Todoroki Keikoku Valley, the only valley within the 23 wards of Tokyo, is a soothing spot with plenty of greenery. Todoroki Station can be accessed in only 20 minutes from Shibuya Station, and from there the valley is only about a three-minute walk. It's quiet enough that visitors can forget they're in the middle of a city, and taking deep breaths while listening to the gurgling of the river will naturally comfort the heart and mind. At the edge of a red arch bridge begins a walkway, and after passing through a bamboo thicket a Japanese teien garden, a shoin building, and an open lawn will come into sight. Continuing left from there and towards the main building of Todoroki Fudoson Temple, on the right side of the path is a cafe called Setsugetsuka that offers Japanese sweets. Here, visitors can spend a leisurely time having tea or sweets while listening to the sound of a waterfall.

Photograph provided by Tokyo Convention＆Visitors Bureau