Japan Travel: Hagoita Ichi Winter Festival at Sensoji Temple

January 19, 2016 by 5 Comments

When visiting anyplace on vacation, I always look at the local events calendar to see if there are any festivals or special happening during my trip. This has lucked out in me finding out about third Friday art walks, or a small town parade, or a local festival occurring. For my trip to Japan in December, besides coinciding with Christmas and New Year’s, it turned out that the first few days we were in Tokyo would also be during the Hagoita Ichi Winter Festival at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa.
Hagoita Ichi at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, takes place December 17-19 annually Hagoita Ichi at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, takes place December 17-19 annually

Japan has many festivals all year round, and some are very localized to a region or even a town or neighborhood. The Hagoita-Ichi is an annual festival held in Asakusa, which is an older neighborhood in Tokyo. Asakusa is considered part of the old neighborhoods in Japan because it has a more traditional atmosphere and doesn’t have the bright lights and stores like you would find in more bustling modern areas. The district has also been around even before it was part of Tokyo, such as in the 1600s where in the Edo period it was an entertainment district and still considered outside the city limits.

Today Asakusa is most famous for Sensoji Temple, although it is also the area for Tokyo Skytree and Kappabashi Street (a street of stores dedicated to the food industry including a chance to view and buy the plastic food replicas). Sensoji Temple is Tokyo’s oldest temple, founded in 645 for the goddess Kannon. When entering the temple you will go through the main gate, called the Kaminarimon, or Thunder Gate. It was built in 942 and erected at this location in the Kamakura period (1192–1333). Here, you will find a giant red lantern that everyone will be walking under while on either side Fujin the Shinto god of wind and Raijin the Shinto god of thunder look on.
Kaminarimon Gate, the first gate of Sensoji Temple. The god of thunder is standing on the left and the god of wind on the right. You can also see a special sign on the left noting the Hagoita-ichi
Kaminarimon Gate, the first gate of Sensoji Temple. The god of thunder is standing on the left and the god of wind on the right. You can also see a special sign on the left noting the Hagoita-ichi

Meanwhile, this giant lantern serves as a symbol for Sensoji Temple, Asakusa, and Tokyo. The gates here have unfortunately been burnt several times so they are not original. The lantern you will pass under is a restoration that in 2003 was donated by Panasonic and is maintained every 10 years. You can also see because of Hagoita Ichi there is a special sign to the left noting the event during my visit.
Sign at Kaminarimon Gate for Hagoita-Ichi The famous giant lantern at Kaminarimon Gate, the first gate of Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo.

Right after passing through the gates you will then see a shopping street called Nakamise Dori. Alongside Japanese souvenirs you’ll also see lots of different traditional local snacks being offered by the vendors. You can see special decorations above the crowd like an extra large New Year’s ema board with the monkey (for the Year of the Monkey) and also the paddle for Hagoita-ichi thanks to the time of year of my visit.
Nakamise Shopping Street at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa Nakamise Shopping Street at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa - you can see special New Year's ema board with the monkey (for the Year of the Monkey) and also the paddle for Hagoita-ichi decorations above the crowd Nakamise Shopping Street at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa Nakamise Shopping Street at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa

If you follow Namakise Dori down, you will reach the second gate, Hozomon Gate, beyond which is the temple’s main hall and a five storied pagoda as well as other halls.
The Hozomon Gate at Sensoji Temple is the second gate, beyond which is the temple's main hall and a five storied pagoda. The Hozomon Gate at Sensoji Temple is the second gate, beyond which is the temple's main hall and a five storied pagoda.

It’s a lot more spread out past Hozomon, so you can enjoy the beauty of the temple without being so packed together with people like on Namakise Dori. You might see near the Main Hall people getting fortunes. They have English ones too if you want to try your luck. If you get a bad luck fortune, follow the others in tying your paper to the metal wires they have so it will wait here instead of attach itself to you. If it’s good, you can also tie it here so it has stronger effect, or take it with you. Other sights may be people gathering to breathe in the incense smoke to ward off illness before entering the Main Hall to offer prayers.
Moon rising over the Main Hall of Sensoji Temple Moon rising over the Main Hall of Sensoji Temple
Moon rising over the Main Hall of Sensoji Temple

If you walk just to the left/west of the Main Hall, you will find several other halls that house various images of Buddhas or other disciples.
In Sensoji Temple, Asakusa In Sensoji Temple, Asakusa In Sensoji Temple, Asakusa In Sensoji Temple, Asakusa

The Five Storied Pagoda is hard to miss.
Five Storied Pagoda in Sensoji Temple, Asakusa Five Storied Pagoda in Sensoji Temple, Asakusa

