Have you been to Asakusa? We didn’t have time to visit Asakusa during our first trip to Japan back in 2012. So the second time around, we decided to spend a few hours in Asakusa to enjoy the market atmosphere of Nakamise-dori.
Upon arrival in front of Kaminarimon, we realise how touristy Asakusa is. Hundreds of people posing in front of the gate, trying to get the best photo without having too many people in the background. It was almost impossible, I tell you. LOL.
Once we walked in, we saw a long street lined with shops and adorned with signages all around. I love the hustle bustle of traditional markets in Japan, so to me, this was a welcoming sight.
There were plenty of food options everywhere. From snacks to eat on the spot to crackers and other souvenirs to bring back for your friends and family. One of the rice crackers (senbei) had pictures of Yamapi as advertising, which I thought was an interesting way to market your product.
For those who don’t know who Yamapi is, he’s a Japanese actor/singer/everything who acted in a couple of shows that I really like. Check out Proposal Daisakusen and Buzzer Beat. His real name is Tomohisa Yamashita, although he’s widely known as just Yamapi.
All the snacks did make me hungry, but as soon as I saw this next shop, I knew this was the thing I had to eat… MORE ice cream!!! Yes.
I had the custard pudding soft serve ice cream and the hubby had something I couldn’t remember (yes, we tried too many!)… Winter will never stop us from eating ice cream and one of these days, I should do a post of all my soft serve ice cream adventure in Japan! LOL.
The only odd thing about the ice cream shop was that we were not allowed to walk with our ice cream, instead we had to stand around and eat. I assume they don’t want people to litter? No idea, but do keep that in mind if you’re planning to grab an ice cream at Nakamise-dori.
But anyways, then we continued walking…
There were so many little knick knacks to look at. We didn’t make any purchase, but if you are looking for souvenirs, I assume this place has everything you need. From kimono to keychains to snacks.
As we got nearer to Sensoji, we walked away from the crowded street and found these interesting statues…
We walked back to the main street and found Sensoji and Asakusa Shrine. Photo time…
Yep, again, as you can see, there were lots and lots of people. I also found that shopkeepers around Nakamise-dori are all able to speak some amount of English, compared to everywhere else in Japan.
From Sensoji, we could see Tokyo Skytree amongst the trees (oh check out those autumn colours)!
After all that walking, we needed some lunch (yes food is important). I didn’t do any prior research before coming here, so we just wandered around different corners of the area to search for food.
Love the monk outfit and posture, by the way.
And next to where the monk was standing, we saw a restaurant with some plastic food displays. They looked good enough to us, so we entered. (Plus, at this stage, we were really hungry and just wanted to have something in our tummies haha).
I had the katsu omurice (omelette rice). Not the best we’ve tried before, but still not bad. I think the standard of food in Japan is really high, either that or I was looking at everything with holiday eyes and tasting also with my holiday tummy, if you get what I mean.
Once food was devoured, we made our way out of the busy touristy area of Nakamise-dori and Sensoji temple…
Yup. I thought this was an interesting view and couldn’t help to take a photo of it. People. Everywhere. Taking. Photos. (I was one of them too, so not going to complain and make a big fuss, but yeah).
Straight after this, we walked around Asakusa and stumbled upon a cat cafe… More on this soon!
Have you been to Asakusa? What are some of your favourite things to do there? Comment below!
This brings me back to my trip to Asakusa! I loved it, especially the food stalls and traditional sweets.
The restaurant you went to looks very nice. Do you by any chance remember the name of it?
I am also writing about my trip in Japan, so if you’re interested in reading it take a look here; http://beautifultravelhangover.blogspot.nl
Hi Sacha, sorry I don’t remember the restaurant’s name anymore. However, there are plenty of other restaurants around the area. This one was decent, but wasn’t the best either, so you won’t be missing too much! ;)
I love Asakusa neighborhood! This is one of the first neighborhoods in which one I lived in Tokyo. It is for me one of the best area to stay in Tokyo because there are a lot of things to see and also full of great restaurants ;)