sendagi It is part of the historic area of Tokyo known as Yanesen. The atmosphere of this simple and welcoming residential neighborhood still bears signs of the Edo period.
You can still find traditional wooden houses, small old-style bars (Izakaya), and a large number of ancient temples especially since this area has miraculously survived the 1923 Kanto earthquake and the attacks of World War II.
Walking the narrow streets of Sendagi will take you to many of these places. Among the most prominent of these are: Daienji Temple which is only 2 minutes walk from Sendagi station. This small but distinctive temple is dedicated to Harunobu, one of Edo's most famous ukiyo-e artists of the 1760s, and Osen Kasamori, a teahouse worker who was a model for many of Harunobu's portraits.
This temple is also famous for its chrysanthemum fair, known as Yanaka Kiku Matsuri. This annual festival, held every year on October 14-15, is a beautiful mix of chrysanthemums and puppets. A large chrysanthemum market and puppet shows are the hallmarks of the festival.
Apart from these, food stalls and stalls selling traditional artifacts and kiku ningyo dolls are also set up for those who come from all over Tokyo to enjoy the fair.
Another of the famous monasteries is the Tennoji Templewhich is the oldest and best known of the Buddhist temples in Yanesen. Originally founded in 1274 as a temple of the Nichiren denomination during the Kamakura period, it changed its denominator to Tendai in 1699 during the Edo period.
Today, the complex is a clean, well-kept and quiet place. As you enter the enclosure, the first thing you will see is a seated Buddha. This statue, which is made of bronze and dates back to 1690, is one of the temple's most treasured treasures which is a 4-minute walk from Sendagi station.
Also historical is the Yanaka Cemetery, which was originally two separate cemeteries for Kaneiji and the Tennoji temples, but in 1874. This huge cemetery is on top of a cliff, somewhat resembling a plateau. Covers an area of 100.300 m? and has more than 7.000 tombs.
A section of the cemetery is reserved for the Tokugawa family. This private section is surrounded by walls and can only be peeked from above them. The tomb of the last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu is also located here.
Among the other famous names buried in the Yanaka Cemetery are writers Soseki Natsume (1867-1916) and Ogai Mori (1862-1922), the great Japanese-style painter Taikan Yokoyama (1868-1958), a koto player and composer Michio Miyagi (1894 - 1956), the Russian-Greek Orthodox priest Nicolai (of the famous Kanda Cathedral) and businessman Shibuzawa Eiichi (1840-1931).
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