There are some great specific Japanese snacks you can find on Nakamise Dori – I’ll highlight that in next week’s Travel Tuesday post. We did run into some tents of food vendors that are not usually here but were present because of Hagoita Ichi just outside Hozomon Gate. They are typical of the food vendors that set up stands just to the outside of the temple during festivals.
Some of the food just outside Hozomon Gate at Sensoji Temple for Hagoita Ichi Some of the food just outside Hozomon Gate at Sensoji Temple for Hagoita Ichi
Some of the food just outside Hozomon Gate at Sensoji Temple for Hagoita Ichi Some of the food just outside Hozomon Gate at Sensoji Temple for Hagoita Ichi Some of the food just outside Hozomon Gate at Sensoji Temple for Hagoita Ichi

We also took some time to admire all the 50 some vendor tents of the Hagoita-Ichi, which is held annually from December 17-19th, 9 AM – 9 PM. Hagoita means wooden paddle or battledore, and although traditionally used to play a game called Hanetsuki that’s similar to badminton, the paddles you see at Hagoita Ichi are ornamental.
Hagoita Ichi at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, takes place December 17-19 annually Hagoita Ichi at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, takes place December 17-19 annually

They are often painted, and then handsewn and stuffed for a pillowy effect to the decorative characters of kabuki actors, women in gorgeous detailed kimonos, gods and goddesses, symbols of the new year like the incoming year of the Monkey, or other celebrities.
Hagoita Ichi at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, takes place December 17-19 annually Hagoita Ichi at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, takes place December 17-19 annually Hagoita Ichi at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, takes place December 17-19 annually

If you look carefully you’ll see basketball players and soccer players, even an ice skater, Hello Kitty and Doraeman!
Hagoita Ichi at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, takes place December 17-19 annually Hagoita Ichi at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, takes place December 17-19 annually "Hagoita Hagoita Ichi at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, takes place December 17-19 annually

The Hagoita are considered good luck charms that apparently are a “board to bounce back evil.”
Hagoita Ichi at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, takes place December 17-19 annually Hagoita Ichi at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, takes place December 17-19 annually
Not all the vendors sell hagoita although most of them do – there are also other New Year auspicious decorations at a few, such as handpainted kites – so gorgeous. All the colors were so spectacular.
Kite vendor at Hagoita Ichi in Sensoji Temple, Asakusa

Admission to the Temple is free, and is a definite must visit if you are in Tokyo, whether there is a festival going on or not in my opinion. This is an extremely popular temple, but the crowds are manageable and orderly, and there is so much to see in terms of Japanese culture that is old and new all in one place.

Have you been to Sensoji Temple in Asakusa? Have you seen photos of that famous Sensoji lantern before or heard about this temple? What do you think of the Hagoita?

For more details on Sensoji Temple or Hagoita Ichi, I used these references:

Here’s a summary of my Japan Travel post series:

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Tokyo Weekend: Sushi Dai Recap

March 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Sushi Dai- located right in the Tsukiji Fish Market area, the long line of people queuing for one of the mere dozen seats is a testament to their quality and is an easy way to identify it among the rest of the restaurants along these rows literally just across the parking lot from the Fish Market.

Also, none of these places had English signs, so all I had to go off of was a picture of the front printed from my sister’s photo album and the line of people to mark X is the spot. I wish I had printed out more photos so I could have shown the sushi chef their photos in retrospect. One of the things I definitely learned during my international trip is that I don’t know how I can go back to living without the internet- I always felt uninformed and craved immediate access to information.

All the stool seats are right at the counter, with 3 sushi chefs working their magic directly from their expert nimble and quick hands to the raised counter you sit at (no plates!) with a quick verbal description in Japanese, Chinese, or English. It really is teeny tiny they have no other space- you have to put your belongings up on high shelves behind you like a school student because there is no place else- there is just enough room behind the stools for the lady to bring you soup. Once in a while a lady would come out to organize the line- some of us queue along a side street so as not to block the walkway, and then in front of the restaurant itself, in rows of 4 so that you get sorted into seatings as guests leave.

Everyone knows about the line and politely tries to turnover quickly so everyone can enjoy- there is a little chit chat as the chefs work but everyone is a foodie here and knows about the agonizing anticipation when in line, especially this day because it was winter and quite chilly.

Every group had 1-2 people with their cameras out like I did so I wasn’t embarrassed to pull mine out in front of the chefs either… and I’m so glad to have these photos to drool over and remember the experience.

After waiting in line for a couple hours (and that was after I got in line at 8:45am, a late start because I had to pack and check out, and I got lost… and then walked around for a while fascinated as I watched them wrap up business in the fish market), finally I made it in around 11am.

