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Auspicious Beginnings on New Years Eve at Sensoji
The Experience
Jammed up against suit-clad salarymen on all sides, I barely had room to breathe. A signal went off somewhere in front of me and we shuffled forward, pushing and shoving – politely, of course, this is Japan after all – towards our goal. Except this is not a metro station at peak hour. This is Nakamise-dori, the aisle of shops stretching up to Tokyo’s biggest Shinto shrine, Sensoji, and in a few hours it’ll be Japan’s New Year.
It was relatively quiet in the afternoon. The usual hubbub of tourists flowed in and out of Sensoji, the monumental Shinto shrine, built almost one and a half millennia ago it is Japan's oldest temple. Nakamise-dori echoed with the chatter of food-sellers and souvenir-peddlers, and from time to time a tour group peeled out to sample the melting warmth of red-bean cookies or the sharpness of a souvenir katana.
Looking over Sensoji, also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple, stands Kaminarimon, or ‘Thunder-Gate’, imposingly varnished in red and black lacquer. The only thing taller is the shrine itself, around which lay various huts and stone paths where you can send up prayers, receive your fortune, or just meditate in the miraculous calm of it all. Asakusa, a district in Tait?, like virtually all of Tokyo, runs at a breakneck pace, with the unsleeping fashion centre of Ginza just next door, yet despite this Sensoji has retained its peaceful air, and the certain sense of universal Zen.
It’s not as peaceful as Japan’s New Year closes in, although it is strangely quiet for such an occasion. The shops along Nakamise-dori are shuttered in for the night and the aisle, all two-hundred-odd meters of it, is crammed full of foreigners and locals alike waiting to visit Sensoji. This night is not just a time for songs and sake; it’s also a religious occurrence. Everyone at Sensoji patiently awaits their chance to visit the temple to entice good fortune in the New Year – with the odd exception of an elbow here and there – and on the other side of Tokyo similar crowds are converging on Meiji-jingu, the city’s largest Buddhist temple.
Craning my head up – no one around me goes up past my shoulders – I could see a row of uniformed guards up the front, holding what appeared to be protest signs. In fact, they were the signals to tell the crowd when to stop and when to go. Japanese efficiency at its best, I thought to myself. The signs are in katakana, but green and red cartoons, which bear a suspicious resemblance to Astro-Boy, make goings-on clear to tourists. Not that resisting the crowd is much of an option.
The minutes inched by and tensions grew. Nearly at the final stone steps to Sensoji the clock ticked over, and the great iron bell in the shrine started to boom as the crowds erupted into cheers. Five minutes into the New Year I got past the final guards to toss a handful of yen into the shrine. The gesture is meant to grant you luck for the year, and as the coins tinkled down I turned around to face the sea of bodies stretching into the Tokyo streets. With so much spirit, Japan’s New Year couldn't help but be off to an auspicious start.
It was relatively quiet in the afternoon. The usual hubbub of tourists flowed in and out of Sensoji, the monumental Shinto shrine, built almost one and a half millennia ago it is Japan's oldest temple. Nakamise-dori echoed with the chatter of food-sellers and souvenir-peddlers, and from time to time a tour group peeled out to sample the melting warmth of red-bean cookies or the sharpness of a souvenir katana.
Looking over Sensoji, also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple, stands Kaminarimon, or ‘Thunder-Gate’, imposingly varnished in red and black lacquer. The only thing taller is the shrine itself, around which lay various huts and stone paths where you can send up prayers, receive your fortune, or just meditate in the miraculous calm of it all. Asakusa, a district in Tait?, like virtually all of Tokyo, runs at a breakneck pace, with the unsleeping fashion centre of Ginza just next door, yet despite this Sensoji has retained its peaceful air, and the certain sense of universal Zen.
It’s not as peaceful as Japan’s New Year closes in, although it is strangely quiet for such an occasion. The shops along Nakamise-dori are shuttered in for the night and the aisle, all two-hundred-odd meters of it, is crammed full of foreigners and locals alike waiting to visit Sensoji. This night is not just a time for songs and sake; it’s also a religious occurrence. Everyone at Sensoji patiently awaits their chance to visit the temple to entice good fortune in the New Year – with the odd exception of an elbow here and there – and on the other side of Tokyo similar crowds are converging on Meiji-jingu, the city’s largest Buddhist temple.
Craning my head up – no one around me goes up past my shoulders – I could see a row of uniformed guards up the front, holding what appeared to be protest signs. In fact, they were the signals to tell the crowd when to stop and when to go. Japanese efficiency at its best, I thought to myself. The signs are in katakana, but green and red cartoons, which bear a suspicious resemblance to Astro-Boy, make goings-on clear to tourists. Not that resisting the crowd is much of an option.
The minutes inched by and tensions grew. Nearly at the final stone steps to Sensoji the clock ticked over, and the great iron bell in the shrine started to boom as the crowds erupted into cheers. Five minutes into the New Year I got past the final guards to toss a handful of yen into the shrine. The gesture is meant to grant you luck for the year, and as the coins tinkled down I turned around to face the sea of bodies stretching into the Tokyo streets. With so much spirit, Japan’s New Year couldn't help but be off to an auspicious start.
When to Go to Sens? Ji Temple
Sensoji and Meiji-jingu see millions of visitors pass their gates each year, and restoration work is constantly needed to keep the grounds in pristine condition. Head to Tokyo about a week before the New Year's to beat the Japanese school-holiday crowds: hotel accommodation gets scarce quickly, so book early or considered staying in a ryokan (Japanese bed-and-breakfast). If visiting outside of New Years time frame Sensoji is open daily from 6am - 5pm, and admission is free.
Odds n' Ends
Walking around Sensoji's surroundings in the morning will reveal a number of hidden gems, including excellent restaurants and statues of Tanuki, disturbingly cute Shinto raccoon-gods.
The Tokyo metro usually closes before midnight, but stays open on New Year's. Take the yellow Ginza line to Asakusa station: the crowd management helps in cutting down post-New Year clogging of the subways. Trains are well lit and reasonably safe.
The Tokyo metro usually closes before midnight, but stays open on New Year's. Take the yellow Ginza line to Asakusa station: the crowd management helps in cutting down post-New Year clogging of the subways. Trains are well lit and reasonably safe.
Recommended Places to Stay
- Ryokan Katsutaro
- Nestled in the quiet garden-suburb of Ueno, this traditional ryokan offers a truly Japanese experience for a low price. It's also just a short walk from the metro station, a couple of stops from Asakusa. Enjoy breakfast with the owners and take a good-luck mandarin from the basket when you head out for the day.
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Books and DVDs
Elsewhere on the Web
- Tokyo Travel: Asakusa
- A good introduction to Asakusa with nice summaries of Senso-ji's background.
- Senso-ji Temple (Kinryuzan Senso-ji) - WorldtravelGuide.net
- Tokyo’s most revered temple, the Senso-ji Temple, was founded in AD 628 to enshrine a gold statuette of the Kannon Bodhisattva (the Goddess of Mercy) which, according to legend, was found by two local fishermen.
- Sensoji Temple - Frommers.com
- Also popularly known as Asakusa Kannon, this is Tokyo's oldest and most popular temple, with a history dating back to A.D. 628.
Media References
- Sensoji Temple - NYTimes.com (book)
- ONE STREET AT A TIME; Kappabashi Dori - NYTimes.com (newspaper)
- Neighborhoods in Brief - NYTimes.com (newspaper)
- Asakusa Located in the northeastern part of central Tokyo, Asakusa and areas to its north served as the pleasure quarters for old Edo.
- Exploring The Heart of Old Tokyo - NYTimes.com (book)
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