Ema, wooden prayer plaques, hanging outside the Sensō-ji temple in Tokyo.
The Ema are palm-sized plaques cut in various shapes out of wood. They are available with various images and text printed on them at the stores near the temple. Devotees write down their prayers or wishes on the back of the Ema and leave them hanging outside the temple. The belief is that their prayers will be read by the kami (Gods).
Devotees thronging the Nakamise-Dori, the street that leads from the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) to the main hall of the Sensō-ji temple in Tokyo.
The Nakamise-Dori is as old and as culturally significant as the Sensō-ji temple itself. There are shops on both sides of this street that, apart from souvenirs, prepare and sell many kinds of sweets and dishes that can be obtained only here in Japan. The street was completely decorated on the day we visited the temple.
Morning light cuts through incense smoke and crowds of devotees at the Sensō-ji temple in Tokyo. This large incense burner was in front of the main hall of the temple, behind the Hōzōmon (Treasure-House) Gate.
Electric lanterns inside the main hall of the Sensō-ji temple in Tokyo.
An open drawer holding sheets of my fortune in the Kau Cim fortune telling setup I used at the Sensō-ji temple in Tokyo. More details about Kau Cim can be found in my previous post.
Wooden drawers numbered in Japanese holding sheets of fortunes at the Sensō-ji temple in Tokyo. This is part of the Kau Cim fortune telling setup seen outside the Sensō-ji and other Japanese temples.
The Kau Cim works as follows at the Sensō-ji temple: There is a hexagonal metal container with a hole in it. It is full of wooden sticks, each with a number on it. The devotee prays and shakes the metal container until a stick falls out through the hole. The number on the stick leads him to one of the wooden drawers above. Inside he will find a sheet with his fortune on it. If the fortune is good, the devotee thanks the Gods and is happy. If the fortune is unfavorable, he typically prays to the Gods and folds and ties the paper to metal strings placed for this purpose at the temple. The hope and the belief is that the bad fortune is tied there and will not follow the devotee home.
The roofs of the pagoda and the main hall of the Sensō-ji temple in Tokyo.
Golden colored ornamental door knocker that adorns the Hōzōmon gate of the Sensō-ji temple in Tokyo. The temple has 2 massive gates, the Hōzōmon (Treasure-House Gate) being the inner one, that which leads directly to the temple.
The ornate five storey pagoda of the Sensō-ji temple in Tokyo beside a tree in bloom. Located in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, the Sensō-ji is the oldest temple in Japan and is full of devotees all year round.
