Tokyo is a city of constant change and consistent transformation. New buildings rise and old buildings fall, people come and go, and with the hubub of everyday life it is easy to forget that Tokyo has been the capital of Japan for hundreds of years. With all the modern skyscrapers, it is also easy to forget that there still exist places that have not changed that much at all even for all that has happened around them.
Sensoji Temple in Asakusa is one such place. The temple and its grounds look much the same as they did when Tokugawa's ruled Tokyo, at least the layout does. The temple is the oldest in Tokyo, and the Nishiki Market that sits in front of it also looks just like it did when Ukiyo-e prints were made of it back in the Edo Times. It is always a busy place, with hundreds of people coming to pay homage to a golden statue of Kannon (god/goddess of mercy) which was fished out of the river according to legend.
For my parents and I, our last trip to Sensoji was a good one, and we thought we could venture there from Skytree with ease, after all it looked so close. Boy were we wrong.
Walking to the temple from skytree took the better part of a half hour, weaving through tangled streets and hoping we were going the right way. I had some general idea where it was, but to be honest I kept hoping for signs. Of course, in Japan, most of these are in Japanese, so maybe we got lucky.
We followed our way along the river, past highrises and houses, people going about their everyday lives. It is strange to me thinking back on it how ordinary things are when you travel. Things go on around you, and while you are seeing and doing new things, people who live there go on with things as they usually do. For them, this is ordinary, for the traveler, it is much more extraordinary.
We arrived to find quite the crowd gathered for some kind of ceremony that was going on, though we couldn't see it at the moment. I could hear speaking and music though as we entered the temple proper.
The Japanese are very picky about pictures inside temples. I can understand this as temples are a place of veneration, but sometimes you find that Japanese people themselves ignore these rules and nothing happens while foreign visitors will get glared at.
I wanted to get shots of certain things, but you cannot. There are times when there is signage, and times there is not. Simply taking a picture of the crowd from the temple doors kept getting a finger wagged at me, yet I was able to take a picture of the roof just fine.
No matter the temple, there is always something new to see and something wondrous to behold. Even the simplest of temples have some little side room or area that's sometimes missed by the casual visitors. I don't know how many people come here usually, but it was crowded, and almost everyone had their eyes on what was going on outside. I chanced a glance up to see the beautiful ceiling paintings. I am not sure who this is, I don't think I can guess. There is something about the expression though, very calm and soothing. The way she floats there, it is otherworldly.
Beyond the temple there are a number of buildings, including the Pagoda. Everything here serves its particular function of the temple. Beyond the temple grounds is the Nishiki Market. Many of the shops and stalls that line the street carry items and curios for the passerby. This is something we in the States rarely have. The thought of commerce outside a temple might conjure the thought of Jesus chasing out money changers in the bible, but in Japan it is common place.
Shop owners are wise and wealthy when they are able to hawk their wares, especially when its tied to temples. Everything from charms to masks to little toy robots, you can find it in these places. The nishiki market also has a bunch of food vendors, though we didn't try any of them. I did purchase a beautiful ukiyo-e print, one I'd been searching for quite some time. It depicted a group of kitsune gathered around a famous tree at night.
It is strange from the visitor's point of view to approach a temple and pay homage to some unfamiliar deity. I try to do it out of respect, but also perhaps in hopes that some bit of good kharma will come my way. If nothing else, one can admire the architecture and sometimes find things easily missed.
The two huge gates leading up to the temple have equally huge lanterns hanging from them. The lanterns themselves are often photographed by tourists, but I don't think many people know to look on the underside. If you do, you are greeted by this magnificent dragon above. That is the beauty of travel, especially to Japan. There is something for everyone, something new, something strange and often it can change our whole journey. I had the pleasure to listen to the procession at the temple, to see people praying to their gods. Though our walk there was long, I am glad we had the opportunity to travel to sensoji again. That was not the end of our day however. We had one more destination, one borne from a childhood nostalgia.
Next time: Odaiba!
