NARITASAN SHINSHOJI TEMPLE

A large Buddhist temple complex built in 940 as a sacred place to guard the Kanto region. Owing partially to its convenient location near Narita International Airport, the temple attracts close to 10 million visitors each year. It has been a popular tourist destination since the Edo period a few hundred years ago, during which Edokko (people born and raised in old Tokyo) flocked to see the famous Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjurō performing a play based on the deity Fudō-Myōō, the principal idol of Shinshoji Temple, on the main stage of Naritasan Temple. A pilgrimage to Naritasan become an extremely popular act of faith for people. On my way to Naritasan along the 800 m approach from Narita Station, I began noticing a sweet roasted aroma emanating from all around. The aroma was coming from a number of unagi (freshwater eel) restaurants along the path, which were originally established to offer a stamina-boosting food to the pilgrims who came all the way from Edo on foot, a trip taking two days. Today, unagi at Naritasan is only a short train ride away. What an age to live in.