Senso-ji and Asakusa Charles: Yesterday, it was snowing and raining. We stayed home. Today, the weather was fine, and we went out to see the Senso-ji (the Senso Temple), one of Japan's prime Buddhist sites. Its history goes back to 628, when a gold statue of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy, was found in the nearby river. A temple was constructed on the present site in 645, and enlarged many times. It was destroyed by bombing (and firestorm?) in WWII, and rebuilt in 1950. The reconstruction used traditional materials and techniques. Everything is peaceful now, except for the throngs of tourists (mostly Japanese). Everyone takes everyone's picture – I was captured by three kids, and forced to pose with them. The relationship of the Japanese with religion is complex, and outside the scope of
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