Tokyo Nishi (Western) Honganji Temple of Yoshizaki(2) π
Inside the main hall, I saw a notice for a free guided tour. When I checked the time, half of it had already passed, so I wandered around slowly, hoping to catch the tail end of the tour. ππΈ And I did! The tour guide was a round - faced, very approachable lady who gave a great explanation. At the end, she showed us the repair marks on the floor, saying that the staff had patched them up in various shapes out of fun, like Mount Fuji, an eggplant, and an eagle. These are the three elements of Japan's initial dream, and dreaming of them is considered a good omen for the year. ππΈ She then asked everyone to find the eagle, and I was the first to spot it among a group of elderly people, which made me a bit embarrassed. After the tour, she handed out small cards, saying there were 36 in total and that different tour guides had different ones. She encouraged us to try to collect them all if we had the chance. ππΈ On my way back, I happened to be walking with the tour guide, who shared a bit more about the golden lanterns hanging in the temple. The eyes of the dragons on the lanterns are different; one lantern's dragon used to have only one eye. She affectionately named it "One - Eyed Dragon" and was particularly fond of it. Later, the temple had the other eye added. ππΈ #Hakuoki #SaitouHajime π
