Following nearly two hours of watching big sweaty men body slam each other, we headed up to the Kappabashi area via subway.
Sōgenji Temple, aka Kappa-dera, home to the water goblins (kappa) of Japanese folklore. Founded as a Sōtō Zen temple in 1588, it moved locations several times (who wants water goblins in their backyard?) until coming to rest in the Kappabashi neighborhood, which I gather is named after the Kappa. And Kappabashi has adopted the kappa as its mascot (why? I dunno).
These kappa have a reputation for nabbing unsuspecting humans, often children, as they walk along the canals and dragging their human victims down into the water and drowning them. Kappa are known to have dents in the top of their heads which must be kept filled with water lest the goblins die. These days, it seems coins are a better hygienic choice than stagnant water.
I found this out-of-the-way little temple on the AtlasObscurra site, one of my favorite resources for dredging up oddities.
Right across from the water goblins was something more refreshingly human. A coffee shop whose barista had won a latte art competition. And those iced matcha lattes hit the spot. Yes, Mr. Coffee Addict did indeed order his own matcha latte forgoing his normal coffee order.
Below. I spied this little cutie…perhaps a victim of the kappa.
Below. And embedded in the sidewalk…could it be a kappa? Just to be safe, I made sure not to step on it.
