Tokyo Snapshot – Senso-ji Temple

This shot of Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa captures the view that can be seen as you approach the temple from Nakamase Dori.  It’s a hard view to photograph if you don’t own a wide angle lens and this HDR image does a great job of doing just that.

As you leave bustling shops and crowds of Nakamise Dori behind, you pass though an impressive gate on your approach to the Senso-ji Temple, which sits in essentially the same spot and in the same configuration that is has for hundreds of years.

Shops on either side sell religious tokens and incense and pamphlets about the shrine in English are available for free.  Directly in front of the temple you will find a large cauldron billowing the smoke from the incense burnt by worshipers, who then fan the smoke to various part of their bodies in hope of healing or comfort.  The interior of the temple is often crowded but the altar and artwork within is worth pausing to ponder for a moment or two.

Senso-ji Temple and the other smaller shrines and temples within close proximity make this an area that should be included in any Tokyo itinerary.

Image Credit:  Flickr, tokyo 2 – Asakusa 香火