Sensoji temple and other detours

Sensoji Temple is very popular among tourists and first-time Tokyo travellers, because it is the oldest temple in Tokyo- which makes it a cultural and historical treasure.

I saw some pictures of the temple online, and they were vividly stunning and jaw-dropping. Imagine passing through the Kaminarimon (giant lantern) Thunder Gate, walking up the grand staircase to the temple, and witnessing traditional Japanese culture through preserved architecture.

To be honest, I've never heard about Sensoji Temple or the charming village surrounding it, until I read some travel blogs online. Indeed, the temple continues to charm and delight travellers who see it in the flesh.

And so, I decided to embark on my journey to Asakusa, where the historic temple was located. I was coming from Ueno Park as I had just finished my trip around the Tokyo National Museum of Science and Nature.

As I left Ueno park, it started to get windy and rain started to pour. Good thing I had a travel umbrella with me. I was supposed to eat at Yamabe Ueno, a Japanese restaurant that served pork and chicken katsu set meals. I included this in my itinerary, and I was supposed to talk from the museum to the restaurant.

But when I checked Waze, I was shocked that I had to walk about 1 km. While I was walking, I saw that Waze kept changing its course and I still couldn't find the restaurant.

As a result, I decided to look for another restaurant nearby. As I passed through a row of restaurants just below a highway, my mouth started to water. All the displayed food looked very delicious. Since it was past my lunch, I decided to eat at a place that served similar food to Yamabe Ueno's.

The name of the place I ate was Tempura Tendon Tenya Asakusa, and I ordered up a hearty serving of crispy tempura, Japanese rice and miso soup for only 480 Yen (~5 USD). I also got a complementary teapot with cold rice tea, which contrasted with the piping hot meal I ate.

A simple, but hearty meal.

After lunch, I boarded the train going to Sensoji temple. Even I was already in Asakusa, the temple was far away from where I was, and it would be a chore to walk the entire stretch. Take note, it was still drizzling and quite windy during that time.

It took me two hours to figure my way around, because I got lost three times. I boarded the wrong train, and ended up somewhere else. I boarded another train, forgot to pay the fare and I had to go back to have the fare deducted from my SUICA card. And I boarded another train that brought me away from the Asakusa area.

I was tired and frustrated because I was following all the sign posts, and checking online if I was doing the right thing. I also asked train personnel for help, and they gave me different directions each time. It seems that everything was "walking distance" to them.

Finally, I alighted at a station, and decided to walk to Asakusa temple. It was a 2 km walk, and I had to brave through puddles of rain with my running sneakers.

I was trying to keep it all together, but I was really tired and I wanted to give up.

The walk took forever, but I just kept following Waze and counting the distance until I got there. Finally, I entered through the back gate, and I saw a small temple where locals were huddled. There was some sort of ceremony, and locals (mostly the elderly) decided to visit this temple to pay their respects.

There was quite a number of locals who lined up in front of this temple to throw coins inside a wooden coin chest.

This structure, which was beside the small temple I saw, strongly resembles something you'd see in traditional China. Perhaps it also has something to do with the colors.

As I walked further down the road, I passed by a larger temple flanked by a lot of tourists, and I knew that I had reached my destination.

After two hours of getting lost and going in circles, I finally got to Tokyo's oldest temple.

I was so happy that I made it, despite the rains, winds and detours. I was heavily sweating, my legs and feet were dying, and part of my clothes were drenched in rain, but the weather could not bring my spirits down.

When I arrived at the temple, it started raining a bit harder. One thing that I observed about the weather in Japan during that time: it more of a perpetual drizzle than a heavy outpouring of water- and it always felt like you were taking a long but light shower out in the open.

Before going inside Sensoji temple, people would pass through a giant red lantern. It looks much bigger than it does in the picture above, but I thought this was the Kaminarimon.

It actually wasn't; the real Kaminarimon is located at the main entrance of the village. During that time, I thought the giant red lantern in front of the temple was the Kaminarimon.

Here's a close-up view of the giant red lantern at the entrance. Pretty cool, right?

The view inside the temple is incredible. I took a 360 video of the temple and posted it on my Facebook page; that's why I only have a few pictures of the inner part of temple. I don't think pictures will ever do justice to how glorious it looks.

Vivid golds, reds and greens inside the temple.

I was too busy gawking at the beautiful sight. But if there's one thing that you should look at, it would be the ceiling of the temple. The architecture of the roof will make your jaw drop; I'm not kidding.

Prayers on paper bound for the heavens.

There was also a shop inside the temple, and the shopkeepers were selling charms that channeled prosperity, good fortune and luck into whoever is wearing them. As I went outside of the temple, I decided to get a picture with the temple. I first tried taking a selfie of myself, but the temple wasn't really visible in the photo (it was my face instead).

So I asked a tourist who helped me out. In return, I also helped her take a picture in front of the iconic temple.

The smile of triumph. Had I given up early, I would have never witnessed the beauty of Sensoji temple.

As I made my way from the temple to the train station, I passed through the real Kaminarimon, and I was shocked at how big it was. It was bigger than the giant red lantern in front of the temple.

The Kaminarimon, which was also known as the Thunder Gate, in all its glory.

Before leaving the village, I decided to stroll around a bit at the Shin Nakamise Shopping district which was a few blocks away from the Kaminarimon.

I heard that the district had a shop that sold delicious and fresh Ningoyaki cakes. According to deepjapan.org, ningoyaki cakes are small baked "doll" cakes filled with sweet red bean paste.

To Filipinos, it is similar to Moshi Manju, a popular dessert stall in the Philippines, that sells mini cakes with caramel or chocolate filling.

I forgot what the stall was called, but many tourists and locals always line up to get their fix of ningoyaki cakes. Their cakes have different shapes; the most notable ones are the Kaminarimon and Sensoji Temple-shaped cakes.

Customers can buy a freshly-baked pack of four cakes for 400 Yen (~ 4 USD), and a take-home pack of eight cakes for about ~900 Yen (~9 USD). The take-home pack expires in about a month, and it is safe to bring inside your checked-in luggage. Just be sure to put it inside a ziplock bag so that your luggage won't smell like baked ningoyaki cakes.

A peek inside a ningoyaki cake oozing with red bean paste filling.

My trip to Sensoji temple was marked with a lot of detours, all of which make travelling more memorable. Indeed, even the most prepared travellers can get lost, and that's okay. What matters most is not giving up when the going gets tough, and pushing forward until they reach their destination. The same goes with life.

Photo gallery