Tokyo · Asakusa and Sumida
Kaminarimon Gate
The official name of the gate is Furaijin-mon, the Gate of Wind and Thunder, after the two statues that stand on either side of the passage: Fujin, god of wind, and Raijin, god of thunder. A first gate stood here as early as 942. It burned down in the fire of 1865, and for 95 years there was no gate here at all. Today's structure was built in 1960 with a donation from Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic, and of the old gate only the heads of the two statues survived.
The red lantern is 3.9 meters tall and weighs 700 kilos, and it was made in Kyoto. Its bottom ring still reads 松下電器, the old name of Panasonic. A dragon is carved under the lantern, and you see it only when you stand right beneath it and look up. On the back of the gate, the side facing Nakamise Street, stand two more dragon statues that were donated in 1978. Most visitors take a photo from the front, walk into the street and do not turn around to see them.
Good to know
- For a photo without people, come before 08:00. From ten in the morning until sunset this is one of the most crowded places in Tokyo.
- The best photo of the gate is from the free terrace on the roof of the tourist information center across the street, above everyone's heads.
- After sunset the gate is lit up and the stalls on the street behind it are already closed behind shutters. This is the quiet time.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Kaminarimon Gate.
- HereKaminarimon Gate
- 1 min
Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center More to see
A free terrace on floor 8, right across from the gate, with a view along Nakamise to the temple and Skytree in the background.
- 1 min
Aiwafuku Premium Kaminarimon Clothes and crafts
Kimono rental on floor 4 of a building across from the gate, including dressing, hairstyling and luggage storage. You can book on the same day. The price is for women with hairstyling.
- 1 min
Nakamise-dori Street Street
The 250-meter street of stalls from the gate to the temple, operating since the 17th century: ningyo-yaki (small cakes filled with adzuki),
- ~2 min
Namiki Yabusoba Food
One of Tokyo's three historic soba houses of the Yabu family, with a sharp, salty dipping sauce. Order cold zaru soba, or tempura soba for ¥2,300. No reservations.
- ~2 min
Kimuraya Ningyo-yaki Honpo Food
One of the first to bake ningyo-yaki, small cakes filled with red bean paste in the shape of a dove, a pagoda, a lantern and the god of thunder. Buy a bag hot from the oven.
- ~2 min
Shin-Nakamise Shopping Street Street
The big covered arcade of Asakusa, about 380 meters, which crosses Nakamise. This is the street for a rainy day.
- ~3 min
Kamawanu Asakusa Shopping
The best-known modern brand of tenugui, the Japanese cloth towel that also serves as a scarf and as wrapping. A light souvenir that fits in any suitcase.
- ~5 min
Daikokuya Tempura Honten Food
A tempura restaurant from 1887, known for its dark, slightly sweet sauce. Order the ten-don with four shrimp, about ¥2,000. Cash only, no reservations, and a long line at lunchtime. Another restaurant of the same name in the neighborhood closed in March 2026, and this is not it.
More in Asakusa and Sumida
Appears in: Asakusa, Ueno and Skytree: old Tokyo in one day