Tokyo Daibutsu

One attraction you probably won't find in a Tokyo guidebook, is the Tokyo Daibutsu in Itabashi. No doubt one of the reasons for this is that its so damn difficult to find (you have to walk about 10-15 minutes north of Eidan-narimasu station on the Yurakucho line) and is signposted by one lousy handwritten sign just outside. If it weren't for our trusty Tokyo Metropolitan Atlas, we would have ended up in Gunma.

Its a shame because the Daibutsu is a top-shelf attraction - aside from the Big Man, there is a carp pond, the Jourenji Temple, lots of old stone statues and is quite the suburban oasis. Perhaps there is a more suspicious side to the Daibutsu not being well known - maybe the owners simply didn't want tourists trouncing the place and pretended it just wasn't there...