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Asakusa & Sumida River

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Sensoji Temple at dusk in Asakusa district.

©Rudy Balasko/Shutterstock

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Overview

Tokyo's eastern neighborhoods, on the banks of the Sumida-gawa, have an old-Tokyo (shitamachi) feel, with venerable temples and shrines, lovely gardens, traditional restaurants and artisan shops. Zone in on Asakusa's atmospheric Buddhist temple complex Sensō-ji and the sumo hot spot of Ryōgoku, home to the ancient sport's Tokyo stadium and a top-class history museum.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Exterior of the Sensouji Temple. 1075025648 architecture, asakusa, asia, background, blue, buddhism, buddhist, building, capital, city, copy, cultural, day, destination, famous, god, japan, japanese, landmark, landscape, morning, old, people, pray, red, religion, senso-ji, sensoji, sensouji, shinto, shrine, sky, space, temple, tokyo, tourism, tourists, travel, worship

    Sensō-ji

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    Tokyo’s most visited temple enshrines a golden image of Kannon (the Buddhist goddess of mercy), which, according to legend, was miraculously pulled out of…

  • Gold & Silver

    Tokyo Skytree

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    Tokyo Skytree opened in May 2012 as the world’s tallest ‘free-standing tower’ at 634m. Its silvery exterior of steel mesh morphs from a triangle at the…

  • April 25, 2018: Exhibitions at the Edo Tokyo Museum, which illustrates Tokyo's past. 1224886435 ancient, architecture, art, asia, asian, boat, city, culture, decoration, doll, dress, edo, edo tokyo museum, education, elegance, festival, historic, japan, japanese, kimono, kyoto, maiko, miniature, model, museum, old, oriental, people, perform, red, river, samurai, street, theatre, tokyo, tourism, tourist, town, traditional, travel, vintage, yukata

    Edo-Tokyo Museum

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    Tokyo's history museum documents the city's transformation from tidal flatlands to feudal capital to modern metropolis via detailed scale re-creations of…

  • TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 07: Some 10,000 crystal 'Gorinto', five-rings tower is arranged at the 'Corridor of Pray' at Fukagawa Fudodo Temple on March 7, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images) 668504212

    Fukagawa Fudō-dō

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    Belonging to the esoteric Shingon sect, at this active temple you can attend one of the city's most spectacular religious rituals. Goma (fire rituals)…

  • Sumida Hokusai Museum designed by Sejima Kazuyo, Asakusa & Sumida River.

    Sumida Hokusai Museum

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    The woodblock artist Hokusai Katsushika (1760–1849) was born and died close to the location of this museum, which opened in 2016 in a striking aluminium…

  • Tomioka Hachiman-gū

    Tomioka Hachiman-gū

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    Founded in 1627, this shrine is famous as the birthplace of the sumo tournament. Around the back of the main building is the yokozuna (sumo grand…

  • Amuse Museum

    Amuse Museum

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    The highlight of this museum is a fascinating collection of Japanese folk articles, mainly patched clothing and pieces of fabric, known as boro, gathered…

  • Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (MOT)

    Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (MOT)

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    For a primer in the major movements of post-WWII Japanese art, a visit to the permanent collection gallery here should do the trick. Temporary exhibitions…

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