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Meet the lucky cats in suburban Tokyo: Gotokuji Walking Tour

icon 4 hours Mobile ticket Free Cancellation
Tickets from € 68.56

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3.5 hours walking tour of Gotokuji Temple and Shoinjinja Shrine areas in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, where a quiet residential area prospers. Setagaya Ward, the venue for this tour, is one of the 23 wards designated as a special ward under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and is a vast area located in the southeastern part of Tokyo including Jiyugaoka and Seijo, which are luxury residential areas. With natural reserves such as parks and valleys overflowing with greenery, this residential area is readily accessible to residents. Access to the city center is also relatively good, and since long ago large corporate executives, prominent sports players, entertainers and others have developed this to be high class area, and people living in Tokyo are often admirers of this area
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  • Professional guide
  • Food and drinks
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Transportation to/from attractions
Departure Point

Gotokuji Station, 1-chōme-43 Gōtokuji, Setagaya City, Tokyo 154-0021, Japan Your guide will waiting for you with a name board at the ticket gate of Gotokuji station.

  • Setagaya Hachimangu, Setagaya, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
    Autumn matsuri held at Setagaya Hachimangu, one of the larger shrines in Setagaya Ward. Notable for the dohyo (sumo ring) set up in the grounds of the shrine and the honosumo (奉納相撲) event.
    20 minutes
  • Gotokuji Temple, Setagaya, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
    Gotokuji Temple is the beginning of the Kotokuin hermitage built by Kira Masatada who built Setagaya Castle in 1480. Originally it was Rinzai sect but in 1584 it became a temple of the Soto sect. There are many sights in the precincts such as the tomb of Ii Naosuke, the greatest authority of the Tokugawa shogunate in the middle of the 19th century, the three-story pagoda, the worshiping of the invincible Kannon, but the most attractive point is the good fortune beckoning cat, known as the “manekineko” to some. This lucky cat, known country-wide, is said to have been “born” here. The sight of 1,000 or more of these “cats” lined up is now one of the landscapes that represents Tokyo. It is said that the lucky cat, familiar to Japanese as a good luck symbol, is the birthplace of Gotokuji Temple. You’ll learn about the origin of the lucky cat in the guide on the day of the tour.
    35 minutes
  • Shoin Shrine, Setagaya, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
    Shoinjinja Shrine was founded in 1882 with the master Yoshida Shoin at center. In the precincts, there are the tombs of Shoka Village school children including Yoshida Shoin, and the building which reproduced Shoka Village school. Mr. Yoshida Shoin, who was born in Hagi City in Yamaguchi prefecture in 1830, built the cornerstone of modern Japan as a spiritual leader of the Meiji Restoration, but it was executed in rest prison by Ii Naosuke, thus putting a close to a short life of 30 years. His philosophy, which is also called “Yamato Damashi (Japanese spirit),” influences the thought and way of thinking of contemporary Japanese people, including Ito Hirofumi, who became Prime Minister of Japan in the first cabinet. It is an interesting point of this area that the Shoinjinja Shrine that enshrines Yoshida Shoin, who ended the era of the samurai, and the Gotokuji Temple, where Ii Naosuke sleeps to protect the era of Samurai, is within walking distance.
    25 minutes
  • Carrot Tower, Setagaya, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
    The landmark of Sengenjacha in Setagaya.
  • Tokyu Setagaya Line, Setagaya, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
    You can take this local line with full of locals after the tour.
    10 minutes
  • OMAKASE, Arakawa, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
    The tour supplier of this activity.
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
  • Please join us wearing shoes that are easy to walk in because you will walk the mountain paths.
  • Tour duration can be extended at a rate of 5,000 yen per group, per hour, payable in cash.
  • Hotel pickup will incur an additional fee of ¥5,000 per group (for hotels in Tokyo & Yokohama area)
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
  • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
Survived321
18 Jan 2019
Could not recommend this highly enough. We were emersed in the local cuture from the beginning of the tour. The traditional tea ceremony was amazing. The guide spoke excellent English and was very knowledgeable. This is a must do when in Tokyo.
Sarah N
02 Aug 2018
This tour is exactly what I was hoping it would be. We had a great morning with our tour guide Yoshimi exploring the local area of Gotokuji and visiting the Lucky Cat Temple. We have been to Tokyo before and seek out more off the grid and local experiences when we can. This tour was new to Viator and outside the hustle and bustle of the Tokyo we know, thus why we thought it might be interesting. We are also crazy about the Lucky Cat, so thought this would be fun and lucky to see. Yoshimi, our tour guide, was so nice, knowledgable, easy to walk and talk with and continually wanted to ensure we were taken care of. She met us at the subway station on this rainy day and we spent 3.5 hours on foot exploring at a slow, relaxed pace the quaint little streets, the local little shops and activity of a regular Saturday for this community which seemed void of most tourists. More shops would most likely be open if you book this tour for the later time versus the 9AM start that we took. This tour is local, slow paced, focused on the Gotokuji community and exactly what I was hoping for. A simply lovely little morning. Thank you Yoshimi!
This tour in Japan is organized by Trip Designer Inc.

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