Tokyo · AsakusaNo.134★★★Open in map →
Senso-ji
— Tokyo's oldest temple
Through the Kaminarimon gate and down the Nakamise shopping street to the main hall — the symbol of Asakusa.
The approach is the experience: the scenery shifts with every gate you pass, and beyond the bustle of the shopping street, incense smoke drifts before the main hall. Some 30 million people a year answer this pull — and between early morning and midday, the temple shows two very different faces.
Background & history
By tradition the temple began in 628, when two fishermen pulled a statue of Kannon, the Buddhist figure of mercy, from the Sumida River — locals have known it as Asakusa Kannon ever since. The shopping street on its approach dates back to stalls permitted on the temple grounds in the Edo period, making it one of Tokyo's oldest. Much of what stands today was rebuilt after the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923 and again after the war — burned more than once, and back on its feet every time.
What to look for — in walking order
- Kaminarimon Gate
- the signature gate with its giant red paper lantern
- Nakamise-dori
- about 89 shops lining the 250-metre approach
- Main hall (Hondo)
- the heart of the temple, enshrining Kannon; opens early each morning
- Denboin-dori
- a lane of old-style shopfronts; another face of Asakusa
How to enjoy it
Go in the morning. The main hall opens around 6:00 (6:30 from October to March), so start with the quiet hall and the approach at its calmest. The shops open between about 8:00 and 10:00 — time your walk back and you can browse Nakamise just as the shutters rise: two faces of the temple in one visit. Omikuji fortune slips and incense are cash only. Finish just west of the approach in Denboin-dori, one more stretch of old Asakusa.
How to actually get there
- Tokyo Station → Kanda Station (JR Yamanote Line, ~2 min).
- Kanda Station → Asakusa Station (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, ~10 min; ~5 min to transfer).
- Asakusa Station Exit 1 → Kaminarimon Gate (walk, ~1 to 2 min).
- JR + Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
- Tokyo Station →(JR Yamanote Line, ~2 min)→ Kanda Station →(transfer, ~5 min walk)→ Tokyo Metro Ginza Line →(~10 min)→ Asakusa Station. Total about 15 to 20 minutes. The Ginza Line runs very often (a train every few minutes), so no timetable check is needed.
- return the same way
- Take the Ginza Line back from Asakusa Station and change at Kanda for the JR Yamanote Line to Tokyo. The Ginza Line runs from early morning until around midnight, so there is no tight last connection during the day.
Before you go
- Cash
- IC transit cards (Suica / PASMO) work on all these lines; a one-way fare from Tokyo Station is about 320 yen. Temple entry is free. Fortune slips (omikuji) and incense are paid in cash.
- Closing days
- The main hall opens around 6:00 (6:30 October to March). The approach fills quickly after about 9:00, and weekends and public holidays are busiest by mid-morning.
- Another way
- The Toei Asakusa Line and the Tobu Skytree Line also stop at Asakusa Station if you are coming from a different part of the city.
- After you get off
- From Asakusa Station (Ginza Line) Exit 1, walk straight for about 1 to 2 minutes on the pavement; Kaminarimon Gate and the start of Nakamise-dori are just ahead.