Hi Everyone,
After 8 years, we are back at Sensō-ji with the kids. We go to Tokyo often but we don’t go to Sensō-ji as I have personally been there twice before. This time we decided to take the kids there and let them experience the atmosphere and show them one of the most popular places in Tokyo. Our journey begins at the Kaminarimon, also called the Thunder Gate which is the massive red lantern we see plastered on all posters if we are visiting Asakusa.
As we pass through the gate we are right at Nakamise shopping street. The kids were not happy with the crowd though it wasn’t too bad it wasn’t peak tourist season. There were stalls selling everything from traditional yukatas to snacks then the endless toys they wanted to buy and take home. We quickly went past these stores reminding them they had bought many toys over the whole trip.
The main attraction, Sensō-ji’s Hondo (Main Hall) is where we wanted to show them. There were lots of people there lining up to pray and smell the essence from the large pot. We took our time to line up to pray and our kids already know how to do it the Japanese way and then offered our coins as token of appreciation.
Next to the main hall, the Five-Storied Pagoda is also popular amongst visitors. We weren’t that interested so we didn’t go up to the pagoda but instead, we walked around the Shrine to take some photos and let the kids observe how the locals give their offerings and make their wishes. As the sun was starting to set, we walked back to Nakamise shopping street to get a few snacks to keep those hungry bellies full so the kids wouldn’t complain further until we go to the next destination.
Although the shrine is always busy with visitors, it is a must visit if you are in Tokyo. It still holds a very strong Japanese culture even though many people say it's much more commercialised (although I agree) at the same time, it allows tourists who haven’t been to Japan before a taste of what it’s like to see and experience Japanese culture.
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