These are 3cm tall dolls of a cow (left) and an ox (right) I bought at Zojoji temple.
I went to the temple to do "hatsumode," a long-standing Japanese tradition of visiting temples or shrines during the New Year period (generally from January 1 to 3) to pray for good luck for the new year. As almost every Japanese goes to at least one temple/shrine, these sacred places across the country are very crowded during that three-day period. So instead of paying a hatsumode visit during the period, I went to Zojoji temple before the New Year to avoid people, and found these cawaii dolls of a cow (i.e., the white one🐄) and an ox (i.e., the brown one🐂) sold by the temple to welcome the New Year or the Year of the Ox/Cow.
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| Wooden dolls of cow and ox I bought at Zojoji temple 増上寺で買った雌牛と雄牛の人形 |
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| Yushoin Reibyo Nitenmon gate at Zojoji temple 芝増上寺 有章院霊廟二天門 |
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| Yushoin Reibyo Nitenmon gate at Zojoji temple 芝増上寺 有章院霊廟二天門 |
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| A thousand jizo statues at Zojoji temple 芝増上寺 千躰子育地蔵 |
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| Zojoji temple is close to Tokyo Tower 増上寺は東京タワーの近く |
After leaving Zojoji temple, I walked toward Kamiya cho and found another temple, Seishoji temple, nearby. Its main gate has the statues of the four heavenly kings Virūḍhaka, Virūpākṣ, Vaiśravaṇa and Dhṛtarāṣṭrain (see the pictures below).
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| Main gate of Seishoji temple 青松寺山門 |
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| From left, Virūḍhaka and Virūpākṣa at Seishoji temple 青松寺 左から増長天、広目天？ |
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| From left, Vaiśravaṇa and Dhṛtarāṣṭra at Seichoji temple 青松寺 左から多聞天、持国天？ |
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| Main hall of Seishoji temple 青松寺本堂 |
Enjoying the serene atmosphere, I left Seishoji temple and a few minutes later, found the Atago tunnel and a sign indicating that Atago Jinja shrine is close. So I took the elevator to arrive at the shrine, which later I regret....
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| Atago tunnel 愛宕トンネル |
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| Atago Jinja shrine 愛宕神社 |
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| Atago Jinja shrine 愛宕神社 |
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| "Stone Steps to Success" at Atago Jinja shrine - from above 出世の石段 上から |
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| "Stone Steps to Success" - from bottom 出世の石段 下から |
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| Torii gate of Atago Jinja shrine 愛宕神社 大鳥居 |
The last three photos are of "Stone Steps to Success" at Atago Jinja shrine. I didn't know anything about these stairs, so OMG😂! I didn't go up but went down the steps...
Temples and shrines in Tokyo are different from those in Kyoto and Nara in two ways. First, Tokyo ones are relatively new, i.e., most were established during the Edo period (1603-1858), and some were burnt down during WW2 and re-established.
Secondly, most temples and shrines in Tokyo are surrounded by, or too close to, high-rise buildings as Zojoji temple being very close to Tokyo Tower. This often ruins the atmosphere of the temple or shrine, and that's why I don't usually go to any temple or shrine in Tokyo, but visiting Zojoji temple made me realize that Tokyo temples may not be that bad.
I also found a nice taco restaurant near Seishoji temple, which I will definitely try next time😋
If you're interested in another way to welcome the Year of the Ox/Cow, read also this🐄🐂!
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年始は込みそうなので、年末に増上寺で初詣（？）しちゃいました。実は東京の寺社はあまり好きではありません。周りが都会過ぎて雰囲気台無しのことが多いんです。でも思いがけずよかったですよ。何よりよかったのが木製の牛人形を変えたこと。まんまるで可愛いでしょ？
増上寺がこんなにも東京タワーに近かったことにもちょっとびっくり。増上寺の後は愛宕神社目指して神谷町方面に歩きました。愛宕神社も風情がありましたが「出世の石段」の急なこと！知らなかったのでエレベーターで上ってしまいました😂
増上寺～愛宕神社の散歩、とてもよかったです。おいしそうなタコスのお店も見つけたので、来年もう一度行ってタコス食べたいです😋
丑ツリー🐄🐂にご興味ある方はこちらもどうぞ！
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