It is said that bonafide official shrines should be located ‘on the earth under the sky’ but there are a fair few which don’t meet such criteria including two of Japan’s most popular ones; Meiji Jingū and Fushimi Inari. There is no law saying that they must be recognised by the Association of Shinto Shrines so it’s not so unusual I think. This rooftop one in Tokyo though has a unique way of connecting to earth.

Earlier this year I was watching a TV show on NHK when I heard them mention a shrine I recognised the name of. It was in Ginza and was one that I had of course visited for the Chūō-ku leg of my cycling around every Inari shrine in Tokyo’s 23 wards adventure. However, what I never realised back in 2020 was that the shrine in question wasn’t just located on the ground but also on the rooftop of the buiding within which it is enshrined.

Photo taken on Friday the 13th (Nov 2020)

Asahi-Inari Shrine (3-8-12 Ginza, Chuo-ku) has just a small torii gate and altar at street level but the aforementioned TV show (‘Cool Japan‘ on NHK World) had a feature about how it is still connected to nature despite being on top of an eight-storey building. I finally got round to going to see it for myself a few months ago and got more than I bargained for.

Notice the shrine flags on top of the buiding

On the ground floor, very little had changed in the three and a bit years since my initial visit.

A few steps round the corner took me to the entrance of the building.

Seeing the signage in English was a surprise as I really didn’t think this little shrine would be a place any tourists go to. I couldn’t have been more wrong as I found out on top.

It certainly wasn’t packed or anything crazy like that. In fact there was just one Taiwanese guy there who I got talking to before he asked me if I was there because of ‘Weathering With You‘ (2019).

The lightbulb then went off in my head. I haven’t seen too many animated films but I had actually seen this one, and in true anime fashion, it included a rooftop scene. In fact the movie, known as ‘Tenki no ko‘ in Japanese, has multiple rooftop scenes with Asahi Inari-Shrine serving as the inspiration for them. For those interested, the timecodes for those scenes are 2, 24, 58, 76, 88 and 93 minutes.

The animation, written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, was the follow up to ‘Kimi no Na wa‘ (a.k.a. ‘Your Name‘). In ‘Weathering With You‘, Hina gets connected to the sky on the roof of the building and similarly this shrine is also connected to the earth but how? Despite its elevation, the shrine is connected by a pipe going from the roof to the floor. Nothing too unusual about that as most buildings have such pipes but this one is full of soil thereby making it a truly unique way of linking to earth. Whether you accept that as credible is up to you I guess! I have to say I did roll my eyes a bit when I heard about it!

As for the rest of the shrine, it is not quite as aesthetically pleasing as the animated version but nevertheless it is a quite cool way of accessing it.

The main hall is slighly hidden by some potted plants and just under ten red flags.

It’s a basic altar with a red torii gate and two lanterns in front. There are a couple of small white fox figurines on display.

Ginza is very much a shopping district but if you want a break from that then this rooftop shrine is an interesting place which is in touch with both the ground and the sky!

Bonus: This Shusse Jizo Guardian Deity was unearthed in this area of Ginza in the early Meiji era (1868 – 1912). It symbolizes luck, success in life, long life and prosperity in business. It is located in Mimeguri Shrine which is on the rooftop terrace garden of neighbouring building Mitsukoshi Ginza (4-6-16 Ginza, Chuo-ku) which is a huge department store. Mimeguri means circle three times and, according to folklore, a holy white fox circled this shrine three times during the ceremony of reconstruction in the year 840.

Click here to read ‘Foxed In The Head: Cycling To All Inari Shrines In Tokyo’s 23 Wards – #17 Chūō’

Click here to read ‘Tokyo Filming Locations #16 – Your Name (2016)’

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……Fox Shrines In Japan (On The Fox Trail Special)’

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