Asakusa

The original Asakusa shrine was constructed in 1649. It has since been torn down and rebuilt multiple times since it's founding. The story of the Asakusa Shrine is an interesting one. Three fishermen were fishing (surprise) on the banks near where the shrine is located today. When they hoisted their nets, the found a statue of Kannon (the Bodhisattva of Mercy--the deity alleged to have great powers in purifying people and granting them true happiness). The village chief enshrined the statues and the three men were henceforth worshipped as deities. When we visited, there were people everywhere.

The street leading up to the shrine was lined with bustling shops filled to the brim with gold and red, tacky souvenirs and visitors. There is a sharp contrast between the Asakusa shrine and the Meiji shrine in terms of commerciality and belief systems. It is a beautiful piece of architecture and is one of the few buildings in the area that survived the Tokyo air raids of 1945 and has since been dubbed and Important Cultural Property by the Japanese Government.

My favorite part of the buildings would have to be the enormous lanterns that hang in the gates. The lanterns read, "Kaminari Mon" which translates to "The Gate of Thunder." I'm also a big fan of statues and this shrine was bursting with awesome examples to look at. There are many Buddha statues around the shrine and there are four different sculptures of gods in the Kaminarimon that are actually quite freaky to look at.