Kanda Shrine's Fireproof Gate

The Kanda Shrine, known also as Kanda Myojin, is one of the must-see shrines in Tokyo. Even if you're not interested in the Japanese religion, if you visit Akihabara for electronics or for anime related merchandise, it would be worth to take a small detour and relax by visiting this beautiful place.

Here's an image with the shrine's first torii gate, located outside the shrine, on the street going towards the shrine's two-story main gate, Zuishin-mon (visible just a bit in the background). Regarding Zuishin-mon, allow me a parenthesis - if you remember my recent Shinto torii, Buddhist temple article - the Kanda Shrine is a different type of exception, being a shrine featuring a complex, temple-like gate.

Since it was recently rebuilt (in 1995), the Zuishin-mon looks new and shiny, emphasizing the older torii, which seems to be the oldest architectural structure of the place. The gate's green color is given by the fire resistant copper plates, a traditional Japanese fire protection technology.

The street also includes a few old buildings, from which the best known is the tea-house in the left of the photo, Amanoya, famous for its amazake (Japanese sweet sake)... Trust me, it's delicious...