Sensoji Temple

Jason's best friend from the time he was 4 years old came for a visit last month.  Dave was here for 10 days.  It was great to see him.  While he was here there was a lot of touring and such, one little trip took us to Asakusa to visit the Sensoji Temple.  Here is what one website said about the temple:

"The legend says that in the year 628, two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River, and even though they put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them. Consequently, Sensoji was built nearby for the goddess of Kannon. The temple was completed in 645, making it Tokyo's oldest temple." -Japan-guide.com


Sounds good right?  It was amazing, but so busy!  We could barely walk there were so many people.  None of the pictures that I have to share can even begin to allude to the massive size of the temple or the masses of people there.  But, here is what I have anyway.  Enjoy!

This is the entrance to the temple.  Beyond this gate is a street of shopping called Nakamise.  This street has vendor after vendor selling lots of traditional Japanese goods and foods.  The side streets that branch off from Nakamise are like a maze of little malls and alleys full of more of the same.  I think that one could spend days there and still not see everything.




 One of the things Dave wanted to do while in Japan was have traditional Ramen.  We found a ramen shop there and enjoyed it very much.  I love how you can see the steam rising from the soup in the picture below.



Outside temples there are large incense burners.  Visitors can buy a bundle of incense and put them in the burner.  As the smoke rises, the visitor fans the smoke over themselves.  The smoke is supposed to have healing power.






Next, we went to the temple.  As you walk into a temple there are big boxes to toss coins into as you say a prayer.  Once inside there are more of the same boxes, as well as candles you can light, I am assuming in the name of prayer.  (I really wish I knew more, but I've never visited a temple with someone that could explain it all to me.)  There is a room to pray in, which I have no photos of as they are not allowed, but it is really quiet beautiful.
 The boys outside the pagoda.  The pagoda is a tall building that is built near the main hall or temple.  The pagoda is usually 3 or 5 stories high and sometimes houses the remains of the buddha - something like a tooth.
The Pagoda




The pics above are of Jason and Lily drawing Omikuji.  This is a fortune or divination about a person's near future.  Your Omikuji can offer an excellent fortune, a disastrous one, or anything in between. Fortunately we were all pretty lucky!















This is the entrance to the temple.  Huge lantern.


 

Some beautiful statues outside the temple (above) and (below) a pic of what a vendor had to offer.  It's hard to see but inside the class are all kinds of fresh seafood.  That's it - Sensoji Temple, the oldest temple in Tokyo.  Kind of amazing when you think about how these buildings were built so long ago, with no help from all the modern conveniences we have today.


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