On a recent business trip to Tokyo, I had a couple of free hours and decided to drop in on Asakusa, an old part of the city with a historic temple. The thing about Tokyo is that for historical cultural landmarks, it just can’t compare to Kyoto. Some of this is because a number of temples and shrines and their surrounding areas have been rebuilt. This is certainly true of Asakusa. The place was also incredibly crowded – full of tourists as well as locals going to make their Sunday blessings. Hence, I left somewhat disappointed but glad I went to refresh my memories of a prior visit many years ago.

The nice thing about Asakusa Shrine is that it’s very easy to get to, with the main entrance – the Kanminarimon Gate – near the Asakusa subway station on the Asakusa line and the Tawaramachi station on the Ginza line. The Tokyo Sky Tree is also just a 20 minute walk across the river so it’s not too difficult to visit both sites within a few hours.

The main attraction is Sensouji Temple, which is a short walk further down from Kaminarimon Gate along a street lined with shops. Most of these are selling touristy things but you can also try some local snacks here. You can walk into the main hall of the temple, something I didn’t do because of the line of people waiting to do that. Instead, I took a walk around the garden.

There are numerous stores around the temple, some of which are quite interesting so it’s not a bad place to just meander around. Overall, it was a nice way to spend an hour or so. But I have to say I think the Meiji Shrine is more special.