The 250-metre approach between Kaminarimon and Senso-ji is one of Japan’s oldest shopping streets, with stallholders granted the right to trade here in the late 1600s. Around ninety shops sell the souvenirs of Edo: freshly pressed rice crackers, ningyo-yaki cakes filled with red bean paste, folding fans, kimono fabric and wooden kokeshi dolls, shoulder to shoulder with plastic katana and cat-shaped keyrings.
It is slow going by day. Try a kibi dango dumpling and an iced amazake at the stand near the gate, then take the side lanes to breathe. Early morning is the only time you will see it empty, and the painted shutters after dark are a show in themselves.
Tips
- Eating while walking is frowned on here, so step aside to the stall's counter to finish your ningyo-yaki
- The parallel lanes on either side hide better craft shops and fewer people than the main strip
- Shuttered stalls at night reveal painted scenes of Asakusa festivals that are only visible after closing