Benten-do

in

Earlier I talked about Enoshima Jinja which was dedicated to Benzaiten, a Chinese goddess who was incorporated into Shinto belief but is also found in Buddhist contexts as well. Like Enoshima Jinja, Benten-do is on an island in the middle of a large pond in Ueno Park. Benzaiten is believed to live on an island which is why you can find her temples/shrines in locations associated with water. 

For the casual: 6. For the educated: 6.

Much of the beauty of this temple comes from what time of the year it is. The pond is filled with lotus flowers making it amazing in late summer, but the rest of the time it can be a little difficult to look at. The temple is a lovely building with a massive lantern taking up much of the interior. 

 

Gojôten Jinja

in

Another shrine tucked away in Ueno Park, this shrine is not as flashy as Ueno Tôshôgû, but it is far more accessible and has its own little bits of beauty. There isn't any information that I know particularly about this shrine other than it too used to be a part of the Kaneiji temple complex which covered what is Ueno Park today, and it is home to a small Inari shrine as well as a city shrine to the people and prosperity of Ueno.

To the casual: 7. To the educated: 3.