Uncustomary Attention – A Lowenbrau Tale

The great lantern in Asakusa hangs in the Kaminarimon (the gate of thunder)

Grandmamma and Grandpappa Lowenbrau, Mother, Little Wendy, the Danger Twins, and Great Aunt Eunice were exploring the Sensoji Temple.

Oblivious of the social niceties they had inadvertently shocked the collected populace.

Grandpappa had a terrible cold.

Unaware of the horror the Japanese people have of public nose blowing, Grandpappa flourished a lurid handkerchief (an absolute anathema to the Japanese) and trumpeted regularly and loudly into it. Several onlookers gagged. The absurdly tall and blond Twins, amused, roared with laughter to the disgust of the populace who find public displays of merriment most distasteful, particularly from tall, blond foreigners.

Suddenly a disturbance near the giant lantern caused the family to turn about and discover that Little Wendy had climbed up to the antique lantern, wielding a kendo stick they had bought earlier as a souvenir.  The appalled Japanese onlookers watched in disbelief as their iconic treasure was methodically beaten to pieces by a golden haired infant.

“Piñata!” Wendy cried gleefully

“Tut tut tut!” said Great Aunt Eunice

“Honk!” added Grandpa.

“Well that is just typical.” Sighed mother

fin

The Kaminarimon Gate

This is the gate that leads into the Sensoji temple area in Asakusa and is a great place to visit if you travel to Tokyo. The way leading to the temple is lined with fascinating shops still selling traditional items and there are traditional food stalls where you can buy tako yaki (octopus balls) and other typical street-side fare. The gate was originally constructed in 942 and has two gods, Fujin – the Wind God and Raijin – The Thunder God on either side of the lantern. The lantern itself is about 13 feet high and 11 feet wide. The lantern is actually replaced every ten years. The current one dates from 2013.

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