The air around Senso-ji Temple is filled with the scent of devotion

Senso-ji is the oldest temple in Tokyo. Located in the Taito district of Tokyo, it is a popular spot for the public to enjoy 'Edo style' entertainment and is the oldest temple in Tokyo. Its main gate is officially named 'Kaminarimon', which is a symbol of Japan and the Asakusa area. Legend has it that in the 36th year of Empress Suiko's reign, two fishermen fishing in the Miyato River caught a golden Kannon statue that was 5.5 centimeters tall. The local residents then pooled their resources to build a temple to worship this Buddha statue, which became Senso-ji. The temple has been destroyed by fire many times. In the early Edo period, Tokugawa Ieyasu rebuilt Senso-ji, turning it into a large temple complex and a place of amusement for the nearby Edo residents. In addition to the main hall of Senso-ji, there are numerous famous buildings and historical sites within the temple grounds, such as the five-story pagoda, and countless scenic spots to enjoy. Every year around New Year's Day, the temple is crowded with worshippers. The temple's main gate is called 'Kaminarimon', officially named 'Fujin Raijinmon', and is the face of Japan and the symbol of Asakusa. The imposing statues of the gods of wind and thunder, Fujin and Raijin, stand guard on the left and right sides of the gate. People worship these two deities to pray for good weather and bountiful harvests. Inside the gate is a 140-meter-long stone-paved path leading to the main hall where the Kannon statue is enshrined. As a tourist attraction for understanding Japanese national culture, visitors from all over the world come in an endless stream. Senso-ji has a long history from ancient to medieval and early modern times and also contains a large number of important archaeological historical materials. Its Kaminarimon was built to pray for peace and bountiful harvests throughout the world. At Senso-ji, fortune-telling slips are drawn by shaking a cylinder and picking a number, then finding the corresponding fortune slip. The fortune slip is a Chinese poem with a Japanese explanation. People who draw a 'great luck' fortune happily take it home, while those who are unsatisfied tie their slips to trees in the hope of turning bad luck into good. Senso-ji has a courtyard specifically for tying fortunes, and the trees inside and outside the gate and surrounding areas are covered with these white paper strips, with a constant stream of visitors coming and going, praying devoutly. Kaminarimon: The entrance gate on Omotesando. The statue on the left is Fujin (god of wind), and the one on the right is Raijin (god of thunder), officially named 'Fujin Raijinmon', commonly known as 'Kaminarimon'. It was destroyed by fire in the first year of Keio (1865) and rebuilt about a century later in 1960 (Showa 35) with reinforced concrete. Inside the gate, there is a giant lantern donated by the industrialist Konosuke Matsushita as a token of gratitude after praying to the Asakusa Kannon and recovering from illness. Five-story Pagoda: The pagoda that stood before the reconstruction was built in the first year of Keian (1648), collapsed during the Great Kanto Earthquake like the main hall, and was burned down during the Tokyo air raids in 1945. The current pagoda was rebuilt in 1973 (Showa 48) with reinforced concrete, an aluminum alloy tile roof, a base about 5 meters high, and a height of about 48 meters. Inside the base is a hall for enshrining memorial tablets, and the top layer of the pagoda contains a relic from Sri Lanka. The main hall of the pagoda is now located on the west side, whereas it was on the east side before the reconstruction. Senso-ji