Asakusa

- Sensoji Temple, Pagoda, Nakamise-dori, Ekimise, Kaminarimon St, Asakusa Station
Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center, Orange Street

Asakusa is a district in the Taito ward, mostly famous for the Senso-ji Shrine, a buddhist temple. Senso-ji is Tokyo’s oldest and most significant temple with its red colour and pagoda. It is a very popular tourist attraction and the centerpiece piece of Tokyo’s largest and wildest festival, Sanja Matsuri. Women dressed as geishas can be seen in the area, of which 45 active working. Asakusa has a character of a Chinese area, especially Kaminarimon Street and the rest of the area around the station. Above Asakusa Station is the shopping mall Ekimise, anchored by a Matsuya department store. This is the station where we approached the train to Nikko.

Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center is a 7-storey building with tourist information, that also offers great views of Tokyo. The wooden architecture is very special, it was designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates and built 2009-2012.

There are several shopping arcades in traditional Japanese style around the temple, with markets, shops and cafés. Nakamise-dori is the most famous one, facing the temple, 250m long with 89 shops. There are many ryokans, other shrines and traditional restaurants (we visited one of them) in the area. Asakusa has a greater concentration of buildings as old as from the 1950s and 60s then other parts of Tokyo. People celebrating a buddhist ceremony passed by and entered the station while we bought tickets. There is also a large Brazilian presence in the area. Boat cruises along Sumida River departs from the river banks of Asakusa. Tokyo Skytree, the world's tallest tower, can be seen from most parts of Asakusa as it is situated just on the other side of Sumida River.

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