Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
177
and topped with green-copper roofs. Meiji Jingu Shrine is the place to be on New Year's
Eve, when more than two million people crowd onto the grounds to usher in the New
Year.
Meiji Shrine Inner Garden, 1-1 Kamizono-cho, Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku.
&
03/3379-5511.
www.meijijingu.
or.jp. Free admission. Daily sunrise to sunset (about 4:30pm in winter). Station: Harajuku (2 min.).
Sensoji Temple
Also popularly known as Asakusa Kannon, this is Tokyo's
oldest and most popular temple, with a history dating back to a.d. 628. That was when,
according to popular lore, two brothers fishing in the nearby Sumida River netted the
catch of their lives—a tiny golden statue of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy and
happiness who is empowered with the ability to release humans from all suffering. Sen-
soji Temple was erected in her honor, and although the statue is housed here, it's never
shown to the public. Still, through the centuries, worshippers have flocked here seeking
favors of Kannon; and when Sensoji Temple burned down during a 1945 bombing raid,
the present structure was rebuilt with donations by the Japanese people (
Note:
Due to
renovation, Sensoji Temple is under wraps until Dec 2010, but it remains open to the
public).
Colorful
Nakamise Dori,
a pedestrian lane leading to the shrine, is lined with tradi-
tional shops and souvenir stands. In fact, the whole Asakusa area is one of my favorite
neighborhoods, and you can easily spend half a day here; see the walking tour in chapter
8 for more on this fascinating part of old Tokyo.
2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku.
&
03/3842-0181.
Free admission. Daily 6:30am-5pm. Station: Asakusa (2
min.). Tokyo Shitamachi Bus: Asakusa Kaminarimon.
7
Tokyo National Museum (Tokyo Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan)
The
National Museum is not only the largest and oldest museum in Japan, but it also boasts
the largest collection of Japanese art in the world. This is where you go to see antiques
from Japan's past—old kimono, samurai armor, priceless swords, lacquerware, metal-
work, pottery, scrolls, screens,
ukiyo-e
(woodblock prints), calligraphy, ceramics, archaeo-
logical finds, and more. Items are shown on a rotating basis with about 3,000 on display
at any one time—so no matter how many times you visit the museum, you'll always see
something new. There are also frequent special exhibitions. Schedule at least 2 hours to
do the museum justice.
The museum comprises five buildings. The
Japanese Gallery
(Honkan),
straight
ahead as you enter the main gate, is the most important one, devoted to Japanese art.
Here you'll view Japanese ceramics; Buddhist sculptures dating from about a.d. 538 to
1192; samurai armor, helmets, and decorative sword mountings; swords, which through-
out Japanese history were considered to embody spirits all their own; textiles and
kimono; lacquerware; ceramics; and paintings, calligraphy, ukiyo-e, and scrolls. Be sure
to check out the museum shop in the basement; it sells reproductions from the museum's
collections as well as traditional crafts by contemporary artists.
The
Asian
Gallery (Toyokan)
houses art and archaeological artifacts from everywhere
in Asia outside Japan. There are Buddhas from China and Gandhara, stone reliefs from
Cambodia, embroidered wall hangings and cloth from India, Iranian and Turkish car-
pets, Thai and Vietnamese ceramics, and more. Chinese art—including jade, paintings,
calligraphy, and ceramics—makes up the largest part of the collection, illustrating Chi-
na's tremendous influence on Japanese art, architecture, and religion. You'll also find
Egyptian relics, including a mummy dating from around 751 to 656 b.c. and wooden
