Click for a video recap of our day (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)
We started our day with a lecture from professor Paul Watt, a comparative religion scholar. He told us of the primary religion in Japan, Shinto, and its features. Along with that, we got to see some of the pictures he took on his own travels. Our destination for the day is the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. Asakusa, literally “low city”, is a place reminiscent of an older Tokyo. With Sensoji as its main attraction, Asakusa boasts large numbers of tourists and Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world. The street leading up to Sensoji Temple is lined with souvenir shops, restaurants, and sweets vendors.
It was vibrant and lively, and I felt as though I had stepped into a portal to another time. Young women with colorful yukata swarm the gates to take pictures with their friends, and our group of wide-eyed wanderers took a moment at the front torii to take in the sights, and to wait for a photo op with the iconic red gate. Our patience paid off, and we finally got our group picture.
Heading in, we went all the way down main street to the temple and partook in the purification rituals. We crowded around the basin, passed the dipper to each person, and carefully cleansed ourselves of earthly troubles. Dipper in the right hand, water to the left hand, dipper in the left hand, water to the right hand, then water in the left hand so that we could take a swig and clean our mouths, and finally, positioning the dipper upright so that the handles are clean. It’s a process, but we all manage to make out alive. Walking into the temple, we prayed at the front altar and then proceeded to get our fortunes. The gods smiled down on me, as my fortune read “good luck” and that a senior will soon assist me in my life… as long as I repent. Hm. Interesting that, but I will do my best as the omikuji dictates. To me, Sensoji is a blend of Buddhism, East Asian architecture, and some of Japan’s own unique customs. It was clear why professor Watt describes modern religion in Japan as a heterogeneous mix. Though Japanese people are fairly secular in 2019, it is still apparent that landmarks like Sensoji still plays an important part in the cultural and economic landscape. After seeing a few more sights in the temple, our group splinters as the program is technically finished for the day. I continued to wander down the side street, looking for iconic sweets and the soba that Kristi recommends trying. A couple happy coincidences later, I got to meet up with some more folks from the program, and we eat dinner together at a small soba restaurant near the main gates. As we leave for the day, we get a chance to take a rather unobstructed picture at the front gate, thanks to the fact that Sensoji seems to close down around five in the evening. Picture perfect ending to a fantastic day.
It was vibrant and lively, and I felt as though I had stepped into a portal to another time. Young women with colorful yukata swarm the gates to take pictures with their friends, and our group of wide-eyed wanderers took a moment at the front torii to take in the sights, and to wait for a photo op with the iconic red gate. Our patience paid off, and we finally got our group picture.
Heading in, we went all the way down main street to the temple and partook in the purification rituals. We crowded around the basin, passed the dipper to each person, and carefully cleansed ourselves of earthly troubles. Dipper in the right hand, water to the left hand, dipper in the left hand, water to the right hand, then water in the left hand so that we could take a swig and clean our mouths, and finally, positioning the dipper upright so that the handles are clean. It’s a process, but we all manage to make out alive. Walking into the temple, we prayed at the front altar and then proceeded to get our fortunes. The gods smiled down on me, as my fortune read “good luck” and that a senior will soon assist me in my life… as long as I repent. Hm. Interesting that, but I will do my best as the omikuji dictates. To me, Sensoji is a blend of Buddhism, East Asian architecture, and some of Japan’s own unique customs. It was clear why professor Watt describes modern religion in Japan as a heterogeneous mix. Though Japanese people are fairly secular in 2019, it is still apparent that landmarks like Sensoji still plays an important part in the cultural and economic landscape. After seeing a few more sights in the temple, our group splinters as the program is technically finished for the day. I continued to wander down the side street, looking for iconic sweets and the soba that Kristi recommends trying. A couple happy coincidences later, I got to meet up with some more folks from the program, and we eat dinner together at a small soba restaurant near the main gates. As we leave for the day, we get a chance to take a rather unobstructed picture at the front gate, thanks to the fact that Sensoji seems to close down around five in the evening. Picture perfect ending to a fantastic day.
No comments:
Post a Comment