We woke up to a rainy morning on our third day in Japan. It's our last day in Tokyo and we have Asakusa first in our itinerary before going later to Kyoto.
Asakusa is one of the most iconic destinations in Tokyo and offers thousands of things, quite literally, with all the souvenir shops and the wide variety of foods available in this place. Definitely a must in your Tokyo itinerary.
Read: Japan Travel Itinerary for 7 Days: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka
We spent the whole morning exploring Asakusa and that was more than enough to see and feel this vibrant place. Despite the drizzle, the place was still heavily crowded with visitors.
Getting to Asakusa and dropping our luggage in coin lockers
From our hotel we walked to the nearest train station and rode to the Asakusa Station.
We had all our things with us and we planned ahead to put our luggage in coin lockers at the station instead of going back to the hotel. With only the essentials and umbrellas, we started our sightseeing in Asakusa Sensoji Temple.
Kaminarimon (Kaminari Gate) and the giant paper lantern
A big Japanese lantern called chochin is a popular landmark and a favorite spot for souvenir photos.
Kaminarimon is your entry point to a street of shops, the Nakamise Dori.
Nakamise Dori shopping street
The street is full of shops with a myriad of Japanese crafts, snacks, and souvenir items that truly are a feast for the eye and the tummy (not so with the pocket, hehe).
Consider coming here with an empty stomach and have a Japanese food trip of your life. Well, mostly are snacks but, regardless, Japanese food is Japanese food, right? Unfortunately for us, we had no idea about the overwhelming number of food stalls here and we were able to only have a matcha ice cream. 'A' matcha ice cream! I think Anna ate it all!
I went inside the toy shops to look for a specific item, an action figure of Nobita (Doraemon), but it wasn't available anywhere. Also, I am a fan of Hayao Miyazaki, the greatest animator of all time, and I still kind of regret I didn't get anything related to his creations while there.
Shin-Nakamise Shopping Street
The newer (shin means new) shopping street perpendicular to the old one. We actually went here after visiting the temple to find a place to have lunch before going back to the station. The shops are mostly similar only that the area is covered.
The Sensoji Kannon Temple
The Sensoji Temple's dates as far back as 1300 years and is Tokyo's oldest Buddhist temple.
I didn't observe the inside of the temple that much and was more keen towards the things happening outside.
Sensoji Five-Story Pagoda
Not very far from the main temple, the five-storied pagoda is another interesting structure to check out when in Asakusa. (Learn more about this pagoda: https://matcha-jp.com/en/1007)
A view of the Tokyo Tower
The Tokyo Tower, another famous landmark in Tokyo, can be seen when in Asakusa. The Tokyo Tower has some beautiful lights during at night and it makes sense to visit Asakusa Sensoji Temple in the late afternoon and get a nice view of the tower later on.
Conclusion
If I were to visit Asakusa once again, I'd go there during the late afternoon (as mentioned) and feast on the snacks available in Nakamise Dori, and see the Tokyo Tower when it's lit. I am not a big fan of souvenir items and was almost tempted to buy some. The shops here have a lot of stuff to choose from including some really beautiful crafts. The whole place, including the temple and the temple ground, can get really crowded, so, don't expect some solo selfies. Hehe. Honestly, though, the variety of people and the frenzy also kind of add life and interest to the place.
