AOYAMA CEMETERY
Read moreIt seems rather curious for a tourist to go to a cemetery, but in noisy Tokyo, cemeteries are not inconsiderable spaces of peace. There are some graves or memorials of famous people, such as the tomb of General Nogi, winner of the Russian-Japanese war, or novelists like Naoya Shiga, or Kabuki actors, like Danjurō Ichikawa. The crossing of the cemetery leads to Aoyama Palace. It is also a picnic spot for the Japanese at the time of the cherry blossoms.
GOKOKU-JI
Read moreThe Gokoku-Ji, temple of the Buzan sect of Shingon Buddhism is the oldest and the biggest temple of the Edo period in Tokyo. It was built in 1681 and over the years, new buildings have been added to this impressive complex. One can see a belfry dating from 1682 and a two-level pagoda built in 1938. The Zoshigaya Cemetery is adjacent to the temple. It houses the graves of the writer Lafcadio Hearn, who became a Japanese citizen at the end of the 19th century, and of the missionary John McCaleb.