Sensoji Temple

We had a full day in Tokyo.  Our first stop was at the Sensoji temple, which is the oldest temple in Tokyo.  We walked there from our hotel room, so I got to enjoy the sights of Tokyo along the way, and it was really fun to see the difference between the "city" part with the skyscrapers and then the little markets hidden between the buildings. 

Our hotel was near a McDonalds, and we stopped in for breakfast, just so I could say that I ate McDonalds in a foreign country.  The breakfast menu was pretty much what you would see here in the states.  There were a few differences, but I couldn't tell you what they are (seeing as how I rarely ever eat at one here).  Nothing that stood out, anyway.  Breakfast was all right--pretty unremarkable.  Not better or worse than the quality here.

The sights of Tokyo as we walked to the temple:

I thought the police car was pretty neat--the lights are in a semi-circle instead of straight

This marketplace is called Nakamise-dori and has a neat history:

The street leading from the Thunder Gate to the Sensoji Temple itself, is lined with small shops selling omiyage (souvenirs) ranging from fans, ukiyo-e (woodblock prints), kimono and other robes, Buddhist scrolls, traditional sweets, to Godzilla toys, t-shirts, and cell-phone trinkets. These shops themselves are part of a living tradition of selling to pilgrims who walked to Sensōji. Pilgrims and tourists flocking to Sensoji have shopped at the small stores here for centuries. Many tourists, both Japanese and from abroad, visit Sensōji every year. Catering to the visiting crowds, the surrounding area has many traditional shops and eating places that feature traditional dishes (hand-made noodles, sushi, tempura, etc.).

Sensoji Temple:

Background:
Sensoji is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Taitō Ward, Tokyo. Sensoji Temple is sometimes referred to as Asakusa Temple. Sensoji Temple is Tokyo's oldest, and one of its most significant, temples. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect, Sensoji Temple became independent after World War II. Adjacent to Sensoji Temple is a Shinto shrine, the Asakusa Jinja.

Hozomon Gate contains the very famous and massive red paper lantern. Hozomon Gate is the gateway to the Sensoji Temple.

Dominating the entrance to the Sensoji Temple is the kaminari-mon or "Thunder Gate". This imposing Buddhist structure features a massive paper lantern dramatically painted in vivid red-and-black tones to suggest thunderclouds and lightning. Kaminari-mon contains two protective deities - (left side) Raijin - God of Thunder and (right side) Fujin - God of Wind.

Within the precincts stand a stately five-story pagoda and the main hall, devoted to Kannon Bosatsu.



Asakusa Shrine (Asakusa Jinja) is a Shinto shrine next to the Sensoji Temple. It is dedicated to the three men who established Sensoji Temple. Two of them, fishermen named Hinokuma Hamanari and Hinokuma Takenari, found a statue of the bosatsu Kannon in the river Sumida in 628. The third, the village headman, Haji no Nakatomo, built Sensoji Temple.

Once a part of Sensoji Temple, Asakusa Jinja became separate during the Meiji period.

 

 

 

 

 

Tokyo Sky Tree can be seen from Sensoji