Hakusan Shrine

Founded in 948 and relocated to its current spot in 1655, this compact Bunkyo-ku shrine erupts in color every June when 3,000 hydrangeas bloom across the grounds and adjacent Hakusan Park. The annual Bunkyo Hydrangea Festival opens the normally closed rear garden and draws locals rather than tourists. Year-round, the shrine's connection to toothache relief and reconciliation gives it an endearingly specific spiritual niche.