Asakusa

Sensoji temple is the oldest temple in Tokyo. According to legend, two brothers fished a statue of Kannnon Bodhisattva out of the nearby Sumida river. Though they tried to put it back in to the river the statue came back to them. Subsequently this temple was built for Kannnon Bodhisattva in the 7th century.

Sensoji Temple
Asakusa

11 Things To Do in Asakusa That You Wouldn’t Miss

Asakusa is one of the most popular tourist spots in Tokyo, famous for its Sensoji temple, Kaminarimon Gate, Big lantern, Nakamise dori shopping street… But they are not all that you can see in Asakusa. This article lists 11 amazing spots and things you would not miss. Things to Do in Asakusa | Classic Place Sensoji Temple and Nakamise Dori Founded in 628 Sensoji temple is the oldest temple in Tokyo and very familiar to local people as Asakusa Kananon Bodhisatva. 30 million worshippers visit Sensoji temple every year. The main gate is Kaminari mon or Thunder gate, well known for its big red lantern. Created during the feudal age, […]

Asakusa festival
Asakusa

Festivals at Sensoji temple, Asakusa

Sanja Festival is well known as Sensoji temple’s festival. But Sanja Festival is not only. Don’t miss Needle Memorial Service, Flower festival and Hozuki Market. Needle Memorial Service, Awashima Hall Every year on February 8th, the Needle memorial service is held at Awashima hall. Many women visit to bring broken or used needles and place them on Tofu. They pray to the needles to give gratitude and to improve their sewing skills. They believe the needles worked hard to sew many things or to help patients at hospitals and for that reason, should rest on something soft. Flower Festival, Kanbutsue April 8th is thought to be the birthday of the […]

Tokyo Skytree from Sumida park
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Tokyo Sky Tree

Tokyo Sky tree opened in 2012 is 634m high, the tallest structure in Japan, the second highest in the world. The highlight is two observation decks at 350m and 450m from where you can enjoy 360degree panoramic views of the city. But first it is Tokyo’s radio tower having the important function of providing the Kanto area with stable radio wave. Tokyo’s main radio tower used to be Tokyo tower built in 1958. However, much has changed in the last 50 years. As the high rises increased and Tokyo metropolis expanded Tokyo tower couldn’t provide enough radio wave. So a new radio tower needed to be built. Despite of its […]

Kappabashi, Asakusa
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Kappa bashi Wholesale street

You can find Kappa decorations in stores and Kappa statues along this street. What is “Kappa” ? Why is this district called “Kappa bashi” ? Kappa is a mythical and imaginary water spite which lives in Japanese river and lakes. This district’s drainage was poor and this area was often flooded, so they tried to construct ditches, but it didn’t go well. Seeing that things didn’t progress the Kappa of Sumida River helped with the construction work, and the work was completed successfully 200 years ago. There’s a variety of plastic fake food such as vegetables, fish, meats, Japanese foods, pan cake and others. They look more real than the […]

Sensoji Temple
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Asakusa, Sensoji temple

Sensoji is located in Asakusa Station in northeastern Tokyo and can be accessed by the Asakusa Line or the Ginza Line.  Kaminarimon, thunder gate Kaminarimon, thunder gate of Sensoji temple, is a landmark of Asakusa. The present thunder gate was rebuilt by a donation from Konosuke Matsushita , founder of Panasonic in 1960.He is said to be suffered from arthritis of knee, but recovered by visiting Sensoji temple. When you path through the gate you can find Dragon hidden on the bottom of lantern. Dragon is believed to be the god of water and protect the temple from fire.Many visitors touch the dragon to get the benefits. Nakamise Shopping Street […]

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Nakamise, Asakusa picture scroll of shutter

Why not take an evening stroll down the quiet Nakamise street of Sensoji temple? When the shops start to close, the beautiful Emaki (picture scrolls) appear on shutters instead. In 1992, some artists gathered under the direction of a famous Japanese artist named Ikuo Hirayama and painted on the shutters of Nakamise shops. Various artworks include the Sanja festival, senko hanabi sparklers, cherry blossoms, and other beautiful scenery that embody the Edo atmosphere. Nakamise is one of the oldest shopping streets around. It stretches roughly 250 meters from Thunder gate to the second gate, Hozomon. The street is lined with about 89 stores selling Japanese traditional souvenirs.  Here you can […]