The other day I wrote that the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace is my favorite tour. Well, it happens that Asakusa is also my favorite tour. I think the Asakusa tour is a great “starter kit” for visitors to Japan to learn about Buddhism and Shinto.
The highlight of the tour is of course the Sensoji temple. It comes with all the key features of a Buddhist temple – not only the gates, the tower and the statues, but also the surrounding area that prospered by catering to visitors for hundreds of years. The tour will give you an idea of what temples are like, and serve as a basis to compare with other temples you may visit.
Then there is the Asakusa shrine whose origins are deeply tied to Sensoji temple.
I will leave out the details to avoid spoiling the fun for future guests, but the shrine is a perfect example showing how Shinto coexists with Buddhism. As a guide I try to give the guests an idea of how Shinto and Buddhism possess a subtle but undeniable position in modern day Japan.
To me, the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace is more about what happened in the past, whereas the Asakusa tour is about something that still lives on within us. So I guess my suggestion will be to join them both!
(Post by Yohei)
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