Starting with the warm towel and hot green tea… looking at the beautiful cuts of fish in the case on my right, and the shrimp on the left, the radish is ready on the raised counter… the exact sushi chefs that I had seen pictured in baby J’s pictures and in other internet sources.

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And then the fantastic lunch commenced (you can get a set or omakase chef’s choice, don’t be stupid, get the omakase). My Sushi Dai recap with photos is below but you can see toro, so beautiful and fresh, followed by flounder, snapper, sea urchin, mackerel, red clam (still moving a little he placed it down before us), warm sweet egg block, horse mackerel, translucent baby shrimp, traditional maki sushi (with the seaweed wrap), marinated tuna, steamed sea eel, and then my choice of anything for the last piece- which I went with fatty tuna.
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Look how beautiful each piece is, and how thick the cut is… Every generous piece was so soft, cool but not so cold that any flavor was locked in the temperature or texture, and each slice of seafood was long (2 to3 to 4 inches!). The photos are ordered in the same order I received them during my lunch.

Several of the pieces came with the instruction to not use soy sauce because they had pre-marinated it or added their touches of flavor via lime juice or a sprinkle of salt already in crafting the seafood upon the slightly warm rice. I only used my soy sauce for the traditional maki rolls. Oishi! I was sad that these were so delicious that all they melted in my mouth so fast and then in seemingly no time it was already time to go.

Little did I know that my life would soon suck as I find out that my flight is cancelled back home. At least though, I got to have Sushi Dai before that all broke loose. I thought I knew what fresh sushi tasted like- but this was freaking unbelievable.

That’s it for my world tour through Israel, Germany, China (Shenzhen) and Japan (Tokyo). Next stop- after a few days to try to readjust to the time, to Seattle for a quick overnight and workday.

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Tokyo Weekend: Visits to Asukasa, Harajuku, Shibuya

March 18, 2012 by 1 Comment

The next morning I waded through the crowds cheering on the Tokyo Marathon to go to an area of the city called Asukasa. There, my goal was to see Kaminarimon Gate- bright red colored gate with its 100 kg (220 lb) lantern in the middle- as well as what was past its gate, Sensoji temple. The path to the temple from the gate is Nakamise Dori- a temple market pedestrian walkway lined on both sides with tiny stall after tiny stall, many owned by the same family for generations.

On my way to the main temple, I was drawn in by the bunnies and the cuteness of this one pink stall. They are selling some sort of treat on a stick…skewered sticky round balls rolled in some sort of powder that you had to eat all three at the same time because they were sorta glutinous. When I took my first bite I tried to just eat one ball and it stretched and popped some of the powder into the air onto my coat… and in the air and slight breeze towards other people. Oops. That’s when I noticed how everyone else was eating by putting the whole thing in their mouth. For an additional 100 yen have some warm sweet sake too to wash down the powder.

More treats for sale on Nakamise dori, a pedestrian lane leading to Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. Lots of local snacks and little things to buy. I wanted to try ningyo-yaki (red bean-filled buns moulded into various shapes using iron pans over a fire) but they came in too many pieces for me to buy and then find out I didn’t like it. I did like watching them make it though- there were two stalls that I found showcasing the man pouring in the dough, adding the bean, and then pouring more dough on top and then placing on the small flames- he was super fast!

I did get what you see below, a bean paste filled sesame bun thing I ate… I guess it is called manju?

I’m a bit of a lemming when I’m exploring- there was a long line at one stall when I passed by, and then on the way back there still was a long line… so I got in line too for whatever treat this was. Famous meatball place apparently- and the fried meatball patty thing was very juicy and tasty. It was so juicy it dripped on my scarf a little bit as I was eating it nom nom nom nom nom

After visiting the temple, and then off to the Meiji shrine, I headed to Takeshita Dori, the teenage fashion street of Harajuku. After seeing several girls walking by me with crepes, and then a long line of crepe waiting peeps… yes, I got in line. I decided to go with the one in the first row third over- strawberry strawberry. I found out what it was called because someone else ordered it and the crepe guy called it out, fortunately… their plastic displays and posters had no discernible numbers to order with. I did do a double take on one type of offering though. Uh what, you put a whole cheesecake slice in there and then surround it with whipped cream!?

You would think after this that I would be sick of being in crowds, but I had another stop after a quick nap (and to rest my feet). When it got dark, I headed on the train to Shibuya Crossing, the nicknamed Times Square of Tokyo for both its busy traffic of commuters day and night and multiple bright screens flashing to advertise to them. After walking through the crosswalk in the herds a few times, I then spent 30 minutes wandering lost but admiring the many neon signage everywhere until I found my goal. I went to Coco Curry House for dinner where I got level 4 heat curry with chicken katsu and mushroom. Thanks for your tips baby J!

