Naritasan Shinshoji

Shinshoji was founded in 940 and is one of the busiest temples in Japan, drawing something over ten million visitors a year, most heavily at New Year. It is a Shingon temple and the central practice is the goma - a fire ritual in which cedar sticks are burned before the image of Fudo Myoo while priests chant and drum, held several times daily in the main hall and open to anyone who walks in; visitors can have bags and possessions passed through the smoke afterwards. The compound is large, with a three-storey pagoda of 1712, several halls of different periods and a park of about 165,000 square metres behind it. The omotesando, the approach street from the station, is lined with old shops selling grilled eel, which is the local speciality, and pickles. It is close enough to the airport to fill a long layover.

What you actually see

• The goma fire ritual - cedar burned before Fudo Myoo several times a day, open to all.
• A 1712 pagoda - three storeys in dense polychrome, among several halls of different dates.
• The omotesando - an approach street of eel restaurants and pickle shops.
• A large park - 165,000 square metres of ponds and paths behind the temple.

When to go

All year; avoid the first days of January unless you want the crowd. Half a day.

Honest expectations

New Year brings some of the largest crowds in Japan and the approach becomes impassable. The compound is large and involves a lot of steps. Eel restaurants on the approach are expensive and queue at lunchtime. It is a working temple - the rituals are not performances.

Nearby

Narita Airport is south-east; Sawara's canal town is north-west.