I took it easy this morning and met Rieko at 1:00 at my hotel. We took an easy ride up the Ginza line to Asakusa Station, and came up within a block of the temple. Once we were at ground level, I didn't need directions. It was almost eerie... I've spent so much time looking at maps and pictures that after taking a quick glance around, I knew exactly where everything was. The first thing you come to is Kaminari-mon, the "Thunder Gate," so called because it is guarded by the gods of thunder and lightning. This is the entrance to the temple grounds.
Next comes Nakamise-dori, the street leading from Kaminari-mon to the temple proper. There are a zillion tiny shops lining the street. Most sell generic tourist-grade kimono and "samurai swords," refrigerator magnets (you know me, I had to have one), and the standard t-shirts and keychains. But a few are worth a look. I bought a small paper lantern that is a replica of the one hanging in Kaminari-mon. I also picked up a bag of sweets - crunchy rice candies of various flavors. And Rieko bought me a talisman to hang from my rear-view mirror that is supposed to keep me out of accidents. She seems to worry about that a lot.
When you reach the end of Nakamise-dori, the street opens up into a plaza where many white paper lanterns are hung. Just beyond them is the huge Hozo-mon gate. This demarcates the border of the temple proper. It also has a huge lantern hanging inside. As you stand under the lantern (in my case, about a foot under the lantern), you can see off to the sides some of the deities enshrined there.
And then, in front of you, is the temple itself. It's the biggest building in the complex, all red lacquer and tiles on the roof. I tried to take a picture of the front of the temple that recreates the view in one of my favorite woodblock prints, Shiro Kasamatu's 1935 "Great Lantern at Asakusa Temple." I'll include a side-by-side so you can compare. Looking at the pictures, I think I got pretty close.
At the top of the stairs going into the temple, there is a small altar where you can make an offering and pray. Stepping further into the temple, you can see an inner area, separated from the outside by a gate, that is incredible. (Sorry, no pictures allowed.) Inside is a gilt altar area under a golden canopy. The faithful can go inside (after taking off their shoes to walk on the tatami mats) to pray and make offerings. There were colorful fresh flowers, incense, and women in kimono, with children in tow. I wish I could share the image with you.
I decided it would be disrespectful to try to take part in the entirety of the experience, so I did no more than light some incense in the big incense burner in front of the temple. The smoke from this incense is purported to have curative powers, and you're supposed to wave it toward the part of your body that needs curing. I waved the smoke at my chest, for obvious reasons. Though my legs are still sore, I thought it might look a little bit suspect for a "dumb gaijin" to be waving smoke anywhere below the waist, if you know what I mean.
The next step is to go to a small fountain and wash your hands and rinse out your mouth, in an act of purification before you enter the temple. When you go into the temple, you're supposed to toss a few coins into a box as an offering. Then you clap two times, to gain the attention of the spirits, bow two times to show your respect, then clap once more and offer your prayer. Again, I thought it would be disrespectful to mimic the offering of prayer. So I just tossed in some coins to help with the maintenance of the temple and its monks, and moved on.
The rest of my time at the temple was spent poking around and taking pictures. I happened upon a good time for picture taking - a kindergarten on the grounds of the temple was welcoming a new class of students today. Some of the young mothers were in kimono, and I caught a picture of one as she led her child away from the temple. Incidentally, the little kids in their school uniforms were cute beyond words. And it was no surprise to see a multitude of Western faces on the temple grounds - this is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Tokyo.
Next up was a cruise down the Sumida River, which runs north to south and passes within two blocks of the temple. Again, I was the one telling Rieko exactly where we needed to go. And this was without looking at a map. The map was in my head.
I took a few shots from the top of the boat as we started out, but unfortunately, what had started out as a clear, warm afternoon had quickly turned overcast, cold, and windy. It was about 57 degrees when I left the hotel, but by the time we were on the river, I swear it was 45 degrees with 20 mile per hour winds. And Rieko and I were both wearing only light jackets. We headed down to the inside of the boat, which severely limited my opportunities to take pictures. And by the time we landed at Hinode Pier, I was beginning to feel seriously rotten. I decided that in the interest of remaining functional for the rest of my time here, I should call it a night and get back to the hotel for a hot bath. I felt bad about sending Rieko home when we had additional things planned, but I had to make the smart choice. So that ended a nice afternoon.
As luck would have it, a hot bath was just what I needed. I got some dinner and have settled in to do some writing, edit and touch up my pictures, and get a good night's sleep. Rieko has to work tomorrow, so if the weather is clear, I think I'll head back to Senso-ji to take pictures in better conditions. Clear skies and bright sun will make the colors pop in a way they couldn't today. Then I'll head for Meiji Jingu to pay my respects to the Meiji Emperor and check out the condition of the cherry blossoms. If there's more time, I'll find something interesting to do - maybe blow a few bucks at a pachinko parlor, just for the experience. That's what this whole trip is about, so I'm all for it.
Enjoy the pictures!
