The lantern, 700 kg, is lowered for a typhoon or for the Sanja Matsuri procession.
Its official name is Fūraijinmon, the gate of wind and thunder: on either side the statues of Fūjin and Raijin keep watch, the deities who give it its name. The lantern in the centre, 3.9 metres tall, is made of washi, traditional Japanese paper, stretched over a bamboo frame, and is replaced every ten years. The current gate is a 1960 reconstruction, paid for by the founder of Panasonic.
Outer gate of Sensō-ji, with the red lantern almost four metres tall and the statues of Fūjin and Raijin on either side. From here Nakamise-dōri starts, leading to the temple grounds.
ℹ️ Always accessible. It is one of the most crowded spots in Tokyo: early morning is the only time you can photograph it without crowds. Opposite stands the building that houses the Asakusa tourist information centre. As well as asking for information and maps, in English too, you can go up to the eighth floor, where you can enjoy an unusual view from the large observation terrace, free to enter.
🚉 Asakusa · 3 min walk
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Eleventh episode of the second season, ‘私たちが決めたこと’: the outing to Asakusa is the one Nozomi proposed, and she brushes it off with ‘It's spiritual, isn't it?’. The girls pass under the lantern and head straight on towards Sensō-ji.
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In episode 7, when Tanjirō arrives in Asakusa, Nakamise-dōri is seen from above, at night, with the tram passing along the street in front. The Kaminarimon is not there: the gate, which burned down in 1866, was only rebuilt in 1960. Almost the same shot can be had from the free terrace on the eighth floor of the tourist information centre, opposite the gate.
Sources: acomi-trip.com · wikiwiki.jp · ja.wikipedia.org · hamilog-baby.com · shop.nakamise-kineya.com · jinja-gosyuin.com
Nearby
Asakusa100 mphoto by BriskWalkThroughCiliwung · CC BY-SA 4.0
Azuma Bridge (Azuma-bashi) — Asakusa200 mphoto by Kakidai · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sensoji and Nakamise-dori300 mphoto by Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand · Public domain
Asakusa Rokku400 mphoto by 迷惘的人生 · CC BY-SA 2.0