---continued from the posting Asakusa -2-
This is the premises of Sensouji (temple), which is in Asakusa. I showed before the gate with the two statues you see over there that is called "Houzou mon". It takes about 10 minutes on foot from the station Asakusa on the TX line to reach here.
You're supposed to put sticks of incense here. In Buddhism, the dead are said to have these sticks of incense to nourish themselves before they are born again.
And this is the place where you should wash your hands and mouth before you pray. The statue you see in the center is called "Shararyuuou zou", and it was made by a sculptor "Takamura Kouun". Here is a pic of the sculptor.
This is the main hall of Sensouji. This was designated as a national treasure in 1649, but was also destroyed by Great Tokyo Air Raids, and then built again in 1958. In this pic the interior seems bright, but in fact it was very dark.
There were these two statues of Buddha, which are often called "Nisonbutsu". Please read the English sentence on the plate to see the details.
An overall pic of the Nisonbutsu. They have an alias "Nure botoke", and the "Nure" means "to get wet" and "botoke" means Buddha. They are made of copper and were dedicated to this temple in 1687.
For the first time in my life I saw the real "Rickshaw", which is a two-wheeled car drawn by a man. It originated in the Meiji period(1868-1912), but you can't see them except in some tourist sites like Hokkaido, Kanagawa. The red kanji you see on their backs say "Hi no Youjin" or "Be careful of fire".
I laughed at this mask sold on the Nakamise street. This is the mask of the protagonist of a film "Detroit Metal City", which is about a guy who performs as a charismatic heavy metal vocalist. You can visit its official website by clicking this.
Though this area Asakusa is just 1 hour's train ride from where I live, I haven't visited it since I was so small. But as an adult I saw it differently than I did before, and enjoyed seeing all those Japanese things. =) Asakusa is also the 19th station on the Ginza Line, and people often come here by way of that line. Please take a look at this for more information on the Ginza Line.
