Known for
The Kaminarimon gate, Senso-ji and the Nakamise shops. In the evening, Hoppy-dori, the covered snack alley west of the temple.
Temple street and the river
Asakusa
Asakusa · 浅草
Nakamise-dori, Hoppy-dori, the Sumida bank
Kaminarimon opens onto Nakamise, and the shop street climbs to Senso-ji through stalls, a crowd and a sweet smell. This is the old low city on the Sumida. Behind the temple the houses get lower, and in the evening Hoppy-dori sits down at tables.
Why go
Come in the morning, before Nakamise packs solid. By day it is the direct visit to old Tokyo, crowd included. After dark, stay with the back streets and the river. By then the gate is mostly shop light.
Where to stay
A practical base when the next days are on this bank: Ueno, Yanaka, the river. In the evening people eat here. Clubs are another neighbourhood. Loud by the station, quieter a few blocks in.
Local guide
Fedor Samorodov · guide
Tokyo Skytree stands on the other bank of the Sumida. You can see the tower from Asakusa, and the ground under it is already Oshiage. The temple is straight up Nakamise from Kaminarimon. Hoppy-dori is west of the temple, a covered alley of snack signs.