7th Day - Tokyo (part1)

In the morning, we went to Sensoji 金龍山浅草寺 also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Asakusa. Before that, I would like to share a legend behind this temple. The legend says that in the year 628, two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River, and even though the put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them. Therefore, Sensoji was built there for the goddess of Kannon.

When approaching the temple, we first enter through the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) 雷門. This is the main symbol of Asakusa. A shopping street called Nakamise, leads from the first fate to the temple's second gate, Hozomon,宝蔵門.

Kaminarimon Gate,雷門

Hozomon Gate,宝蔵門


A lot of Japanese souvenirs such as yukata and folding fans, various tradisional local snacks are sold here.





Beyond the Hozomon main gates stands the temple's main building and a five storied pagoda.


Five storied pagoda.

Sensoji main building.

Worshippers burn incense.

Clean yourselves before entering the temple.




Omikuji,御神籤
You can see this in any temples. They are random fortunes written on strips of paper.







Asakusa Shrine.


Lunch in nearby shop.

No chairs are avaiabled. We all stood up to eat.

Chi Bao bao ....Let's move on.


Sumida River, 隅田川
No wife bridge??

Asahi Beer Tower


Let's move on to Meiji Shrine, 明治神宮 ,located in Shibuya which is the Shinto shrine that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken.

Barrels of sake (nihonshu) donated to the Meiji Shrine.

Another view of the torii at the entrance to Meiji-jingu.





The central sanctuary where the Meiji emperor is enshrined