Church

Takao Inari Shrine

Address: 10-7 Nihonbashi-Hakozakicho, Chuo City, Tokyo
Area: Tokyo, Japan

Mon: 00:00–23:59
Tue: 00:00–23:59
Wed: 00:00–23:59
Thu: 00:00–23:59
Fri: 00:00–23:59
Sat: 00:00–23:59
Sun: 00:00–23:59
Hours: Listed as open 24 hours; no regular closing day is specified.
Price: Admission is free (¥0).
How to visit: Visits are possible freely 24 hours a day. The shrine is small and located among residential buildings; there is no official ticket counter or omamori/goshuin desk.
Hours: Free entry
Hours: Good after dark
Hours: About 5 min

Takao Inari Shrine — takeshi yagi, CC BY-SA 3.0

Why it is worth the detour

This tiny shrine grew from the legend of Takao Dayu, a celebrated Yoshiwara courtesan supposedly murdered aboard a boat after rejecting the lord who purchased her contract. The shrine claims to enshrine a skull associated with her, but historians dispute both the murder story and the relic—making it a striking example of a courtesan becoming the center of an enduring urban ghost legend.

Takao Inari Shrine is a small shrine in Tokyo, known for its connection to the legend of Takao Dayu, a courtesan whose story has become an urban ghost legend. Despite historical disputes, it remains a fascinating site for those interested in local folklore.

What else is close by

The nearest places we have written up, with straight-line distance from here.

550 m
Nihonbashi Bridge
First built in 1603, this bridge marked the starting point of the Five Highways and remains Japan's official road-distance zero point.
1.1 km
Kiyosumi Gardens
Mitsubishi founder Yataro Iwasaki reshaped this former daimyo property into a Meiji-era strolling garden renowned for stones gathered across Japan.
1.3 km
Fukagawa Edo Museum
A life-size reconstruction here restores the canal-side Fukagawa-Saga neighborhood of the 1830s and 1840s, complete with row houses, shops, shipping agents, a firebreak, and a water taxi. Changing light and sound make the vanished district pass through an entire day, revealing how thoroughly water transport once shaped ordinary Tokyo life.
1.6 km
Tsukishima Monja Street
About 70 restaurants on one street serving monjayaki, the runny Tokyo cousin of okonomiyaki, cooked on the table griddle.
1.7 km
Tokyo Station
Tokyo Station and the Marunouchi brick building.
1.8 km
Tsukiji Honganji Temple
Chuta Ito's 1934 temple blends Buddhist functions with an extraordinary facade inspired by ancient Indian architecture.