Kaminarimon Gate
Towering temple gate with giant red lantern, guarded by statues of the wind and thunder gods.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Kaminarimon Gate in Asakusa, Tokyo, follows the ninety-five-year gap left after an 1865 fire destroyed the original gate, sparing only the heads of its two guardian statues, Fujin and Raijin. It tells how the temple's chief priest found an unlikely donor in 1958, the reclusive founder of what became Panasonic, on the condition his name stay out of it. Listen for the giant red lantern overhead, and how it folds upward like an accordion whenever a festival procession needs to pass beneath.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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