Sesonji Temple NOW

-The Era of Domestic and International Tourism

Figure 1: View of Kaminarimon gate, Nakamise-dori, Hozomon gate, and Sensoji Temple from the Tourist Information Centre in Asakusa. (Photo credit: Min-Shiuang Lee, 2016) 

Sensoji Temple is now known for its presence of traditional Japanese culture and art, particular of the "prayer and play" culture in the Edo period. Sensoji Temple and Kaminarimon gate, although not the original structures, are still standing in Asakusa today. Further, Nakamise-dori, that stretches from Sensoji Temple to Kaminarimon gate, continues to be a prominent marketplace in the area (Masaki-Knighton, 2015). Instead of targeting the worshippers and local visitors, the stalls of Nakamise-dori now target tourists, both domestic and international. The marketplace in Nakamise-dori currently has around 89 small shops across the 300-meter path, as shown in Figure 1 (JIDAIYA, 2016). Ukiyo-e and traditional Japanese products, especially traditional snacks, are the main selling points that are sold to the visitors daily (Masaki-Knighton, 2015).

Figure 2: The stalls in Nakamise-dori selling traditional Japanese products to tourists. (Photo credit: Min-Shiuang Lee, 2016) 

As it is the oldest temple in Tokyo, Sensoji Temple attracts many foreign visitors to Asakusa each year, and is the main tourist attraction of Asakusa, closely followed by Tokyo Skytree. It is estimated that the temple attracts 30 million visitors, both Japanese and foreign, each year (Senso-ji, 2016). It is still a district of many commercial activities, although it has evidently “metamorphosed” from entertainment to tourism (Itoda, 2015). 

Figure 3: Example of a side street near Sensoji Temple that resembles the “Edo-look”. (Photo credit: Min-Shiuang Lee, 2016) 

Unlike the other places in Tokyo, the Edo culture of “pray and play” in Sensoji Temple lingered, despite the destructions and reconstructions over the centuries (McKellin & Tanaka, 2014). The striving commercial activities near Sensoji continues to represent the tradition of selling to pilgrims in Edo period Asakusa (Jonas & Rahmann, 2009). Many of the sites near Sensoji Temple are also intentionally built to resemble the streets in the Edo period for the “Edo-look” (Jonas & Rahmann, 2009). One example is Nishisando (西参道), a side street near Sensoji Temple, refer to Figure 3. Clearly, the Edo period cultures and traditions persisted even today. Further traces of the Edo period traditions remain, including the Hozuki market, Hagoita market, as well as other festivals (Masaki-Knighton, 2015).

Figure 4: A photo of Hozomon gate in 2016. Sensoji Temple is a popular tourist attraction and is often flocked by tourists on the weekends.  (Photo credit: Min-Shiuang Lee, 2016)

References: 

Itoda, S. (2015). Development of New Urban Theory- Asakusa Illuminates Transformation with the Passage of Time: International Asakusa Research Project. Retrieved Nov 23, 2016, from Meiji University: http://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/frontline/itoda/

JIDAIYA. (2016, Nov 1). Retrieved Nov 9, 2016, from 浅草い〜とこ: http://www.asakusa-e.com/rekisi/senso_e.htm

Jonas, M., & Rahmann, H. (2009). I <3 New Tokyo: Questioning Contemporary Urban Identities of Tokyo and their Potential for Substainable Urban Regeneration. WEIMARPOLIS Multi-disciplinary Journal of Urban Theory and Practice, 1(2), 19-34. Retrieved from WEIMARPOLIS Multi-disciplinary Journal of Urban Theory and Practice: http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/36689118/Jon_Rah_Full_Article.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ56TQJRTWSMTNPEA&Expires=1480348809&Signature=AMNg2NGugxerkB98Ezbh38LeXdM%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DI_New_Tokyo_Questioning_Contemporary_Urb.pdf

Masaki-Knighton, M. (2015, Sep 6). The Entertainment Hub of Old Edo, Asakusa. Retrieved Nov 23, 2016, from Taiken Japan: Explore Japan: https://taiken.co/single/the-entertainment-hub-of-old-edo-asakusa

McKellin, D., & Tanaka, M. (2014, March). CULTURE | HISTORY: Tokyo: Japan’s Center of Feng Shui. Retrieved Nov 23, 2014, from The Journal: The Authority on Global Business in Japan: https://journal.accj.or.jp/culture-history/

Senso-ji. (2016). About Senso-ji. Retrieved Nov 9, 2016, from Asakusa Kannon - Senso-ji: http://www.senso-ji.jp/about/index_e.html