Asakusa & Sumida River
Along either side of the street popularly known as Hoppy-dōri – ‘hoppy’ is a cheap malt beverage – are rows of izakaya (Japanese pub-eateries) with outdoor seating on rickety stools and plastic tarps for awnings. Don't let that put you off – this is one of Asakusa's most atmospheric eating and drinking strips.
Many shops have picture menus. Try the gyū-suji nikomi (stewed beef tendons), a speciality of the street.
1.07 MILES
If you visit only one museum in Tokyo, make it the Tokyo National Museum. Here you'll find the world's largest collection of Japanese art, including…
12.64 MILES
This museum is the heart of the Studio Ghibli world, a beloved (even 'adored') film studio responsible for classic, critically-acclaimed animated titles…
5.21 MILES
Golden Gai – a Shinjuku institution for over half a century – is a collection of tiny bars, often literally no bigger than a closet and seating maybe a…
6.46 MILES
Rumoured to be the busiest intersection in the world (and definitely in Japan), Shibuya Crossing is like a giant beating heart, sending people in all…
19.83 MILES
This impressively slick attraction is dedicated to, you guessed it, cup noodles. But in reality, its focus is more broad, with numerous exhibitions…
4.61 MILES
Digital-art collective teamLab has created 60 artworks for this museum, open in 2018, that tests the border between art and the viewer: many are…
3.15 MILES
The Imperial Palace occupies the site of the original Edo-jō, the Tokugawa shogunate's castle. In its heyday this was the largest fortress in the world,…
0.16 MILES
Tokyo’s most visited temple enshrines a golden image of Kannon (the Buddhist goddess of mercy), which, according to legend, was miraculously pulled out of…
0.11 MILES
On the grounds of Sensō-ji, this 53m-high, five-storey pagoda is a 1973 reconstruction of a pagoda built by Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1648. The current…
0.14 MILES
This subtemple of Sensō-ji dates to the late 17th century. The deity enshrined here is a guardian of women and the temple is the site of a curious ancient…
0.14 MILES
At the end of Sensō-ji's Nakamise-dōri, this gate is flanked by two fierce guardian deities. On the gate’s back side are a pair of 2500kg, 4.5m-tall…
0.16 MILES
Tokyo’s most visited temple enshrines a golden image of Kannon (the Buddhist goddess of mercy), which, according to legend, was miraculously pulled out of…
0.18 MILES
There are hundreds of drums from around the world here, including several traditional Japanese taiko. The best part is that you can actually play most of…
0.2 MILES
Senso-ji's eastern gate is one of the temple complex's rare, Edo-era buildings: it's been standing since 1618. Though it appears minor today, this gate…
0.2 MILES
The Sensō-ji temple precinct begins at this majestic gate, from which hangs an enormous chōchin (lantern); look under this to see a beautiful carved…
8. Edo Shitamachi Traditional Crafts Museum
0.21 MILES
Asakusa has a long artisan tradition, and changing exhibitions of local crafts – such as Edo-kiriko (cut glass) – are on display at this museum in a…