Sensoji Temple

One thing I love about Japan so far is the coexistence of Shinto and Buddhist cultures.  The Tokyo area is full of historical and reconstructed shrines and temples.  While most Japanese people would not describe themselves as actively religious, there are numerous yearly ceremonies that are integrated into the culture, and are a part of the Japanese lifestyle.

The Sensoji Temple is a Buddhist centre, and is located in Asakusa.  It was founded in 628 Common Era.  The modern temple buildings were reconstructed in 1950.  It serves as the headquarters of the Sho-Kannon sect, and primarily revers Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Nakamise runs from the outer gate to the second gate, where shops and vendors sell food, yukatas, and various types of trinkets.  The ~$30 yukata was tempting, but I figure that if I’m going to buy and wear one, it should be of less questionable quality.

Despite being a Buddhist temple, the Kaminarimon Gate (Thunder Gate) at its entrance is guarded by Raijin and Fujin, the Shinto gods of thunder and lightning, and wind.   The gate is also famous for its large chochin lantern.

This pegoda is five stories high.  It was originally constructed in 942 CE, like the Kaminarimon Gate, the original has been lost to fires and since rebuilt.  The top floor holds relicts of the Buddha.

This pair of sandals, called "owariji' [big straw sandals] are “kami sized", at 4.5m in height, and 1.5m wide!  They weigh ~500 kilos each.  The originals were donated by a fellow named Toshizou Matsuoka in thanks to the government for providing safety and relief to his district. The originals have since been destroyed in fires, but new ones have been continuously donated to replace them.  It takes ~800 people, and a year and a half total to produce owariji of this size.  I heard that it is good luck to touch them.

The tradition is a little bit different at each shrine and temple, but generally you toss a coin into the bin as an offering, bow twice, and then clap twice.  The amount of claps and bows varies for each shrine.  Since this shrine is Shinto, I’m able to take a picture of the interior.  Buddhist temples generally have statues of Buddha inside, and it is taboo to take a photo of the Buddha, so I cannot show you the interior of those.  There was a small service occurring on the day we visited.

Shrines generally have large incense burners in front of them.  The sides are lined with shops where you can buy incense to burn, good luck charms, and wooden tags to write wishes on.

You can also get fortunes.  I placed 100 yen (~$1.00) into a box, then grabbed and shook a long, large metal cylinder.  A piece of wood with a number came out.  I then had to look through the drawers to find the one with the matching number, open it, and pull out the fortune which was inside. 

I got a good one. 

Cheers!