On Walkabout At: Tokyo’s Asakusa District

Basic Information

• What: Asakusa District
• Where: Tokyo, Japan
• More Info: Japan-Guide.com

Narrative

Probably the most touristy area of Tokyo would be the Asakusa District of the city that is a must see for most tourism itineraries to the city.  I would find out that for good reason Asakusa is definitely well worth checking out during any visit to Tokyo.  The district is easy to access via subway and even by water if arriving by boat since the district is located adjacent to the Sumida River that flows through Tokyo:

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Here is a picture of the various tourism boats that travel up and down the Sumida River for those wanting to explore the city via boat:

While walking through the streets of Asakusa something I have never had happened to me before occurred when some film producers approach my wife and I to stand in the background of a movie scene they were shooting on the sidewalk.  So we stood in the background of the shot pretending to be waiting to cross the street and glancing back at an argument that was occurring between the actors on the sidewalk.  Here is a shot of the actors after completing the shot:

I have no idea if any of these people are famous actors in Japan, but this was my one and only movie role.  After completing our acting gig my wife and I then next walk over to check out the Nakamise Shopping Street:

This area is actually more than just a shopping street as the entire neighborhood is filled with shops that every type of Japanese souvenirs that you could possibly think of to include samurai swords that cost tens of thousands of dollars:

The Nakamise Shopping Street leads to the major tourist attraction in Asakusa which is the Sensoji Temple:

This temple was originally built in the 7th century, but like most of Tokyo was destroyed during World War II.  So everything seen today at the temple such as the pagoda is a reconstruction of the temple’s original architecture:

Nevertheless the temple is a beautiful location and it is very interesting to watch the monks do their religious service because their chanting was almost hypnotic to listen to:

Here is the view looking back across the courtyard from the main temple that I was watching the monks chant from:

Here is a picture of a large lantern hanging at the temple backdropped by the beautiful five-storied pagoda that a bone from the Buddha is kept that was a gift from a temple in Sri Lanka:

Conclusion

Like I mentioned before I highly recommend that anyone first visiting Tokyo check out the Asakusa District.  This is because in this neighborhood it is easy to get a taste of a little of everything that makes Tokyo a great city.  It has modern buildings, great shopping for tourists, river views and boat tours, as well a great historic temple to check out.  The district is very tourist friendly and thus easy to navigate and check out.  Visiting this district should give everyone a great first taste of what to expect during any visit to Japan.