Shibaraku Statue

We found this fellow in the grounds of the Senso-ji Temple. The only English sign I found said he was a Shibaraku statue. Whatever that means, he certainly looks scarey, and i would not like to meet him in the dark!

Bronze Hokyoin-to

This bronze structure is a tiered tower known as a "Pagoda". Standing at eight meters tall, it was cast by Fijiwara Masatoki in 1761, and is the largest one left in Tokyo. it was damaged during an earthquake in 1855, but was restored in 1907 to commemorate Japan's victory in the Russian - Japanese war. We spotted it ( along with an information plaque)  in the grounds of the Senso-ji Temple.

Buddha

This Buddha statue was found in the grounds of the Senso-ji Temple.

Senso-ji Temple

The Senso-ji Temple is a Buddhist temple, located in grounds at the end of the Processional Walk. Sporting a five level pagoda, the temple was originally built in in 645, and is the oldest temple in Tokyo. It was, however, bombed and destroyed in WW11, and rebuilt as a sign of rebirth and peace.

Hosomon Gate

The Hosomon Gate is the inner,  more elaborate gate that leads to the Senso-ji Temple. First built in 942, it has been destroyed by fire a number of times, including during  WW11. The present gate was rebuilt in 1964.

The first story of the gate houses three lanterns. Two are black & gold, while the third is red.

The largest of the lanterns is this red one, standing nearly four meters in height and weighing over 400kgs. It sits in the center of the gate. How impressive is this?

Artwork

Along the other end of The Processional Walk we found artwork framed behind glass.

The artwork obviously told stories about the gates and the temple.

Processional Walk to Hosomon Gate

We had detoured around the processional walk for our own private adventure, and came back onto it just before the Hosomon Gate. The Hosomon Gate is the second, larger, more elaborate gate that leads to the Sensoji Temple, and is found at the other end of the processional walk. One side is still lined with shops, while the other is lined with art work on the fence.

A Shopping Lane

Branching off the processional walk to the Sensoji Temple was another shopping lane way. In this section the shops were more every day, not full of trinkets aimed at the tourist. It went for quite a distance, and the higher levels makes me think there may have been even more shops above. We turned the corner though, and went up another lane way parallel to the processional walk.

Sensoji Temple Processional Walk

This is the view up the processional walk to the Sensoji Temple. The walk is lined with shops selling all kinds of things to the tourists. We could buy all kinds of food, trinkets and souvenirs, in all kinds of prices.

It was starting to get late and we can see the sun very low. I was admiring the colour in those autumn leaves until I realised just how regular they were. I was too busy looking in all the shops to check out the leaves properly.

Artwork

This carved dragon is artwork at the bottom of the red lantern of the Kaminairmon Gate. I had to practically stand on my head to get this pic, and am a little disappointed I didn't get him all. I think I would have had to lie flat on the ground to get the whole carving, and then taken the chance to get trampled on by all the visitors.

Kaminairmon Gate Guard

A close up view of one of the guards of the Kaminairmon Gate. There are four guards on the gate, two Shinto and two Buddhist. The two Shinto guards are Raijin - The God of Thunder, and Fujin - The God of Wind, while the Buddhist guards are  Tenryū and Kinryū .

Kaminarimon Gate

The Kaminarimon Gate is one of the attractions in Asakusa. Known as the "Thunder Gate", it stands at the entrance of the processional walk to the Senso-ji Temple. Standing at over 11 meters in height, the gate history dates back over 1,000 years. Over time though it has suffered many destructions and re-builds, ( mostly by fire) the current one being dated at 1960.

The gate features a massive paper lantern, coloured in red and black to denote thunder clouds and lightning. There are also statues of Shinto Gods guarding the gate, Raijin - the God of Thunder, and Fujin - the God of Wind.

Asakusa Street View

As we continued our walk of discover in Asakusa, we had to cross a road to get to our next destination. How many pedestrian crossing markings do we need? I guess they were telling us that
j-walking was allowed.

Asakusa Transport

We had left our cruise in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, and were on a walking discovery tour back to our tour bus. This rickshaw was waiting for any tourist that cared to pay. I must admit it was a very snazzy rickshaw compared to some we had seen.