If you want to find a place where the contrast between ancient and modern Japan is at its clearest, then Dogen-ji temple is it. In the shadow of the sleek ARK Mori Building, part of the Akasaka ARK Hills complex, it feels pressed in by the shiny new buildings around it, but still retains its historical atmosphere. Some of the statues and grave markers have been here for hundreds of years, and are worn down from weather and time, but it's interesting to try to imagine what the area must have been like when they were first placed here, when Edo was still just a simple village.
Peter Sidell @peter.sidell
I came to Japan from Manchester, England in 2003, and have travelled a lot since then, around Japan and in Asia. When I'm not working, I write satire and perform stand-up comedy in and around Tokyo. Check YouTube for a taste.
