shibamata Taishakuten

This is a big, old temple that appears in the cop-comedy weekly Kochikame by Osamu Akimoto. Try finding all 11 statues of the main character, a cop called Ryo-san, scattered around the area. The temple itself has beautiful statues of the Four Heavenly Kings. That’s rare even for Japanese Buddhist temples. If you’re going to the temple, go hungry. The road leading up to the temple, called Taishakuten-Sando, has a bustling feel to it that just doesn’t stop. There are stalls with eel, steamed dumplings, fish in soy sauce, and all kinds of other local flavor.