The Star Wars Temple - Reiyukai Shakaden, Tokyo
- Nov 23, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 12
A complete guide to Reiyukai Shakaden Temple in Tokyo
Image source: Timeout.com
Table of Contents
Overview
The Reiyukai (ray-yu-ka-eye) Shakaden Temple is a unique and obscure temple tucked away in Tokyo's Roppongi district. Also known as the Star Wars Temple, it features perhaps the most interesting and innovative architecture out of any temple in Japan. In fact, the architecture is so impressive that it stands amongst some of Japan's most awarded architectural achievements, such as the Nakagin Capsule Building, the National Art Museum, and the Tokyo International Forum.
Located within a 10-minute walk from the famous Tokyo Tower, surprisingly, the Shakaden temple flies under the radar and is a peaceful escape from the normal tourist attractions. This adds immensely to its appeal and helps maintain the surreal ambience. Despite its appearance, it's a normal Buddhist temple, and represents a modern Buddhist sect known as Reiyukai, which was founded in 1919.
The temple was constructed in 1975 by acclaimed architect Seiichi Shirai. Although it's often nicknamed the Star Wars temple, it was constructed 2 years before the movie was released. It's rumoured to be inspired by the first Star Trek series that aired in the 1960s, but there's no official documentation of this.
Location & Access
Image Source: Wikipedia CC
The Shakaden Temple is located in Roppongi and can be accessed easily by train. It's within walking distance to Tokyo Tower and the Teamlab Borderless exhibition.
🕗 Opening Hours
6am - 5pm
Free Japanese Lessons: book online.
📍 Location
Roppongi, Tokyo (Google Maps)
💴 Entry Price
Free
Interesting Facts & History
Image Source: Yu Hara
The temple was constructed in 1975 by acclaimed architect Seiichi Shirai.
The building houses a massive underground reservoir containing approximately 400 tons (or about 106,000 gallons) of clean drinking water, intended for use by the local community in case of a major disaster.
It's the headquarters for the Reiyukai sect of Buddhism, which translates to "Spiritual-Friendship Association".
The temple's centrepiece is its vast main hall, which can seat over 3,000 people.
Inside the main hall is an 8-meter Buddha statue carved from a 1000-year-old camphor tree.
The temple hosts free Japanese classes for foreign residents, you can book the lessons online.
The temple has various nicknames, including the Spaceship Temple, the Star Trek Temple, and the Star Wars Temple.
Useful Links
Image Source: Wikipedia CC
Architect Seiichi Shirai
Nearby Attractions
Roppongi is a lively area filled with awesome art galleries, beautiful architecture, and gorgeous luxury hotels. The Shakaden Temple is within walking distance to many attractions, including the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo Tower, and the incredible TeamLab Borderless digital exhibition. You could easily spend a few days exploring everything Roppongi has to offer.
