Jotenji

The high, wooden Sanmon gate of Jotenji stands apart from the surrounding modern cityscape, anchored by the dense, dark green foliage that spills over its walls. Founded in twelve forty-two by the monk Shoichi Kokushi, the temple served as a spiritual harbor for traders arriving from Song dynasty China. The monk returned from his travels with more than incense and scrolls; he brought back the techniques for milling flour into udon, soba, and manju, cementing this temple as the unlikely birthplace of those staple Japanese foods.