One more tip from baby J to explore… a Monday at Tsukiji Fish Market and delicious sashimi and sushi…

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Tokyo Weekend: Visits to Shinjuku, Akihabara = Noodle Day

March 16, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Breakfast hot dog? I’m not sure what is the fascination of hot dogs in buns (although the bread for their buns has a slightly sweet taste) as a breakfast pastry. I suppose it’s just a different twist on breakfast sausage.
Breakfast hot dog, Tokyo, Japan

After a visit to TMG, I had a lunch of udon- I’m going for the one at the bottom row for 600 yen- because a sign in the plastic food window says their specialty is buckwheat noodle. One of the quirks of Japanese places is many have machines where you match what you saw in the picture or in the display of plastic foods to what you want to press to get a ticket for that dish which you just hand to your server or the counter. They never need to handle your money and you get to order as quickly as you decide (or go back to the machine for more). The tempura at this place wasn’t as good as my business lunch, but eating the warm soba helped prepare me for the chilly weather of Tokyo that I would be walking through all day.

For dinner I was in the Akihabara area and saw two ramen places right next to each other. I had been anticipating ramen since the beginning of my trip. On the plane from Newark to Tel Aviv, they had individual players for each seat, and usually I like to watch foreign movies since I could get stuck on another plane and be forced to watch the US releases on a cabin screen, so might as well save those for later. One of the movies I watched was about a man trying to invent his own ramen recipe after inheriting his father’s ramen cart, and the movie told their story simultaneously on their pursuit of delicious excellence. Then, in China, I had watched a whole NHK special on unique ramens. So I had to have it.

Inside both little tiny shops that only seated maybe a dozen people, it was packed elbow to elbow with all men on little stools on very little counterspace around the open ramen kitchen, so I walked around a bit more and then came back. I thought I saw a woman in there so stepped up in line. In retrospect maybe it was a guy with dyed reddish hair that was shoulder length. I could not quite slurp as loudly and well as my neighbor though and in retrospect I should tie my hair back, heh. I don’t know how everyone around me was eating it so fast, it was so hot, but I was definitely conscious about the line waiting outside, and also that this was so delicious. It was the only time I had ramen during my visit, though I was tempted every single time I walked by a packed ramen bar. Oh well- yum tonkatsu ramen was still mine!
ramen, Tokyo, Japan ramen, Tokyo, Japan

Next post: a Sunday full of snacks

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Tokyo Food Fotos

March 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Lunch on day 1, a highlight that brightened what was a hard work day that started with a 1am flight from Hong Kong to land in Narita at 6:20am (thanks / no thanks to a cancelled flight by Air China in Shenzhen earlier that day after holding us with no amenities and no information for more than 4 hours and I had to look up and suggest my own alternative flight to get here by morning). There at the Narita airport, there was a quick change into a suit and purchase of a foreigner’s pass to catch the Narita Express to Shinagawa from 7:33-9:06 (I passed out there), a mad dash to drop off our suitcases while removing our work accessories and get back through the rush hour peoples to a train to the customer site by the time the 9:30 train door closes (we made it by like 7 seconds!). Of course it was also raining.

But this fresh lunch after that visit while relaxing in our booth by a window, our shoes put away in little wooden lockers in the front, and a convenient button on the table to call our waitress whenever we needed something, was a welcome breather. The tempura was surprisingly good- the batter was better then anything I’ve had in the US because of its lightness and it almost seemed baked instead of deep fried.

A drinking dinner that same evening included edamame, crispy pan fried dumplings, chicken wrapped around asparagus, tangy shrimp salad, seared scallops, and okonomiyaki that has noodles, aka a certain regional style, Hiroshima-style, as well as Asahi beer.

Another business lunch… The next day we went to a place that specialized in katsu. What I ordered for lunch was the 1200 yen tonkatsu dish with the traditional pork cutlet. My other American peer got the sampler for 1190 that included fried cheese- I had been tempted but went with the traditional. It was the best tonkatsu I have ever had: again the batter was light and crisp that was not oily at all while the pork cutlet was very juicy and perfectly cooked.

A snack while we type up our customer notes that last “work” evening: Takoyaki (Japanese Octopus Dumpling Balls), one with leek and one original flavor.

The last meal of the work week was full of grilled yakitori and other stuffs over charcoal; Kushiyaki-skewers based in a sweet soy based sauce (shitake mushrooms and chicken meatball tsukune); and Miyazaki style grilled chicken that comes out black to the table…

Next blog: the food from my days off of work.

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