If you ask people what they knew about Ueno, you will most hear a variety of answers regarding a park with a zoo. But very few people know that it was a massive temple complex. A city of temples and shrines.

Or that the priest that managed the project, and also a personal consultant to the Tokugawa family, based the model off of Kyoto; mapping Kyoto's energy to Edo using a sophisticated Japanese version of geomancy.

So if you're going to Kyoto during your trip, consider this a test run before you go!

We'll begin near the place where old Edo gave way to modern Japan. From there, move slowly through the surviving traces of the former temple city: memories of war, hidden shrines, prayer lines, water, stone, silence, and gold beneath the trees.

We follow what can still be read: famous halls, nearly invisible traces, quiet scars, prayer lines, and places passed every day by people who never realise what they are seeing.

This is not ordinary sightseeing. It is an invitation to see Tokyo differently. You do not need to be Buddhist or spiritual to enter this hidden world. You only need curiosity, respect, and a willingness to walk slow enough to see what hides in plain sight.