Very near Tokyo Skytree, is the very old neighborhood of Asakusa, home to one of Tokyo’s iconic sights, Senso-ji. This ancient Buddhist temple with giant red lanterns at the gates, is Tokyo’s oldest. The robust architecture of the temple itself and approaching gates is lovely and worth a gander, but for me the stroll through the surrounding grounds was fascinating.
Senso-ji – the temple
Unlike Chinese Buddhist temples, Senso-ji has one main hall and is not surrounded as a courtyard building. The large hall separates the space where worshippers are and where the statuary is. Instead of coffered ceilings as is common in China and Korea, this temple’s ceiling consisted of five large murals. As is customary for a Buddhist temple, there were candles in front of the altars. However, unlike most Chinese temples I’ve visited, Senso-ji has booths and tables in the corners to buy fortunes and prayers. Usually, in the China prayers would be sold in one of the side rooms of the courtyard space where incense is also sold.
In front of the main building stand two smaller buildings to the sides of the path. Here visitors can find fortunes and prayer wheels.
Senso-ji – the grounds
Surrounding these main buildings are lovely gardens with shrines and statues. Additionally, there is a Shinto shrine. To one side is a small courtyard structure with a square pagoda rising up. Unfortunately, during my visit, this tower was being renovated and was covered in scaffolding.
My favorite treasure found while wandering the grounds was a small memorial yard with steles or tombstones. I’m not sure if it was a cemetery or just a memorial garden, but some of the stones commemorated important Japanese figures including poets.
I found a couple dedicated to masters of the haiku, which was the poetry genre I had just taught my fourth grade students the week before. In fact, their homework assignment over the holiday was to write haikus about the eight “wonders of China” we chose as a class. I took the opportunity to write some of my own that I will share in another post.
I also liked that the grounds and temple were open on every side. It was not closed off but accessible to anyone who would want to visit.
Senso-ji – the lanterns and gates
One of the more notable features of Senso-ji is the Thunder Gate at the main entrance. It isn’t notable due to the gate structure itself or what it represents, but because of the magnificent, gargantuan paper lantern hanging in the mouth. Painted on this red behemoth is a beautifully painted character on the front saying its name. On the back is more writing. Looking up at at it from the bottom reveals an amazing wood carving. Unfortunately, this gate is not the original. It was reconstructed after nearly 100 years in the mid-nineteenth century.
Thuder Gate is not the only place with one of these master lanterns at senso-ji. Another hangs in Hozomon Gate and another at the entrance of the main hall.
Nakamise-dōri
The path leading from Thunder Gate to the temple is lined with souvenir shops. This isn’t a recent thing, but has been going on for 200 years. As a major tourism destination for both nationals and foreigners, the whole neighborhood around Senso-ji is full of shops, restaurants, and other amusements.
I wandered some of the more back alleys and found a small woodblock carver’s shop. She was quietly carving a new block when I entered. I looked around at the amazing details she could get from a carved piece of wood dipped in ink to print on paper. It is a time-consuming art form that I found mesmerizing. So, I got myself a few small prints for home.
Across the street from the Thunder Gate is the Asakusa branch of Tokyo’s tourist information centers. A very nice facility, the staff can help you figure out how to get where you want to go and answer any questions about what to do in the city. The more important reason to visit this tourist center is for the views. An observation deck crowns the building with views of Senso-ji and Tokyo Skytree. This is particularly lovely at night.
