It's actually my second time to Asakusa, one of the many popular tourist districts in Tokyo. It is famous for the Sensoji-Temple, a very popular temple in which commoners love to go there and pray. It is one of the only temples that do not hold funeral services and it doesn't have a cemetery. The road leading to the Temple is called Nakamise, in which the whole street is filled with vendors and stands selling the famous "Ningyoyaki" - which is like Taiyaki (pancakes with sweet filling) in "doll shapes" beacuse Ningyo means dolls. This time, because we were on a tour with the professor, we were able to see off-limit sections of the temple and the head monk acted as our tour guide. However, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the temple, so the pictures below are the many little things around the temple. So let's look at pictures now :)
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| Kan'on Road - runs perpendicular to Nakamise; also has lots of interesting shops |
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| Kaminarimon - gate to Nakamise that leads to the Sensoji-Temple |
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| The carving of the dragon underneath the Kaminarimon that most tourists pass by without noticing! |
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| Another gate leading to Sensoji! |
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| Dragon statue outside the Sensoji Temple where you wash your hands and mouth to purify sins |
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| Front of Sensoji Temple |
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| Lanterns denoting dates for famous festivals ! |
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| Stairs to the Temple Look, another big lantern! |
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| A statue of good fortune in front of the gods at the temple |
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| People throw a coin inside and make a wish |
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| Giant sandal outside the temple which gets replaced from time to time as the ropes wear out. |
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| Sensoji Jimusho (the 寺 is usually this kanji 事 which is for government office, but here the 寺 means temple, so "temple office" |
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| Beautiful statue inside the Temple office |
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| this picture was taken through a magnifying glass because this picture was made with the characters of the Buddha Sutra |
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| This is what the whole picture looks like, with the gold parts being the characters of the Sutra |
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| There is a garden inside the office. This tea house was found inside the garden. Because this tea house was donated by a family, it is usually limited to only temple purposes. Once a year, however, if you are lucky you can be chosen by a lottery to use this room for tea ceremony! |
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| Beautiful garden area! |
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| Hard to believe that this is inside the city. Look how beautiful this is. I feel like I'm in ancient Japan! |
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| Beautiful lake inside the beautiful garden! |
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| Take 2 |
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| There was a tea ceremony and everyone was dressed in their kimonos! |
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| Natureeeeeee! |
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| This grandma in her kimono is so hip that her hair is dyed blue!! |
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| These were old metal coverings of the temple's roof before they fell down during the Great Earthquake of 1923. Now the new temple roof has a layer of titanium so that when a next earthquake hits, the tiles won't fall off and kill anybody. |
After the tour, we were free to wander around! Many people were outside the temple, hoping to get good fortunes. First, you put 100yen into the box, and you shake a bottle full of fortune sticks (as seen in my picture below). Each stick has a number. You find the corresponding box with your number and inside is your fortune. Sensoji actually has the most "bad" fortunes, so if you get a "good" or "super super good" fortune, then you are really lucky! If you get a "bad" fortune, you tie it to the pole at the temple and leave it there, so you don't take the bad luck with you. If you get a super super good fortune, you might want to be careful because it might go downhill from there. So in my opinion, I think getting a "good" fortune is the best!
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| Shaking the bottle to get a stick! |
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| The stick with number 93 |
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| I got good fortune!! It's quite funny because this is how the English translation goes: "If there is no water in the pond, so many fish will die in it. Throwing them into the water, they will get refreshed again. As there is no barrier against your wish, good fortune does not seem to be smiling upon you yet. Be patient, if you have a trouble, and eventually everything will be all right" Underneath it says: *Your wish will come true. *The sick person will take time in getting well. *The lost article will not be found. *The person you are waiting for will come late. *Building a new house and removal are not always good. *It is good to make a trip. *Both marriage and employment are good.
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| Vendor stands selling Yakitori! |
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| Oden! |
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| The finished Yakitori product! |
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| Sweet potato mochi on sweet potato cracker! |
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| Taiyaki with Ice cream filling!! |
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| Taiyaki with red bean and chestnut fillings! |
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| Mikan (Japanese mandarins) Soft Serve! |
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