Aside from the temple, Asakusa is famous for its shopping street, Nakamise, which leads up to the temple. It’s busy all the time! This shot was taken before 9am, and there were school kids on excursion already.
The street has all manner of shops, from street food, souvenirs, clothes, toys, even kitchen knives.
Night time was just as busy. The main gate, Kaminarimon, was busy even at 9pm.
And those school kids were still roaming around at that time, too!
Our Japan journey is nearing its end, and the last place we visited was the great metropolis of Tokyo. We stayed in the district of Asakusa, in the old part of Tokyo, famous for Sensou-Ji, Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple.
As you can see, it’s a major tourist attraction, but it has all the essentials of a Buddhist temple, such as decorated lanterns.
And a smoking cauldron in which to purify yourself – or take selfies in front of.
Another Japanese favourite. Sushi is actually just any little morsel that uses sushi rice – steamed Japanese short grain rice dressed with mirin. It’s the toppings that vary. Traditionally, the Japanese use raw seafood, vegetables (pickled or fresh), egg, or tofu. Now that sushi has gone completely global, anything goes.
Here is some homemade sushi, ‘California’ style: crabstick, omelette, cucumber, carrot. There is also an inari (tofu pouch filled with sushi rice).
A sushi platter I had in Tokyo – for breakfast, no less.
But best of all was the ginormous sushi and sashimi platter I shared at Masuya, Sydney.
Sunday is wedding day at Meiji-Jingu. Seems like there are plenty of couples/families willing to fork out their life savings on a traditional wedding.
Since the wedding-goers parade in the middle of the temple grounds, all the visitors got a sneak peak, too.
I liked the wooden prayer cards that hang in shrines all over Japan. At Meiji-Jingu, they were written in all sorts of languages, reflecting the diversity of visitors there.
Once you near the Meiji-Jingu shrine, you are welcome to cleanse your hands and mouth before entering.
If only the barrels were full! These empty sake barrels outside of Meiji-Jingu seem to be a feature of shrines since I saw them in a few places in different parts of Japan.
I love the artwork on them – such attention to detail.
It’s been two-and-a-half years since my trip to Japan, but I’ve still got many vivid memories of my month there. One of them was my visit to the Meiji-Jingu shrine. It is the most important shrine in Tokyo, set in the middle of some glorious parkland. The entrance, is a giant torii or gate, in the middle of a forested avenue.
I will post more photos from Meiji-Jingu tomorrow.
Static and Silence 