A must-see for temple and shrine lovers! A special experience at Kawasaki Daishi Heikenji Temple, which is visited by the largest number of worshippers in Japan.
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In Japan, there is a custom of visiting temples and shrines at the beginning of the year, known as "hatsumode." Kawasaki Daishi Heikenji is a famous temple that has the largest number of worshippers in Japan during hatsumode. It is close to Haneda Airport and Tokyo Station, making it perfect for a quick outing! You can try on an authentic kimono and try the famous candy-cutting experience!
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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, visited by worshippers from all over Japan]
Photo courtesy of Kawasaki Daishi Heikenji Temple
Kawasaki Daishi Heikenji Temple (hereafter referred to as Kawasaki Daishi) is visited by many people during the New Year. It is one of the leading temples in the country, and located close to Haneda Airport and Tokyo, it has seen an increase in the number of foreign visitors coming to pray in recent years.
At the end of the Heian period in Japan, a fisherman named Hirama Kanenori lived in Kawasaki and was in a year of misfortune. Following a prophecy in a dream, he salvaged a statue of Kobo Daishi (a high-ranking Buddhist priest in Japan) from the sea and worshiped it, which is said to have warded off misfortune. Since then, the shrine has come to be known as the "Daishisama of warding off misfortune" and has attracted devout worshippers from all over the country. The shrine enshrines Kobo Daishi as the principal image, and monks perform goma prayer every day, praying for warding off misfortune, safety of the family, prosperity in business, and other wishes to be fulfilled.
In the summer, a wind chime festival is held, and the grounds are decorated with many wind chimes, and the sound of them rustling in the breeze is very refreshing.
We would like to introduce you to a special tour that you can experience at Kawasaki Daishi! (The image is from a past event.)
[Authentic! Kimono wearing experience & photo shoot tour with a professional photographer!]
The first thing you want to do when you come to Japan is try on a kimono!
Kimono is a traditional Japanese costume. On this tour, you can try on a full-fledged kimono made of high-quality materials such as silk, unlike the yukata and casual synthetic clothing commonly seen in tourist spots. There are many different designs and types, and in modern times it is a special costume worn on formal occasions such as coming-of-age ceremonies and weddings.
You can go out wearing a kimono, so you'll feel even better if you stroll around the grounds of Kawasaki Daishi Temple or the shopping district!
In addition, on this tour, a professional photographer will take photos of you at Kawasaki Daishi! (If the weather is bad, you can change to a studio shoot for the same price.)
An English-speaking guide will accompany you, so you can enjoy the tour with peace of mind!
Photo courtesy of Kawasaki City Tourist Association
First, choose your favorite kimono and put it on!
First, choose your kimono. The colorful color schemes, elegant patterns, and silk luster of the kimono will make your heart flutter. In fact, this may be the most enjoyable moment of the tour. The studio has a selection of kimonos that fits your height. (Kimonos are available for both men and women.)
Once you find your favorite kimono, our experienced staff will help you dress beautifully to fit your bone structure. You'll be excited to see the gorgeous furisode. You'll want to go outside soon!
Photo courtesy of Kawasaki City Tourist Association
Let's go for a walk with a guide!
We head towards Kawasaki Daishi through a shopping street lined with colorful Daruma dolls and souvenirs. It's a fun time choosing your favorite souvenir.
We head towards Kawasaki Daishi through the shopping district. It's a fun time choosing colorful daruma dolls and souvenirs.
Photo courtesy of Kawasaki City Tourist Association
At the Daisanmon Gate, the entrance to Kawasaki Daishi, hangs a huge red lantern weighing one ton. This lantern was donated by the Kawasaki Daishi Uogashi Association and has the characters "Uogashi" written in the center and a fish mark and a wave pattern called Seigaiha on the bottom.
Experience the powerful goma fire ritual up close!
We will enter the main hall and observe the "Goma Kito". Goma Kito is a sacred prayer ceremony in which the source of suffering, worldly desires, are burned away with fire. On this tour, you will be able to feel up close the power of the blazing flames, the solemn atmosphere created by the chanting of many monks and the sound of large Japanese drums. (You don't need to sit upright.)
Photo courtesy of Kawasaki City Tourist Association
Get your photo taken by a professional photographer!
A photographer from the photo studio will take pictures of you at a great spot within the grounds of Kawasaki Daishi. Capture your best smile in a photo!
After enjoying a stroll around Kawasaki Daishi, return to the studio, return your kimono, and choose your photos. Choose the best shots to remember! (Up to 2 per person) Photos will be provided digitally.
Photo courtesy of Kawasaki City Tourist Association
Enjoy eating local specialties and shopping in the shopping district!
Once you've finished choosing your photos, you'll be off. Enjoy a fun tea time and shopping in the shopping arcade! Daruma dolls are popular in Japan as lucky charms that bring good fortune, and there are many different sizes and colors to choose from. Get your favorite lucky item!
Photo courtesy of Kawasaki City Tourist Association
Tour Information
■ Recommended times: 1/4-1/30 (you can feel the excitement of the New Year), end of March (you can also enjoy the cherry blossoms), around mid-July (the annual summer event, the Wind Chime Market, is held)
■ Price: From 36,800 yen
■Time: 09:00-13:30
■Number of participants: Minimum 2 to 5 people
■ Guide: English
Other experience tours available!
Lots of fun! Introduction to Kawasaki!
Kawasaki City Tourism Association website
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.
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