From the Imperial Palace, we proceeded to Asakusa. where vestiges of “old Tokyo” can be found. This was a must-see on the itinerary I drew up, and I even devoted an entire afternoon for it. But since it was included in the Tokyo Morning Tour of HatoBus that we went on, I scrapped it from the list. The result? I was left wanting more.
Asakusa was the leading entertainment district of Tokyo, even way back when Tokyo was called Edo, in the 1600s. It was also where the first ever movie house in Japan. It was destroyed during the war, so the “entertainment” aspect was no longer there. But it was still revived and has become a cultural hub, where you can get a taste of traditional and “old Tokyo”.
The approach towards Asakusa was done via the Hato Sightseeing Bus we were on. I thought they were going to drop us off at the main gate, but we just passed it, then went around a few blocks to a wide designated parking area. We were able to get a good glimpse of the main gate, though. This gate is a landmark representing the whole Asakusa area.
It is known as the Kaminarimon, which translates to “Thunder Gate”. The name was visibly inscribed on the huge red lantern hanging above the gate. The gate itself, however, is called Furaijinmon, or the “Gate of the Wind God and the Thunder God”. You can’t see it in the photos below (which were taken through the bus windshield) but the gate was flanked by two statues – the Wind God “Fujin” and the Thunder God “Raijin”.
It is through the Kaminarimon that visitors can go in, pass through Nakamise-dori, then arrive at the Buddhist temple inside. It was around 11am when we got there, and it was a Thursday morning, but you can see how thick the crowd going inside was.
Finally we arrived at the parking area. This is where I also got a glimpse of the Tokyo Sky Tree. Which is soooo tall. I don’t think it is as striking as the Tokyo Tower, though. Maybe because the plain color is so… plain? My friend Sil was able to go there the day before, though, and since the weather was bad, visibility from above was zero. Also, it was even harder to see anything because it was simply too high up.
But that was just secondhand information. Haha!
Our approach, you could say, was reverse, since we started at the main temple. But for purposes of this post, I will start as if we entered via Kaminarimon.
Nakamise-dori, or Nakamise Street, is the shopping street from the Kaminarimon to the Sensoji Temple. It is lined with shops selling mostly traditional Japanese items. It’s definitely a good place to get souvenirs if you want to bring home something that is uniquely Japanese.
Yes, it is safe to say that this entire length of street is a tourist trap.
There were also lots of food being sold. Unfortunately, Sil and I were not that hungry when we were there, and we were also prepping our stomachs for the okonomiyaki we plan on having later for lunch. Still, we resolved to at least eat something from here. Neither of us was really on a souvenir-shopping mood, so we figured that we can at least do that much. 🙂
The air was filled with sumptuous and sweet aroma of various foods. This one caught our attention (and sense of smell) the most. They are called ningyo-yaki, or “baked pancake dolls”. The filling is either azuki (red bean) or custard. And they came in various shapes, too!
You will then be coming up towards Hozomon, also known as the Hozo Gate. This marks the end of the Nakamise Shopping Street.
Hozomon was originally called the Niomon or Niou Gate. Today, it is used as a storage area for some of the Buddhist treasures of the temple, since its interior has three tiers of compartments.
Just like the Kaminarimon, there were two wooden statues (called “Ni-ou” or Deva Kings) on both sides of the entry way of the gate. They are considered to be the guardian deities for Sensoji. The Ni-Ou on the left sports an opened mouth style, while the one on the right (which you can’t see, sorry for poor photo-taking skills) has a closed mouth style. Both statues are “made of cypress, is 5.45 meters high and almost 1000 kilograms in weight”.
At the back of the Hozomon is a pair of giant straw sandals, one on each side. This is called the o-waraji. These traditional giant sandals (2500 kg and 4.5 meters long) were made from straw by 800 citizens of Murayami City as a dedication to Sensoji. It took them a month to create the pair, which is seen as a charm against evil spirits and symbols of the power of “Ni-ou”. People touch them in order to become blessed and become “goodwalkers”.
We also passed by the Five-Storied Pagoda, which also serves as a storage area for mortuary tablets and other relics of the Buddha.
Finally we’ve come to the Main Hall of the Sensoji Temple.
The Sensoji Temple is said to be where the goddess of mercy, Kannon, is enshrined. It is touted to be the most important and most famous Buddhist temple in all of Tokyo.
The kanji characters for Asakusa can also be read as “Senso”. Add “ji” for “temple”, and you have Sensoji. (I’m having a major attack of kunyomi and onyomi readings here. I am totally rusty.)
The Main Hall has a unique roof, which is taller and sloping. In front is also an incense burner. According to Haruko-san, people go to it and let the smoke waft over them, since the smoke is said to cure all their ills. I was tempted to go and wave it over my head, to cure my “ills” (I’m referring to my migraine attacks, thanks very much), but there were simply too many people. And I was also afraid that I’d end up doing it wrong and have it backfire on me.
It’s not just the place that can capture your attention. Even the people visiting the Temple, I found interesting. How they act, how they are dressed. (Yes, this couple wearing yukatas were all over the place. 🙂 )
Inside the Main Hall, there were also a lot of people praying. But there were equally many people gawking. Mostly tourists. I was one of them.
The Main Hall was divided into two sections: the outer sanctum geijin, which has a concrete floor (and where visitors were freely walking around on) and the naijin or the inner sanctum.
Prayers and petitions are directed at the naijin or the inner sanctum. In the middle of the inner sanctum is the gokuden, a miniature shrine. This is where Bodhisattva Kannon, or the goddess of mercy, sits.
We even tried our hand at having our fortunes read/foretold. This is how you do it.
Get that aluminum cylinder. Shake it a few times while saying your prayer/petition/wish/question in your head. Tilt it and pull one of the sticks. On the sticks are written numbers (in kanji). Look for the corresponding mini-drawer and get one of the sheets of paper inside. That’s where your fortune is written.
Mine said “regular fortune”. Haha!
Check out the side of the Sensoji Temple’s Main Hall. Gotta love how elegant it all looks.
On the way back to the parking area, we also passed by the Dempoin Temple, which is right next to the Main Hall. The temple itself and its beautiful gardens are not open to the public, but the outer area can be seen. If this is how the outside looks like, then the inside is sure to be even more wow. Too bad we couldn’t go in.
We only got to spend an hour in this place. I would’ve wanted more. I definitely want more time to just leisurely go around. If you happen to plan to go here any time soon, devote at least a couple of hours. That way, you can fully enjoy and explore it.
All in all, I was still very happy with the experience. I would’ve wanted more time, but I think I did what I could with the short time I had spent in – and with – it. Definitely something to go back to in the future.