Sensoji Temple is located in Taito Ward, Tokyo. It is the oldest temple in Tokyo. Senso-ji Temple was founded on March 18, 628, during the Asuka Period, and has a history of nearly 1,400 years. Famous warlords such as Minamoto no Yoritomo, Ashikaga Takauji, and Tokugawa Ieyasu visited the temple to pray. It is still visited by many people and many overseas visitors.
Kaminarimon lantern
The entrance is here, “Kaminarimon”. This is the symbolic place of the very popular Asakusa. This is the main gate of Senso-ji Temple. Please enter the temple grounds after bowing with your palms together as a sign of respect for the temple’s sacredness.
You will see many overseas visitors taking selfies with the lanterns in the background like this. It is a good spot to take a picture. This lantern is 3.9m high, 3.3m wide, and weighs about 700kg.
Once inside, it leads to the Nakamise. It is a lively street. The gate “Hozomon” can be seen in the distance.
There are various stores that tickle the fancy of foreigners. Yukata, rice crackers, ningyo-yaki (sponge cake in various shapes filled with red bean pasto). Among them, I was especially attracted to the manekineko (lucky cat) shop.
As you pass through the Nakamise Dori while looking at stores and eating, you will come to the Hozomon Gate, which you saw in the distance earlier. On either side of the gate are large statues of Niou. It is easy to miss them while trying to enter the gate, but be sure to stop and take a good look.
The Sky Tree, the world’s tallest tower, can be seen clearly from this spot to the right. This is a fun area where you can enjoy Japanese food stalls.
Now, as you enter the Hozomon gate, you will see a large evergreen incense burner. Before visiting the temple, offer incense and bathe in the smoke to dispel evil spirits. It is said to make bad places better, and I pour a lot of it on my head to become wiser me. This is a standard practice.
This is the front of the main hall. It is too big. The front of the main hall, which has an overwhelming presence, is hung with a lantern larger than the one at the Kaminarimon gate. The etiquette for worshipping at the shrine is to make a monetary offering, place your palms together, bow, and then bow lightly again. The temple was crowded even though it was well past the three days of the New Year.
After visiting the temple, it’s time to buy omikuji (fortune cards) and then it’s omikuji time. All the omikuji cards had English descriptions of benefits, so please choose what you want to ask for.
Fun spot Asakusa
There are lots of fun things to do in Asakusa!
There are many rickshaws running around. Many “chauffeurs” can guide you in English, which is also unique to the sightseeing spot Asakusa. They can arrange the course of the rickshaw ride to suit your schedule.
On the day I visited, the members of the Kimono Rokumeikan Club were all dressed in kimonos that were over 100 years old. It was magnificent. All of them were antique kimonos from the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras, so they showed me the differences in patterns and sewing of modern kimonos.
Tobu skytree line, Tokyo metro ginza line, Tsukuba express, Toei Asakusaline
Asakusa station 5 minutes on foot
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