Tokyo · Asakusa and Sumida
Senso-ji Temple
Senso-ji is the oldest temple in Tokyo. According to the temple's tradition, in 628 two fishermen pulled a small statue of Kannon, the bodhisattva of mercy, out of the Sumida River, and the temple was built around it. The statue itself is not shown to the public.
Almost everything you see today was rebuilt after the bombing of 10 March 1945: the main hall in 1958, the Kaminarimon gate in 1960, the Hozomon gate in 1964 and the pagoda in 1973. The pagoda, 53 meters in five stories, is built of steel and concrete, and at its top it keeps a relic of the Buddha that arrived from Sri Lanka in 1966. It is closed to visitors.
Right next to the main hall stands Asakusa Shrine, a Shinto shrine from 1649 that is designated an Important Cultural Property. In mid-May it hosts Sanja Matsuri, one of the most crowded festivals in Tokyo, in which portable shrines are carried through the streets of the neighborhood.
Good to know
- A fortune slip (omikuji) costs ¥100, and you draw it yourself from a numbered drawer. About a third of the slips are bad luck, following the temple's traditional system. You tie a bad slip to the rack next to the stall and leave it behind.
- A large incense burner stands in front of the hall. People wave the smoke toward their body, to the place that hurts.
- The hall closes at 17:00, but the grounds are open and lit in the evening. This is the time to photograph the pagoda with no one in front of it.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Senso-ji Temple.
- HereSenso-ji Temple
- ~3 min
Asakusa Kagetsudo Honten Food
A giant melon-pan, crisp outside and airy inside, since 1945. Opens at 09:00 and closes when it sells out.
- ~4 min
Denboin-dori Street
About 200 meters of Edo-style shopfronts that cross Nakamise. Less crowded, and many of the good shops in the area are on it or next to it.
- ~5 min
Suzukien Asakusa Cafe
A tea merchant from 1848 with matcha ice cream in seven levels of strength. Number 7, which they call the strongest in the world, costs ¥660, and the other levels ¥450.
- ~5 min
Hoppy Street Asakusa Street
About 100 meters of izakaya open to the street, where people drink from 11 in the morning. Order nikomi, a beef tendon stew, and Hoppy. The prices are aimed at tourists.
- ~5 min
Asakusa Nakaya Honten Clothes and crafts
The festival clothes of Sanja Matsuri: happi, jinbei and tabi. The shop displays a small replica of the portable shrine of Asakusa Shrine.
- ~6 min
Coffee Tengoku Cafe
A coffee shop from the Showa era, only 15 seats. Order the hotcake with the character 天 branded on it, with coffee, ¥1,100 to ¥1,400. Cash only.
- ~6 min
Daikokuya Tempura Honten Food
A tempura restaurant from 1887, known for its dark, sweetish sauce. Order the ten-don with four shrimp, about ¥2,000. Cash only and no reservations.
- ~6 min
Asakusa Engei Hall More to see
One of the four permanent rakugo theaters in Tokyo. The rakugo is in Japanese, but the magic and acrobatics acts work without the language too. After 18:00 the ticket is ¥2,500.
More in Asakusa and Sumida
Appears in: Asakusa, Ueno and Skytree: old Tokyo in one day