Asakusa Walking Tour with Senso-ji Temple & Nakamise Street Tokyo

Kaminarimon, the Thunder Gate of Asakusa

Your Asakusa walking tour begins at Kaminarimon, the outer gate of Senso-ji and the most photographed landmark of old Tokyo. A gate has stood here for over a thousand years; the present one was rebuilt in 1960 after a fire destroyed its predecessor in 1865. Hanging in its centre is a huge red paper lantern, about four metres tall and weighing around 700 kilograms, painted with the characters for thunder gate.

On either side stand fierce guardian statues: Fujin, god of wind, carrying his bag of winds, and Raijin, god of thunder, beating his drums. Your guide explains their roles and points out the carved dragon under the lantern. Come early in the morning if you want a photo without crowds; by mid-morning the gate is busy with visitors in rented kimono.

Nakamise Shopping Street

From the Thunder Gate, Nakamise Street runs about 250 metres north to the temple's inner gate, lined on both sides with small shops under matching red-trimmed roofs. It is one of the oldest shopping streets in Japan: in the early 1700s local residents were allowed to open stalls here in return for sweeping the temple grounds, and many shops are still family-run.

This is the place to try Asakusa's traditional snacks. Ningyo-yaki are little sponge cakes filled with sweet red bean paste, baked in moulds shaped like pagodas and lanterns; kaminari-okoshi are crunchy puffed-rice sweets named after the gate; and freshly grilled rice crackers are brushed with soy sauce while you wait. Souvenirs range from folding fans and tenugui cloths to wooden combs and paper charms.

Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo's oldest temple

According to tradition, Senso-ji was founded in 628, when two fishermen brothers pulled a small golden statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, from the Sumida River. The temple grew into the spiritual heart of Edo, and today it is busy with worshippers and visitors from early morning. The main hall and the five-storey pagoda were destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt in concrete with traditional forms; the vast Hozomon Gate is hung with giant straw sandals.

In front of the main hall, visitors waft smoke from the great incense burner over themselves for good health, and your guide shows you how to do it, how to pray at the hall and how to draw an omikuji fortune slip. There is free time to explore. The hall is open from early morning until 17:00, while the grounds stay open and illuminated in the evening.

Asakusa Shrine and its festival

Just to the right of the main hall stands Asakusa Shrine, a Shinto shrine built in 1649 and dedicated to the three men linked to the founding of Senso-ji: the two fishermen and the village chief who first enshrined the statue. Its lacquered hall, in the ornate gongen style, survived both the great earthquake of 1923 and the air raids of 1945, and it is listed as an Important Cultural Property.

Your guide explains the difference between a Buddhist temple and a Shinto shrine standing side by side, and shows you the shrine's purification ritual. Each May the shrine holds the Sanja Matsuri, one of Tokyo's biggest festivals, when heavy portable shrines are carried through the streets. If you are deciding whether Senso-ji is worth visiting with a guide, this quiet corner is a strong argument.

Hoppy Street and Denboin Street

West of the temple, Hoppy Street is a short lane of open-air eateries where stools and small tables spill onto the pavement under paper lanterns. Its specialities are gyu-suji nikomi, beef tendon slowly simmered in miso and soy, and charcoal-grilled skewers. The lane has a cheerful, old-fashioned feel and becomes especially lively in the evening.

The route ends on Denboin Street, named after the abbot's residence of Senso-ji. Here the shops have been given Edo-style facades with wooden signboards and painted shutters, selling combs, cloth, leather goods and sweets. It is a fine place to finish an old Tokyo walking tour, with time to ask your guide for tips on the rest of your stay in Asakusa.