Come take a stroll around Kawasaki Daishi, a temple near Haneda Airport that is famous for warding off evil spirits, and experience making the local specialty, Tontoko candy!

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Stroll through Kawasaki Daishi, famous nationwide for warding off evil spirits, and experience the unique way to make traditional Japanese candy, "Tontoko Ame"! You will take home the candy you made yourself. This tour, which perfectly combines cultural exploration and hands-on activities, will be an unforgettable experience.

Written by

Kawasaki City Tourism Association

Hello! This is the Kawasaki City Tourism Association. We will introduce the charms of Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, that will make you want to visit the city. ◆About Kawasaki City◆ Kawasaki City is a popular commuter town with 1.54 million people, located in Kanagawa Prefecture next to Tokyo, 15 minutes from Haneda Airport, a few minutes from Tokyo's major stations, and close to Yokohama, Kamakura, and Hakone. It is a big city close to Tokyo and Yokohama, but only known to those in the know, with shopping centers where Japan's main shops are gathered together and downtown areas where locals gather, allowing you to experience the real urban life of Japan. It is famous for its factory night view born from the industrial area that supported Japan's high economic growth, but it also flourished as one of the "Tokaido Fifty-three Stations", a post town on the "Tokaido", the main artery from Tokyo to Kyoto that was developed by the shogun who founded the Edo Shogunate, and is home to Kawasaki Daishi, which is visited by one of the largest worshippers in Japan on New Year's visits, and the Japanese Folk House Museum, which has 25 old houses designated as cultural properties. The museum of the popular anime "Doraemon" is also popular. Here are some popular tourist spots and events. ◇Kawasaki City Factory Night View This industrial area supported Japan's high economic growth period. At night, the factories that operate 24 hours a day turn on their work lights in the plants and transform into a fantastical world studded with jewels. You can experience this "factory night view" on a bus tour or a houseboat cruise tour. ◇Ikuta Green Space Although it is located in a city just a few minutes from Tokyo, it has a spectacular natural environment including rows of metasequoia trees. At the Japanese Folk House Garden, you can experience 25 old houses designated as cultural properties, and you can experience indigo dyeing, which has been traditionally practiced in this area, and there is also an art museum of Taro Okamoto, a popular avant-garde artist. You can also enjoy cherry blossoms in the spring. ◇Fujiko F. Fujio Museum, Kawasaki The museum displays original drawings by Fujiko F. Fujio, the manga artist who created Doraemon, a manga beloved around the world, especially in Asia, as well as the desk that Fujiko F. Fujio actually used. In addition, life-size items are installed, and you can actually eat the food that appears in the work, so you can enter the world of the work. ◇Kawasaki Sanno Festival The largest festival in the Kawasaki area, held every August at Inage Shrine, is a highlight of the festival, with a large portable shrine procession. ◇Kanamara Festival A festival at Kanayama Shrine held on the first Sunday of April. A portable shrine shaped like a penis is carried out, and it is famous for granting fertility and finding love, and many foreign tourists visit.

Kawasaki Daishi Heikenji Temple (hereafter referred to as Kawasaki Daishi) is one of the most famous Buddhist temples in Japan. In Japan, there is a custom of visiting temples and shrines at the beginning of the year, known as "Hatsumode." Kawasaki Daishi Heikenji Temple is a famous temple that is visited by the largest number of worshippers in Japan during the New Year, and is easily accessible, just 5 minutes on the Daishi Line from Keikyu Kawasaki Station and about 30 minutes from Tokyo Station. After a stroll around the grounds of Kawasaki Daishi, try making traditional tontoko candy!

Table of Contents
What is Tontoko Ame?
Tour
How to get to Kawasaki Daishi Station
Tour Information and Confirmations

What is Tontoko Ame?

