Senso-ji

Senso-ji is a Buddhist temple in Asakusa, in Taito City in north-eastern Tokyo. According to temple tradition, two fishing brothers found a small statue of the bodhisattva Kannon in the Sumida River in 628, and the village chief enshrined it in his home. This makes Senso-ji the oldest temple in Tokyo.

The temple grew in importance under the Tokugawa shoguns in the Edo period, and the area around it became a popular entertainment district. Most of the buildings were destroyed in air raids in 1945 and rebuilt in the following decades. The Kannon image itself is never shown to the public.

Visitors enter through the Kaminarimon, the Thunder Gate, with its huge red paper lantern and statues of the gods of wind and thunder. From there, the Nakamise shopping street runs about 250 metres to the Hozomon gate, lined with stalls selling snacks and souvenirs. Beyond stand the main hall, a five-storey pagoda and, next to the temple, Asakusa Shrine, a Shinto shrine. The neighbouring Asakusa Shrine hosts the Sanja Matsuri, one of the largest festivals in Tokyo, over three to four days around the third weekend of May.

The temple grounds are free and open at all hours, while the main hall opens from early morning to late afternoon. Early mornings and evenings, when the buildings are lit, are quieter than the middle of the day. Asakusa Station on the Ginza and Asakusa lines is a few minutes away.

Arriving before 8 am to beat the Nakamise crowds

Senso-ji draws more than 30 million visitors a year, which makes it one of the most visited religious sites in the world. Most arrive between 10 am and 4 pm, when Nakamise street moves at a shuffle. Before 8 am the lanes are almost empty and the stalls are still shuttered, which is the best time for photographs of the gate and pagoda.

Kaminarimon's 700 kg lantern and the Hozomon treasure gate

The red lantern under the Kaminarimon is about 3.9 metres tall and 3.3 metres wide and weighs around 700 kg. The second gate, Hozomon, is more than an entrance: its upper storey stores the temple's treasures, including a copy of the Lotus Sutra listed as a National Treasure and a complete set of Buddhist scriptures listed as an Important Cultural Property.

Denbo-in garden and the seasonal markets

Beside the temple lies the garden of Denbo-in, the abbot's residence. It dates from 1776 and is designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty, though it opens to the public only for limited periods each year. Two seasonal markets fill the grounds with crowds: the Hozuki market of Chinese lantern plants and the Hagoita market of decorated paddles.

Incense, the offering box and photo manners at the main hall

Rinse your hands at the water basin and wave the incense smoke from the large burner toward yourself before climbing to the main hall, as Japanese visitors do. Toss a coin into the offering box, bow and pray quietly. Photography is fine in the grounds, but avoid photographing people at prayer inside the hall.