Asakusa: From Nakamise to Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa-jinja Shrine, Hanayashiki, and Kappabashi

History and Regional Charm

Senso-ji Temple is Tokyo's oldest Buddhist temple. According to temple tradition, its beginnings date back to the 36th year of Empress Suiko's reign (628), when two brothers fishing in the Miyatogawa River (now the Sumida River) found a statue in their cast net. Asakusa-jinja Shrine enshrines the three individuals involved in this story as deities.

During the Edo period, Asakusa became one of Edo's foremost entertainment districts, overflowing with pilgrims and excursionists. Shops began lining the approach during the Edo period as well, which led to today's Nakamise Shopping Street. In the 6th year of the Kaei era (1853), a flower garden displaying peonies and chrysanthemum figures was opened in the Okuyama area behind Senso-ji Temple. This was the origin of today's Asakusa Hanayashiki. In the early Taisho era, dealers handling secondhand goods set up shops along both banks of the Shinborikawa River. This is considered the origin of Kappabashi Dogugai-dori Street.

This course follows the bustle of Asakusa, from a place of worship to a lively Edo-era entertainment district, an amusement park, and a street of food-related tools.

Key Highlights

• ​Nakamise Shopping Street​​: Located on the Omotesando (main approach) of Senso-ji Temple, this is one of Japan's oldest shopping streets. Stretching about 250 meters from Kaminarimon Gate to Hozomon Gate, it features around 90 vermilion-lacquered shops selling traditional crafts and snacks. The "Asakusa Emaki" painted on the shutters of all the shops can be viewed from evening onward.
• ​Senso-ji Temple​​: The giant red lantern inscribed with "Kaminarimon" weighs about 700 kilograms. At the vermilion Hozomon Gate hangs a massive straw sandal (o-waraji) measuring 4.5 meters in height and weighing 500 kilograms, which is said to startle evil spirits into fleeing. In the outer hall of the main hall, looking up at the ceiling reveals "Ryu no Zu" (Dragon) by Kawabata Ryushi, alongside "Tennin no Zu" (Heavenly Beings) and "Sange no Zu" (Scattering Flowers) by Domoto Insho.
• ​Asakusa-jinja Shrine​​: Located on the east side of the main hall of Senso-ji Temple, this shrine is affectionately known as "Sanja-sama." The shrine hall, built and donated in the 2nd year of Keian (1649) by the third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, is constructed in the gongen-zukuri style and designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Its regular festival, the Sanja Matsuri, is held over the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday centered around the third Saturday of May.
• ​Asakusa Hanayashiki​​: Regarded as Japan's oldest amusement park. Built in 1953, the oldest existing roller coaster in Japan still operates here today. Within the park, visitors can also find the Shiawase-bashi Bridge, which retains traces of its days as a flower garden, and the Choju Kuyo-hi, a monument holding memorial services for animals that were euthanized during the Great Kanto Earthquake.
• ​Kappabashi Dogugai-dori Street​​: Running approximately 800 meters north to south midway between Asakusa and Ueno, this shopping street houses around 170 shops specializing in kitchen and dining tools. Nearly all stores sell at retail, allowing general shoppers to make purchases. In addition to kitchen knives, lacquerware, and tableware, shops selling lifelike food replicas are also popular.

Recommended Route and Duration

The estimated time required is about 5 hours. To reach Senso-ji Temple, it is a 5-minute walk from Asakusa Station on the Tobu Isesaki Line, Ginza Line, or Tsukuba Express. Pass under Kaminarimon Gate and walk along Nakamise Shopping Street toward Hozomon Gate, heading to the main hall. After offering a prayer at the main hall, proceed to Asakusa-jinja Shrine on its east side.

Asakusa Hanayashiki is about 270 meters west-northwest of Asakusa-jinja Shrine. The entrance is at a single location, the Asakusa Gate near Senso-ji Temple, while the exit is on the Kokusai-dori Street side.

Kappabashi Dogugai-dori Street is about 540 meters west-southwest of Asakusa Hanayashiki. Near the Kappabashi intersection in the center of the street stands a golden statue of "Kappa Kawataro." When you have walked south to the Kikuyabashi intersection, look back to the north to see the jumbo chef statue atop the Niimi Tableware shop. Because regular closing days differ by store, check the business information on the association's website if you plan to shop. For the return trip, it is a 5-minute walk to Tawaramachi Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.

Experience Summary

An approach lined with vermilion-lacquered shops, Tokyo's oldest Buddhist temple, a shrine venerating the three figures involved in its origin, an amusement park that began as a flower garden, and a street where shops specializing in kitchen and dining tools gather. These places, each with its own distinct character, connect seamlessly on foot. Enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of Asakusa in a single day, from praying to shopping.