Kaminarimon
Cost
free
Attractions > Tokyo > Shrines Temples > Asakusa
About | Access | Hotels & Lodging | Hours & Fees
Kaminari Mon is the gate to the Sensoji Temple by oimax (CC BY 2.0)
About
Kaminarimon (in Japanese; Kami Nari Mon 雷門) which literally means, "Thunder Gate" is the 1st gate that leads to the entrance of Sensoji, a temple in Asakusa Tokyo. Kaminarimon is VERY popular with Japanese and Foreign tourists alike! The original gate was built in 941 by a military commander in another part of the Kantou region but was reconstructed in it's current location in 1635. Unfortunately the gate has been destroyed many times by wars, fires and earthquakes. The current gate was rebuilt in 1960.
The gate houses for statues, two from Shinto and two from Buddhist. The Shinto statues are the god Fujin (god of wind) and Raijin (god of thunder). The Buddhism gods are Tenru and Kinryu. The most prominent feature of the gate is the huge "Chochin", or lantern, that hangs from the center of the gate and reads, "Kaminarimon" 雷門. A lantern has always been placed under the gate but it is restored every once in a while and the current lantern was donated in 2003.
Access
Closest Train Station: Asakusa
Asakusa 2-3-1
Taito-ku, Tokyo 111-0032 Japan
10 min. walk from the Asakusa Station.
Hotels & Lodging
Recommended
View a full list of Hotels and Lodging in or nearby Kaminarimon.
Hours & Fees
Hours: You can visit the gate at anytime, it never "closes"
Cost: The general grounds of Shrines and Temples are free but may charge a small fee (a couple/few hundred yen) for special gardens, exhibitions, artifact viewing, etc.
