Around Gokokuji, built by the shogun for his mother, mornings still bring radio calisthenics in the park
The closest neighborhoods in the same city.
Otowa-dori, the road toward Edogawabashi, was originally the processional route the shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi took when accompanying his mother, Keishoin, to pay her respects at Gokokuji. Gokokuji is a prayer temple that Tsunayoshi built in 1681 at his mother's wish. Otsuka Park, in Otsuka 4-chome, is said to be one of the birthplaces of radio calisthenics, and even now many people still come here every morning to do the exercises.
This stretch of Otowa was the Omotesando approach to Gokokuji, and in the Edo period machiya town houses were permitted to be built here, turning it into a temple town. Around the station is the publisher Kodansha, and when its building was rebuilt, an underground entrance was opened that leads straight through to Gokokuji Station. Nearby are also schools such as Ochanomizu University, Japan Women's University, and Dokkyo Junior High School.
From the Mejirodai and Sekiguchidai plateaus down to Otowa-dori, most of the way is a gentle slope. In 2020, about 33,000 people lived in this neighborhood.
Going by our street photos, greenery here ranks 160th among 395 neighborhoods in Tokyo. Toshimagaoka Cemetery, next to the temple, is reserved for the imperial family and ordinary people cannot enter; most of its grounds are wild groves, keeping the feel of what's called "the Otowa forest".
Gokokuji's main hall, built in 1697, is an Important Cultural Property, and on the 18th of each month, its festival day, the temple's hidden Buddha statue is opened to view. Also buried within the temple grounds are Meiji-era political figures such as Okuma Shigenobu and Yamagata Aritomo.
For commuting there are two subway lines: Gokokuji Station is on the Yurakucho Line, flanked by Higashi-Ikebukuro and Edogawabashi. Shin-Otsuka Station, in Otsuka 4-chome, is on the Marunouchi Line, and the next station is Ikebukuro. Public transit here ranks 83rd among 395 neighborhoods in Tokyo.
Rankings for daily convenience fall toward the lower-middle: shopping for daily needs ranks 191st among 395 neighborhoods in Tokyo, and healthcare ranks 166th. Going by our street photos, sidewalks rank 286th, the lowest of all the categories in this neighborhood.
Gokokuji's grounds originally covered 50,000 tsubo, but after the Meiji Restoration it lost the shogunate's backing. In 1873, the Meiji Emperor's first son died in infancy, and as a result 25,000 tsubo of the grounds were set aside as an imperial family cemetery. Another 5,000 tsubo became an army cemetery, leaving the temple with only about 20,000 tsubo.
From the Taisho era into the early Showa era, the tea master Takahashi Yoshio, known by the art name Soan, reorganized the grounds. He relocated the Gekkoden hall from Onjo-ji in Shiga to the west side of the main hall and built five tea rooms, after which the temple began regularly hosting large tea gatherings.
Compared with the 395 Tokyo neighborhoods in this guide (scores 0–10)
Hospitals with inpatient beds (2020 data), public elementary and junior high schools whose catchment covers this area, high schools and universities within 1 km, stations, parks of 1 ha or more, and large shopping malls and department stores. Many Tokyo junior high students attend private schools, so junior high catchments are only a guide.
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How to read it: yellow = poor, blue = good; grey = not enough data
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