Senso-ji
Tokyo'S Oldest Temple; Head Temple Of The Sho Kannon Sect · Tokyo, Tokyo
Tokyo's oldest temple, in the old downtown district of Asakusa, and the most visited religious site in the city. According to legend, in 628 two fishermen pulled a small golden statue of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy, from the Sumida river, and the temple was built to house it; the statue is never shown. Visitors enter through the Kaminarimon, the Thunder Gate, with its huge red paper lantern, then walk up Nakamise-dori, a street of about ninety stalls selling snacks, fans, and souvenirs, to the Hozomon gate and the main hall. Smoke from the great incense burner is wafted over the body for good health, and omikuji fortunes are drawn from boxes for a small offering. Beside the temple stand a five-storey pagoda and Asakusa Shrine, home of the Sanja Matsuri, one of Tokyo's wildest festivals, in May. The buildings were destroyed in the air raids of 1945 and rebuilt after the war. The grounds are open at all hours and are lit at night, when the crowds are gone. The Tokyo Skytree stands across the river.
2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo, Tokyo, 111-0032, Japan
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The structure: the grounds are open at all hours and lit after dark. The main hall opens early, around 6 am (a little later in winter), and closes around 5 pm; Nakamise stalls open mid-morning, around 9 or 10 am, and most close by 6 or 7 pm. Traps: people arriving in the evening find the main hall shut; the Sanja Matsuri weekend in May and 1 to 3 January bring crowd control and road closures. Confirm times before relying on them.