Jindaiji

A very spacious and accessible shrine near Tokyo. We walked from Chofu station to enjoy the fresh sunny day. Entry to the shrine is free. There are lines of little traditional shop stands. Several places to eat soba hot or cold. There is a botanical garden but we decided 500 yen was a bit pricy to see dead winter foliage. We’ll come back in spring, haha. :)
Definitely a nice place for tourists or locals who have already done all the big famous places.

Want to experience a bit of Kyoto in Tokyo without traveling 3+ hours on the Shinkansen? Jindaiji is one of the oldest and most famous temples in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area that is a must see on your list. It’s a great experience whether you are a tourist or long-​time resident.
Unlike other temples, the setting is completely natural and as is was from its beginnings hundreds of years ago. The temple sits on a very large plot of land, so give yourself a few hours to explore all it has to offer.
So what’s to see? Aside from the impressive main temple and surrounding buildings, there is a main shopping street featuring Jindaiji soba (famous Japanese noodles made by hand in many of the shops), traditional Japanese sweets and another icon of Jindaiji, daruma good luck charms.
There is an annual festival dedicated to the daruma gods, and here you’ll see a wide variety of sizes and styles offered for sale. You can read more about what these drama are and how to use them here:
Buy one to take home and make a wish. Your daruma gets «full vision» when your wish is realized (see link).
There is also a dedicated shop for the Ge-​Ge-​Ge-​no-​Kitaro Japanese comic series, and the characters are featured here in the architecture, café menu and all the character souvenirs you could image. See the photos for more details.
One other feature: Near the southwest entrance along the main road, there is a crafts market held almost every weekend. Artists from around the area come to display and sell their wares ranging from jewelry, leather goods, traditional pottery and more.
Overall, I really enjoy the setting of Jindaiji — its a perfect blend of nature, traditional Japanese architecture, lively businesses and history. There’s enough variety to experience the feeling of Kyoto in a much more compact area. Viewing the scenery over the changing seasons adds to the appreciation of how Japanese felt about harmonizing with nature in a traditional sense. Fall colors are brilliant, spring cherry blossoms are beautiful; visiting during each season is highly recommended.
Speaking of area, there are many more sights to see along the main street: More soba restaurants, art galleries, a historical waterwheel; up the hill is a pet cemetery, Jindai Botanical Gardens; and down the hill towards Chofu there is an extension of the botanical gardens (very nice!) and a natural hot spring bath called Yumori no Sato (湯守の里), formerly known as Jindaiji Onsen Yukari. (See other respective Unilocal spots.)
Great for a day trip outside of downtown Tokyo. It’s about thirty minutes west of Shinjuku on the Keio line; about forty minutes if you take the JR Chuo line + bus from Kichijoji or Mitaka stations.