Tokyo’s Ueno Toshogu Shrine, Aglow with Gold, to Accept Visitors to Usually Closed Structure in November

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, September 3, 2025

Konjikiden, the gold-leafed main structure of Ueno Toshogu shrine in Taito Ward, Tokyo, which is usually closed to the public, will accept a limited number of visitors in November.

Ueno Toshogu enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate that governed Japan in the Edo period (1603-1867).

The Taito Ward office, which is planning the special viewing of Konjikiden, has begun accepting applications for the visits.

According to the ward office’s cultural promotion department, the shrine was built in 1627. The main structure was completed in 1651 by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun of the period. It is a precious work of architecture that has survived the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 as well as the Pacific War and has been designated as an important cultural property.

It is called Konjikiden (gold-colored shrine) because the pillars and walls inside are covered in gold foil. The interior is also adorned with paintings by Kano Tanyu, an official painter of the shogunate.

The special viewings will take place on Nov. 2, 3 and 9, from 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Only 25 people will be admitted each time. The admission fee is ¥700.

Those who wish to attend should apply by Oct. 10 via the ward office’s special website in Japanese. Click the URL to access the website.

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