I went to Japan in 2007. One of the cities I visited was Tokyo. Some destinations I went to were Asakusa Kannon Temple, whose equivalent name is Sensoji Temple and Ginza as well as Harajuku , the latter two are world-renowned shopping districts. In this post I will describe the atmosphere I cherished in Amakusa Temple.
When I approached the temple, I was amazed at the large gates and huge lanterns. It was the most well-polished temple I have ever visited. The gates were bright red and smooth, not rusting like temples generally located elsewhere. What astounded me more was the large number of visitors of this temple. The crowd was so packed in every direction that I had difficulty deciding to which direction I should walk.
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| Front Gate of Azakusa Temple |
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| Containers of sake offerings |
After passing through the center of the courtyard, I finally figure out the main temple for worshippers to pray , obtain their forecast (if I describe it correctly) or buy a charm. Apparently, the number of visitors in the worship building was proportionally much less than the number of visitors out there. I was actually quite interested to buy some charms for studying hard , being safe always, etc. But I soon left the main building since I have previously bought 3 charms in Kyoto.
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| Worshippers in front of Azakusa temple's main shrine |
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| Inside the Azakusa temple's main shrine |
So, I wandered around the temple to find other attractions. We finally arrived at shopping street just nearby the temple. I found it a more tempting destination than the main building itself. From afar, the alley was alive with beautiful red lanterns , red-painted wooden posts holding boards and other decorations. When I was walking down the alley, I knew that the scene was haphazard since shops were not categorized based on the products they are selling. Yet, I realized why it was so; there were so many unique products which I could not find in other metropolitan cities. Some of the souvenirs I managed to buy was Detective Conan matcha cookies with very manga-cover-like case whose background is Conan standing on a Tokyo tower background. There were also cheap Hello Kitty accessories and stationeries.
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| Shopping street inside Azakusa Kannon Temple complex |
At the corner of the shopping streets could be found a rather isolated area. My family and I went there , thinking that it was a magnificent view as we felt that we were living in the Edo era. The architecture of the closed shops was very alike to those houses we may find in ninja films.
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| Traditional Architecture inside Azakusa Temple complex |
This temple visit is unforgettable. I really want to come there again when Japan has its spring season, when the sakuras bloom enchantingly. At night during spring, festivals are often held there too. I hope that I can immerse myself in crowds wearing kimonos.
