Drawing Parallels at the Cultural Hotspot of Tokyo: Asakusa

Now that we figured out the how to explore on the Tokyo Metro, we were confident to begin our journey to discover the country and understand their people.  And there is no better way to understanding people than learning about their culture and tradition. We began our exploration and education at the Senso-ji Temple at Asakusa, cultural hotspot in Tokyo that attracts over 30 million visitors annually (2.5 times the population of Tokyo).

Asakusa is on the North-East side of Central Tokyo on the Tokyo Metro Ginza line, approximately 1.5kms East of Ueno station, not far from where were stayed. We had no idea of what to expect when me made the trip, but what we experienced helped us get closer to the people of Japan.

Asakusa is like what Mylapore or Triplicane is to Chennai, it showcases the co-existence of the Tendai (Senso-ji Temple) and Shinto (Asakusa Shrine) sects of Buddhism, very similar to Shaivites and Vaishnavites. The Matsuri (festival) held at the Shinto shrine during spring and attracts followers, while food stalls, sumo matches and other entertainments is a big draw for tourists like us. 

Such a cultural hotspot was targeted by the Americans during the WW2 and was reduced to dust. Today, what we saw including the temples, traditional ryokan (guest-houses), homes, and small-scale apartment buildings were all rebuilt after the war. I also heard from locals that Akakusa is also the Tokyo's oldest Geisha district, and still has 45 actively working Geishas, who are akin to Devadasis in our temple tradition. Click here to read an interesting article on the similarities. 

We followed the directions from Asakusa Metro station to Senso-ji temple and came to a standstill after spotting the huge red lantern painted with black tones representing the thunder and lightning.  We came to a standstill looking at the intimidating visage of God of Thunder (Varuna) and Wind (Vayu) at the Nakamise-Dori entrance to the temple. 

This entrance is lined with small shops selling souvenirs. Like tourists, we curiously peered at traditional fans, wood block prints, kimonos, Buddhist scrolls and traditional sweets and saved the rice crackers for our trip back.

The side streets leading to the temple are closed to motor traffic with appealing displays. And sometimes it was interesting to see such displays on the roof/windows of buildings.

One of my friends was busy photographing the façade; the other got attracted by fortune sticks, while I went looking at the Warrior on top of the water fountain where people washed their hands before entering the temple. Nevertheless, we all tried to get our fortunes answered for 100 ¥ by drawing the stick and looking the right number and reading Japanese numbers in the chest of draws.

From the entrance the two-tier red and white roof looked majestic, but was devoid of ornate carvings.  The temple is dedicated to the Bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokiteśvara – God of Mercy). According to legend, the statue was found in the Sumida River in 628 AD by two fishermen, the brothers Hinokuma Hamanari and Hinokuma Takenari. I was reminded of similar tales about idols in our temple founds in water bodies.

Though we were not allowed to enter the main temple as the sanctum is restricted to only followers of Buddhism, we still lighted candles and prayed to the God of Mercy to bless us with a great trip and good weather. Before we stepped out of the main temple, I noticed the hand painted images of dragons and Apsaras on the roof reminding me of paintings in the Hindu temples.

Adjacent to the main temple, is a five story Pagoda believed to contain ashes of Buddha. Buddha is believed to have born, lived and died in India. How and when did we part with his ashes? Is it another story like Subash Chandra Bose?

Discarding my doubts, I stepped out of the main temple into the garden, the red exteriors and huge black doors with gold trims were striking enough to get my friends to pose for picture. We put aside our cameras and walked into the garden surrounding the temple enjoying its peace and tranquility. A huge stone statue of Buddha in the garden set the mood for contemplation. 

Besides the Pagoda, is another temple enshrining the 9 manifestations of Buddha with each one seated on an animal and propitiated for a certain blessing.  We discussed how similar this is to the Navagrahas (nine planets) in our temples nibbling some flavored rice crackers, a Japanese delicacy as we moved on to out next spot.

Understanding the culture and tradition is the best way knowing a city and its people and the visit to Asakusa and Senso-ji made us feel at home and helped us draw parallels and appreciate our kinship.