Mt. Fuji

Mt. Fuji
Absolutely Fantastic !!! Mt. Fuji, best viewed in winter, stands in blue sky without any clouds

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

A night view of the Thunder gate, or Kaminarimon, at Asakusa

You would know Thunder Gate, Kaminari-mon, at Asakusa in Tokyo.
That must be a famous sightseeing spot in Tokyo, where you really feel you've come to Tokyo in Japan.
" It's so oriental and exotic. The street is very narrow and heavily crowded like a market, and the gate in red and green has a big red lantern with black characters."

One more thing I propse is to visit there at night.
You will be deeply impressed with high-lighted architectures and statues in the dark, which are more exotic than in the daytime.
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You will notice two muscular and sturdy statues, Wind Deity (right) and Thunder Deity (left), who watch people coming through the entrance gate of Senso-ji temple. They are guardian deities who originated in an Indian religion and have come to guard Buddha.
Please take a close look at their faces.  The eyes, made of crystal, are bright as if they were alive and actually glared at you.

The main building in the precinct is closed, but you would find things which you don't know at daytime;
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- Each of doors has a pattern of black circles surrounded with golden color;
- Pillars and beams are vermeil against white walls;
- Eaves consist of a number of small beams with white edge.
Those combination of colors and lines might give us a sense of dignity.

Turning left, you would be impressed with a five storied pagoda lighted up there, the beauty of Japan's wooden architectures, which people will not notice in the daylight.
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On top of that, you will come across Japaneseque cute figures such as girls in bobbed hair, cats raising a paw, faces of Dharma Zen priest, and raccoon dogs with a Sake bottle when walking into alleys of the appoach, Nakamise street.
All of them wish to be taken abroad.
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Lastly, please let me introduce you a police stall, called KOBAN, where one or two officers always stay there 24 hours 7 days. The stalls stand on busy streets in urban area or near train stations. The police system makes an important role in keeping security in our society.
You'll see at least two KOBAN in the thunder gate area. That's why we can enjoy the night views even late evening.
Moreover, police officers, usually male and sometimes female, are kind enough to let you know the way to any place you want to go.
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