SENSO-JI BUDDHIST TEMPLE, First Part

The large entrance you can see in front of you is known as Kaminarimon, or Thunder Gate: the two statues at either side represent the two deities of wind and thunder.

The huge red and black paper lantern – almost four meters tall and more than three meters wide and weighing 700 kilos – is a votive offering made to the temple by the founder of Panasonic, Matsushita Konosuke.

As you walk through the entrance, you’ll see two colorful statues of a man and a woman, representing two guardians of the temple.

Beyond the entrance is a 250-meter-long street called Nakamise, which leads to the second gate of the temple. You may be surprised that the street is packed with souvenir shops: this is one of the oldest shopping streets in Japan, where shops opened already in the early 18th century to meet the needs of the numerous pilgrims flocking to the temple.  ...