Jindai-ji

Founded in 733, Jindai-ji is Tokyo's second-oldest temple after Senso-ji, yet it feels nothing like Asakusa. Spring water runs through the woods around it, and the lanes outside the gate are lined with soba shops; plenty of visitors come as much for the noodles as for the temple. Plan on lunch, not dinner: most shops close when the temple gate does, at around 17:00. The thing not to miss is in the Shaka-do, to the left past the main gate. It holds a bronze Shaka, seated on a chair, 83.9 cm tall and made in the late Asuka period, between the 7th and early 8th centuries. It is the oldest National Treasure Buddha in eastern Japan, and it lay forgotten under an altar until a researcher found it in 1909. The hall is open 9:30 to 16:00, and while the temple raises money for a new hall to house the statue, you can visit it for free. On March 3 and 4 the Daruma market brings about 300 stalls and more than 100,000 visitors, and the temple has no parking. Jindai Botanical Garden is a two-minute walk away. There is no station nearby; from Keio Line Chofu Station, bus 34 takes about 15 minutes to the Jindaiji terminus.