Danielle- Sensouji Temple in Asakusa

Sensouji Temple in Asakusa

As promised, here are some pics and my quick take on one of my favorite temples in Japan, Asakusa's Sensouji Temple.

I found out that Sensouji is Tokyo's oldest temple, first built in the year 645. Supposedly, there's a legend that says two fisherman brothers found a statue of the goddess of luck in the Sumida River closeby, and they created a shrine for it, later becoming Sensouji. Right outside the temple, there is the infamous Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), a major and well-known symbol of both Asakusa and Tokyo.

It's a colorful temple, with wide open spaces filled with bustling people. But other than Sensouji itself, there's lots to see in Asakusa and it makes a great place for taking walks. The shopping streets of Nakamise go from the temple's outer gates and stretch further into Asakusa city. There are mostly small shops that sell souvenirs like yukata, fans, and traditional Japanese snacks. Back in the day (around the 1600's Edo Period), it used to be Tokyo's main entertainment district with all sorts of kabuki theaters and the like, but in the late 1800's to early 1990's, more modern types of entertainment made their way to Asakusa, too.

And also, about twenty minutes away, if you cross the Sumida River (I always walk across the Azumahashi Bridge, because it's suuuuper beautiful, especially during sunset), you can find Tokyo Skytree. And Skytree is awesome because not only does it have great shopping and a great view of the city, it also has an aquarium with penguins (though I've never met them, I know they're there).

Sometimes, when I go to these temples, I also like to do omikuji to see where my fate is headed. An omikuji isn't so much like "fortune telling"; it's more or less a written oracle, cautioning you about something that COULD or COULD NOT happen based on the decisions you make in your life. Whether good or bad, you should "tenaciously do your best, because you carve out your own fortune."

Anyways, here's how this one in Asakusa is done:
1. Put a 100en coin in the offering box, and while praying for your wish, shake the box until a stick comes out.
2. The stick will have a number on it (written in kanji), so make sure you know your number, then put the stick back in the box.
3. Take out a sheet of omikuji from the drawer with your corresponding number, and read it. (These had English on them too!)
4. If you got a bad fortune, you tie it there, but if it's a good fortune, you keep it with you in your wallet so you can remember its message.

And that's all for now! In the next dew days, I'll be going to a Snow Camp up north in Nagano, and then right after (the day after, actually), I'll be going with my host family down south to Nagasaki! So if it takes me a while to get back to you all, that's why - cuz I'm adventuring. :)

Comments

I'm Nicol, from America!

HELLO! HOLA! こんにちわ ! I’m Nicol and I am the new LEX America Intern, and I am so excited to be here! I will be in Japan for 1 year working at the LEX Hippo office. I don’t know exactly what to expect, but I hear I will be busy and learn many new things! (Please excuse all the english I'm still learning😅) A Little About Me: I am from a tiny town in Oregon USA! I love sports, and almost anything outdoors. I played a lot of volleyball and track and field in high school . ( スポーツすきです ) 😂When I went to college I picked up ultimate frisbee and a little game called spikeball. I have been in 4-H since I was 9 years old and it is how I got involved with LEX- HIPPO Family Club, this amazing program. I’ve hosted 5 month long exchange students, 1 year long exchange student, and participated in a month long homestay to Japan 5 years ago! Since then I have been looking forward to coming back to Japan, little did I know I'd be working for LEX Hippo Me in Kyoto 5 years a

Yukinko and her intern life in Japan

Apa khabar? Sihat? Saya sangat sangat sihat!! Saya ゆきんこdari YOUTHINTERN di 本部どうも！ユースインターンのゆきんこです！所属は横浜北地域、ディアハッピーファミリー、京急線南太田駅、毎週土曜2時〜4時です！オソオセヨ〜今日は、海外インターンブログにお邪魔して、ユースインターン(国内のインターン)をしての体験とか感想？をシェアしたいと思います！まずユースインターンは、5月からやっていて、もう4ヶ月経ちました！やっと、あの敷居の超絶高かった本部にも慣れ(笑)、ヒッポの素敵な仲間たちと仲良くやってます！何をしてるかというと、主に動画作って見たり、地域のファミリーの応援(講演会ワークショップも)いったり、担当？のファミリー応援へ行ったり、本部に行ったり、マナイマキッズパーク(海外インターンが本部でやっている)でお手伝いしたり、ネイチャーキャンプにインターンとして参加したり、、、、いろいろしてます！最初は何をしていいか何も分からなかったけど、先輩インターンを見ながら自分のやりたいこと(ちょっと語弊があるけど)やってます！そもそも何でインターン始めたかというと、マレーシアから帰ってきて、ヒッポの面白さや凄さを感じ、もっと沢山の人にこの活動が広まればいいなと思ったからです。ヒッポの環境って、すごいよね。この30年以上でまだまだ進化してる！可能性無限大だな〜って思う！インターンやってて何がいいかっていうと、経験が詰めること！まあそもそもインターンシップって経験のため？にやるもの？だよね？笑わかんない笑でも本当に、インターンを始めてから、初めて経験することばっかりで、YLならぬITって感じ！！！！全然文字れてないけど笑いつも手探り感半端ないけど、掴めたときは凄く楽しくて、掴めなくても、クネクネしながら、次こそは！ってエネルギーになる。知れば知るほど、自分にはこれができるな！とか、これが苦手だなっていうのも分かってきて、凄い仕事してるかも〜って感じ！でもこんな楽しい仕事あったら最高だけど、、、学べることも沢山あって、自分が最近学んだのは、組織の大切さ、コ

Maddie- Thankful

Thankful Thanksgiving/Host sister`s Birthday Happy late-Thanksgiving! Although it isn`t a holiday that`s recognized in Japan, I was lucky to be able to celebrate with my host family. I whipped up a couple of fall classics: mashed potatoes, pan-roasted brussel sprouts with garlic and bacon, and applesauce. Ingredient shopping was a bit of a challenge. Despite Tokyo having excellent access to many foreign foods, there were concessions that had to be made. Fresh cranberries would be too hard to find, so applesauce was made instead (Japan has many delicious, if expensive, apples, often from the northern prefecture of Nagano). Japanese bacon has much less fat than American bacon, so I had to add some butter to the pan (interesting, considering that I think that many of the other cuts of meat sold are often quite fatty). Also, of course, turkeys aren`t available, so a turkey gravy was out of the question. Despite the differences, everything turned out yummy, and we had a lovely d

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