Tontoko candy is a famous traditional Japanese sweet sold at Kawasaki Daishi Nakamise Street. Its name comes from the rhythmic "tontoko" sound that artisans make when they cut the candy flat with a knife. Known for its unique craftsmanship, this candy is a sweet treat, and the tontoko candy-making experience is also a cultural experience.

Tour

As soon as you leave the south exit of Kawasaki Daishi Station, you will see the Omotesando sign, and from Omotesando you will come to Nakamise-dori, where there are many souvenir and sweet shops lined up.

As soon as you step into Nakamise Street, the first thing that catches your eye is the Tontoko candy shop. You'll be amazed to see artisans cutting candy right before your eyes, rhythmically cutting the candy with a "tontoko, tontoko" sound! You'll find yourself stopping to stare at the light, lively sound and dexterity of the craft. Before your candy-making experience, be sure to enjoy this "sound show" and imagine yourself taking on the challenge!

Photo courtesy of Kawasaki City Tourism Association

Inside the temple grounds, your guide will explain the history and architecture of Kawasaki Daishi. You can stroll through the spacious grounds, which also include a garden, pay your respects according to the proper etiquette, and spend some quiet time here. Just a short distance from crowded Tokyo, Kawasaki is a hidden gem where you can experience Japanese culture.

In the main hall, those who wish can perform goma prayers. In goma, a platform is set up in front of the statue of Kobo Daishi, the principal image of the temple, where offerings are made and special logs called gomagi, on which the prayer's wishes (desires) are written, are lit. The flame represents wisdom. The monks use the flame of Kobo Daishi's wisdom to burn away the desires written on the gomagi, enshrining everyone's wishes as pure wishes and praying for their fulfillment.

After finishing your stroll around Kawasaki Daishi, experience making tontoko candy. First, you will watch a skilled craftsman make tontoko candy with the rhythmic sound of a knife called a "tontoko", and then it's your turn. Enter the shop and try cutting the still soft candy under the guidance of the craftsman. It is quite difficult to cut rhythmically in time with the craftsman's rhythm, and the candy may end up unevenly shaped, but it will surely be a fun memory. You can take home the candy you cut. Tontoko candy is a traditional candy with a subtle sweetness that spreads in your mouth. You're sure to love it.

At Nakamise Shopping Street, you can shop for souvenirs and enjoy local cuisine.

How to get to Kawasaki Daishi Station

Kawasaki Daishi Station is a 5-minute walk from Keikyu Kawasaki Station by changing to the Daishi Line.

It is also about 30 minutes by train from Tokyo Station and Haneda Airport Station.

Tour Information and Confirmations

[Contact] HIS (https://bushisgo.rezio.shop/en-US)

[Price] From 9,800 yen

[Meeting place] Keihin Kyuko Kawasaki Daishi Station 1-18 Daishi Station, Kawasaki City, Kawasaki Ward

[Time] 3 hours

[Available days] Every day (excluding certain holidays and special temple events)
Reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance, otherwise please contact us.

[Guide] English guide

[Things to check before booking]

Reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance, but please contact us for any other dates.

・During the tour, you may be asked to take off your shoes and sit on the floor.

・Please arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before departure time.

・Refunds will not be available due to bus or train delays, accidents, etc.

・Please wear comfortable walking shoes.

・The tour schedule may not be able to meet your requests.

・The itinerary may be subject to change.

If you do not arrive at the meeting time, no refunds will be given.

・In the event of a typhoon or other natural disaster, the tour will be canceled.

Cancellation Policy

- Cancellation up to 11 days before departure: 100% refund

・Cancellation between 8 and 10 days before departure: 20% refund

- Cancellation between 2 and 7 days before departure: 30% refund

・Cancellation 1 day before departure, 40% refund not possible

・Official website: https://www.nebuta.jp/

There are other experience tours available!

Lots of fun! Click here for an introduction to Kawasaki!

Kawasaki City Tourism Association website

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Written by

Kawasaki City Tourism Association

Kanagawa

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