The Oldest Building in Tokyo Traditional Cache
The Oldest Building in Tokyo
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This cache is located within the precincts of the temple that has the oldest building in Tokyo.
A little off the beaten track is Shofuku-ji temple in Higashimurayama, Tokyo. And central to the Temple is the its early 15th century Jizo hall, a registered National Treasure of Japan. It is considered to be the oldest intact building in Tokyo Prefecture and a unique example of Kamakura architecture.
The closest station is Higashimurayama on the Seibu Shinjuku line. Walk from the station through the quasi rural outskirts of Tokyo to reach the Temple. If you have kids in your party, you can stop by Seibu-en amusement park or watch a baseball game at Seibu Lions stadium, both of which are not too far away.
The Jizo hall is not largest building in the temple complex; but it stands apart and was built with extraordinary skill and beauty to withstand centuries of earthquakes. Take a look at the Wikipedia page to get its history and significance.
Travel back not so many years and the temple stood in the midst of farmland. Travel back 600 years and the Jizo hall was being rebuilt; a hundred years before that, the temple witnessed the great samurai general Nitta Yoshisada defeat the Shogun's army nearby. And not far away, the ancient Kamakura-Kaido highway runs by.
Look north from the temple and you will see the ridge of Hachikokuyama where Totoro is said to be living.
To reach the cache, you need to find your way through the temple to a forgotten corner of the graveyard. Make an offering and pay your respects to the departed along the way.
The cache is in a small locked plastic container. Bring your own pen.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ntnvafg n jnyy ohevrq haqre fbzr oevpxf.
Treasures
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